Jeremiah Oden scored 16 points and Caleb Murphy chipped in 13 to lift host DePaul over South Dakota 72-60 on Tuesday night in Chicago.
The Blue Demons (1-2) created distance from the Coyotes (2-1) by shooting 5-or-9 from 3-point range after halftime. South Dakota was 1-for-10 from long range over the same span.
Lahat Thioune paced the Coyotes with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Thioune scored 14 straight South Dakota points during one stretch in the second half.
Kaleb Stewart, who hit the next two buckets for the Coyotes after that run, followed with 15 points.
K.T. Raimey added 11 points for DePaul, which went without a field goal for the final 4:10.
Murphy hit a pair of free throws to put the Blue Demons ahead 48-35 with 14:27 remaining. DePaul hit an offensive snag after that, though, and South Dakota capitalized, pulling within seven points before Da’Sean Nelson scored four straight points to stretch the margin back to double digits. The Coyotes trailed by as many as 14 points down the stretch.
A transfer who played his first three collegiate seasons at Wyoming, Oden went 6-for-14 from the floor as part of DePaul’s 46.4 percent shooting effort. He and Raimey each hit three 3-pointers among the team’s 8 in 18 attempts.
DePaul played without point guard Jalen Terry (ankle) and transfer forward Mac Etienne (illness) for the third straight game.
DePaul closed the first half on a 17-5 run to take a 36-25 lead into intermission — the first time the Blue Demons have held a halftime lead this season.
South Dakota slumped to 2-for-14 shooting at the end of the half, going 32.1 percent from the floor in the first half compared to 51.9 percent for DePaul.
Raimey and Churchill Abass both had eight points for the Blue Demons in the first half, while Stewart scored eight for the Coyotes.
Abass finished the night with seven rebounds to lead the Blue Demons and also had four blocks. Jaden Henley dished six assists.
–Field Level Media