Poor shooting hurts men's basketball in 75-59 loss to USF

DePaul needed this game more than any other to regain respect in the Big East.

Coming into this game with a conference record at 1-5, the Blue Demons saw this game as an opportunity to get back on the right track. Unfortunately, the Blue Demons were unable to overcome a tough second half, losing 75-59 to the South Florida Bulls.

The South Florida Bulls were beginning their Midwest road trip after taking down St. Johns 64-49. The Bulls, like DePaul, has already improved their program compared to last year. South Florida went 3-15 last season in the Big East and was already turning heads with their 4-2 record. So far this year the Bulls have recorded the best scoring defense in the league, but have also posted the worst scoring offense with their best player averaging only 11 points per game. Despite their low scoring, the Bulls were able to outplay the stat sheet on Sunday.

The Blue Demons in the first half showed off their strong scoring presence working the ball inside. Krys Faber played well in the first half, scoring six points and grabbing three rebounds. Jamee Crockett impressed with seven points on 3-3 shooting from the field.

Midway through the first half, the Demons' inside scoring struggled. The Bulls forced DePaul to resort to taking outside shots, which they couldn't convert. The Blue Demons shot a mere 36 percent from the floor and lost composure on offense. At the end of the half South Florida led 37-29.

In the second half DePaul attempted to break down the Bulls defense. Crockett continued his red-hot shooting, connecting on a three and a quick midrange jumper to cut the lead to four. DePaul showed better ball movement in the second half, passing around the arc and finding good shots. The Bulls, who played a 2-3 zone throughout the game, had to switch up on every DePaul possession in order to try to slow them down. The Blue Demons would rally to cut the lead to three in the second half.

Despite the eight-minute run, the Blue Demons were hampered by poor performances by Moses Morgan and Brandon Young. Morgan shot only 1-10 for the game, including 0-for-7 from beyond the arc. Young could not buy a bucket, missing all 13 attempts from the floor, but managing to salvage six points from the free throw line. On top of that, Crockett's shot went cold after starting 5-for-5, missing his next four shots.

Cleveland Melvin would take the most shots for the Demons, hitting 8-of-18 for 17 points. Melvin was also responsible for cleaning the glass, grabbing seven rebounds.

Overall, DePaul only managed to shoot 33 percent from the field.

On defense DePaul showed many weaknesses. Augustus Gilchrist made quick work of DePaul's poor post defense, hitting 7-of-8 from the floor. Gilchrist had 22 points in the game and grabbed 5 rebounds.

"My teammates did a good job finding me early and giving me little easy baskets, so it's a credit to them," Gilchrist said.

Junior guard Jawanza Poland also made his own impact scoring 19 points. Poland leads the team in scoring, averaging 11 points.

"I thought our inability to make shots was probably our major downfall," DePaul coach Oliver Purnell said. " I thought our guys came out battling in the first half on the defensive end of the floor."

DePaul's next game is at Rutgers on Jan. 25 at 6 p.m.