Men's basketball defeats Mississippi Valley State 80-70

Looking to conclude their two-game season-opening homestand at McGrath-Phillips Arena with a 2-0 record, the men's basketball team did just that against Mississippi Valley State on Monday night. Sparked by a remarkable shooting display by senior guard Jeremiah Kelly in the first half, the Blue Demons defeated the Delta Devils 80-70.

Kelly put on a show in the first period, scoring 17 points on 5-7 shooting from three-point range. At one point, Kelly hit three consecutive shots from downtown, holstering imaginary six-shooters at his waist while the crowd erupted. This offensive surge, in the midst of a 24-5 run, propelled DePaul from a 22-20 deficit to a 44-27 lead.

Kelly credited his teammates on the floor with him for the looks he got at the basket, saying, "They did a great job of finding me, and I thought it was a momentum change. We ran with the momentum and we fed off of it.

"It felt great good coming out of my hands; I made the first three in a row, so I just kept shooting and it kept going in," Kelly said.

Despite the breathing room Kelly offered the Blue Demons, their play got lackadaisical soon after, which head coach Oliver Purnell noted was an important issue.

"The guys got happy for JK [Kelly] -- I was happy for him," said Purnell. "When that happened, we got loose with our offense. We should have been attacking and punishing their defense, forcing them to foul."

Kelly's offense allowed the Blue Demons what Purnell called a "working margin"; when Kelly cooled off, it was the Blue Demons' defense that secured the win for the team.

"JK's offense in the first half in particular was big, he gave us offense off of our set offense," said Purnell. "We were by no means out of the woods, but it gave us some semblance of control in the game. I thought guarding the ball, having to make big stops when our offense stalled was probably why we had a chance to win."

Where the Blue Demon defense faltered was in securing defensive rebounds. Mississippi Valley State was an exceptionally physical team, with several big bodies throwing their weight around inside. Forward Amos Studivant (12 points, 12 rebounds) and center Paul Crosby (13 points, three rebounds) in particular wreaked havoc in the interior, doing their part to tip in missed shots and keep possessions alive.

"I was very impressed with Mississippi Valley's physicality. I was concerned about it going into the game, along with their dribble drive offense," Purnell said. "They love to drive you and then duck in their big, strong post people.

"What we didn't do a decent job of was once the shot goes up, with their sheer manhood they push you under. We didn't do a good job of holding our ground and blocking them out, and that's an area we really have to tighten up."

The two DePaul centers, Krys Faber and Derrell Robertson, had their hands full trying to protect the paint and box out any Delta Devil within reach. Much of the blocking out responsibilities fell on their shoulders, thus it is fortunate for the Blue Demons that 6'9" forward Donnavan Kirk becomes eligible for their next game.

Still, despite a dearth of big men, Charles McKinney believes the team can do a better job of helping out.

"We need to work on gang rebounding as a team," McKinney said. "Our big men were in foul trouble so they were a bit passive, but overall we should've been in there helping them. We'll fix it over time."

McKinney, who also got in on the offensive activity in the first half, hitting the first two three-point shots of his career en route to 10 points, played a significant role on the defensive end as well.

"[Charles] gives us a defensive lift when he's in there," Purnell said. "He got a couple big steals and deflections at the end there when, if [Mississippi Valley] makes a shot, they're in the game."

The up-and-down attacking style of the Blue Demons seems to be paying off, with their pressure defense playing a large role in the team's success early in the season. The men's basketball team will have over a week off for final exams, then resume play on Thanksgiving Day against Minnesota at the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, Fla.

"We're excited about playing on ESPN2 on Thanksgiving," Purnell said. "The Detroit Lions aren't playing well right now, so watch us."