DePaul took the right antibiotic to get well. After two sickly performances to start the season, the Blue Demons’ antidote turned out to be Eastern Illinois.
Featuring a 15-0 first-half run and a 25-3 second-half run, including holding the Panthers without a field goal for the first 12 minutes, 25 seconds of the second half, the Blue Demons scored a 71-41 non-conference victory Friday night at Allstate Arena.
Leading by only 16-14, the Blue Demons gathered during a timeout, very conscious of a 20-point loss to Bradley and a 10-point loss to Northwestern.
“We came in the huddle and looked at each other and we didn’t want it to be like the other two games,” senior center Lorenzo Thompson said. “Not tonight.”
DePaul (1-2) then ripped off its 15-0 spurt. Eastern (1-4) never drew closer than 12 points again and fell further and further behind in the second half. The Blue Demons pounced on the ball like ants feasting at a picnic, netting 13 steals in the final 20 minutes.
“That’s what athletes should do,” DePaul coach Jerry Wainwright said. “We’ve been playing on our heels.”
DePaul shot 48.9 percent to Eastern’s 27.5 percent, outrebounded the Panthers 41-28 and collected seven blocks.
“Once I get in the rhythm I feel I can get the steal every time,” said forward Karron Clarke, who had a team-high 12 points and four steals. “Coach told us the passing lanes would be there.”
The Panthers, who do not have a senior on the team, were swamped in the second half. They did not make a second-half shot from the floor until freshman Ousmane Cisse of the Ivory Coast hit a follow with 7:35 left.
“It’s very disappointing,” Panthers coach Mike Miller said. “You have to keep them from getting to their strengths and opening up the floor. In the second half, the life went out of us.”
The Blue Demons’ slow start jump-started “What’s wrong?” queries, and Thompson said getting a win before leaving for the Maui Invitational was urgent.
“We needed it real bad,” he said.
Thompson said teams are gunning for DePaul now that it is in the Big East.
“We used to be little DePaul,” he said. “Now we’re big DePaul.”
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lfreedman@tribune.com.
