Javan Johnson scored 10 of his game-high 27 points in overtime as host DePaul erased a 15-point second-half deficit to claim a 78-72 nonconference victory over Loyola Chicago on Saturday afternoon in Chicago.
Umoja Gibson added 21 of his 23 points after halftime to help DePaul (5-3) win the latest edition of the longtime rivalry between private schools on Chicago’s North Side.
Marquise Kennedy scored a career-high 26 points before fouling out in overtime to pace Loyola (3-5). Tom Welch added 13 points while Braden Norris posted 11 points and 7 assists. The hosts had a chance to win in regulation, but Norris’ well-guarded 3-pointer with 2 seconds left did not draw iron.
DePaul’s chances didn’t look good at the outset.
Gibson stole a pass and went in for a layup for the game’s first basket, but he walked off the floor after dislocating a finger on his shooting hand. The Blue Demons’ No. 2 scorer returned four minutes later but did not score the rest of the half.
Loyola used a 12-0 run to build a 30-13 lead on Norris’ 3-pointer from the wing with 6:26 left in the first half. The Ramblers proceeded to take a 37-24 lead into the break as they shot 68.2 percent from the field compared to DePaul’s 32 percent.
The Blue Demons set the second half’s tone by scoring the first seven points in the opening 90 seconds. The Ramblers responded with a 9-0 run that secured a 46-31 lead with 15:22 to play.
DePaul ramped up the defensive pressure and reeled off a 16-2 run — highlighted by three Gibson 3-pointers — to give the Blue Demons their first lead since Gibson’s game-opening layup. Welch’s three-point play with 1:09 left were the final points of regulation.
Kennedy gave Loyola a brief 64-62 lead in overtime with a short shot from the baseline, but Johnson answered with two 3-pointers and two free throws to put DePaul ahead to stay.
–Field Level Media