Quinton Morton-Robertson scored a game-high 24 points and Rasheed Bello added 15 to lift Purdue Fort Wayne to an 82-74 win against DePaul in Chicago on Tuesday night in the season opener for both teams.
Purdue Fort Wayne scored 20 of the game’s final 26 points. Morton-Robertson swished each of his four 3-point attempts as the Mastodons went 9-for-18 from deep.
Jalen Jackson had 13 points and eight rebounds, while Anthony Roberts scored 13 points for the visitors.
Chico Carter Jr. (18 points, eight rebounds) and Jeremiah Oden (13 points, eight rebounds) flirted with double-doubles for the Blue Demons.
Jaden Henley and K.T. Raimey each scored 11 points. With returning point guard Jalen Terry (ankle) out of the lineup, DePaul committed 22 turnovers.
DePaul started 10-for-15 from the field in the second half compared to 4-for-14 for Purdue Fort Wayne. That allowed the Blue Demons to gradually erase an eight-point halftime deficit.
Oden’s layup off an offensive rebound tied the game at 53 with 11:26 to go. A Henley fastbreak layup at the 9:53 mark gave the Blue Demons their first lead since it was 4-2.
Morton-Robertson’s layup with 6:43 left gave the Mastodons a 62-61 lead. DePaul responded with a 7-0 run, but it wasn’t enough cushion, as Purdue Fort Wayne answered with a 9-0 surge. Jackson’s runner with 55 seconds to go put the Mastodons ahead 75-70.
The Mastodons took a 41-33 lead into halftime after surging ahead by as many as 13 points midway through the first half.
Bello paced a balanced Purdue Fort Wayne attack with 10 points to go with five rebounds and two assists before the break. Morton-Robertson followed with eight points, while Jackson and Roberts chipped in seven apiece.
Purdue Fort Wayne missed 11 layups in the first half but capitalized on erratic ball movement from the Blue Demons, who had 14 turnovers against just six assists. Foul trouble for top DePaul returner Da’Sean Nelson, who played just four first-half minutes, didn’t help the hosts, either.
DePaul also was without transfer forward Mac Etienne (illness).
The Mastodons shot 44.4 percent from the field. DePaul finished at 49 percent.
–Field Level Media