Call it the third overtime.
And DePaul won this one, too. DePaul and Dayton left off last March in the first round of the NCAA tournament with the Blue Demons winning in double overtime.
There was not nearly as much drama Wednesday night at the Allstate Arena, as this time the Blue Demons took home the victory 70-59 by mixing up their attack and hanging on against a spirited charge from the Flyers.
A week after DePaul displayed more blahs than bluster, the Blue Demons’ “Q” rating skyrocketed thanks to senior forward Quemont Greer and his career-high 29 points.
Greer, the 6-foot-7-inch senior forward from Milwaukee, had 19 points in the second half in his second game back after being suspended two games for academic reasons. The Blue Demons (3-1) led 34-26 at halftime, but Greer’s assortment of baskets at the start of the second half boosted them into a cozy double-digit lead.
“I was just feeling comfortable,” said Greer, eclipsing a previous 25-point best at Temple in 2001. “Most of the shots were wide-open shots. I was just knocking them down.”
Greer, who added seven rebounds, scored on dunks and three-pointers and everything in-between.
“Q just did a good job of getting open down there,” said DePaul guard Drake Diener, who contributed 14 points. “They didn’t really have an answer down there.”
DePaul handled Dayton (1-2) after a slow start. The Blue Demons received critical help from senior guard LeVar Seals on offense and defense. Seals, who scored 12 points, also drew his typical assignment of covering the opponent’s most explosive scorer.
Forward Monty Scott led Dayton with 14 points, but Seals sealed him off early while the Blue Demons set the tone and ultimately built a 19-point lead.
“My mindset is just to guard him the best as possible,” Seals said, “and use my help [on defense], but not rely on my help. “
This was a homecoming for Dayton coach Brian Gregory, who grew up in Mt. Prospect and rooted for DePaul teams as a kid. This game ended much the same as those others long ago–with DePaul domination. The Flyers shot 39.6 percent to DePaul’s 52.2 and were outrebounded 36-28.
Gregory’s squad did make a late run when DePaul went scoreless for six minutes after compiling a 65-46 lead, cutting the margin to eight, but he was left praising his team’s effort rather than its execution.
Gregory said DePaul coach Dave Leitao might have something going.
“Dave has a chance at having a very, very good team,” Gregory said.
Leitao was not happy about last Saturday’s 84-69 loss to Northern Illinois, but said the team responded well.
“When something like that happens, it really stings,” Leitao said. “And you have to pick yourself up and take the next step.”
