Feb 14, 2007, 17:30 GMT
Rosemont, IL - After losing for the first time in over a month, the 12th-ranked Marquette Golden Eagles attempt to get right back in the win column, as they stay on the road to battle the DePaul Blue Demons in Big East action from Allstate Arena in Rosemont.
The Golden Eagles had their eight-game win streak come to a crashing halt with a 76-58 loss at nationally-ranked Georgetown over the weekend. The loss dropped Marquette to 8-3 in league play, still within striking distance of Pittsburgh (10-2) and Georgetown (9-2) atop the conference standings.
DePaul is seeking to turn things around as well, as the Blue Demons are just 5-6 in league play. DePaul has dropped four of its last six outings, but does enter this game following a thrilling 67-66 victory over Notre Dame last week.
The Golden Eagles lead the all-time series with DePaul by a count of 61-42. This is DePaul's longest running series and the 104 meetings all-time are the most by any opponent.
The Golden Eagles struggled on the road this past weekend, as they simply had no answer for Georgetown's frontcourt tandem of Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green, who combined for 47 points in a romp of Marquette. Lazar Hayward and Ousmane Barro led the team with 14 points apiece, while Jerel McNeal finished with 11. Team-leader Dominic James had a game worth forgetting, as he hit just 2-of-17 shots from the floor, finishing with a mere six points. Marquette shot a disappointing .339 from the floor, including a dismal .190 from three-point range (4-of-21). James has done a little bit of everything for Marquette this season, leading the team in both scoring (15.3 ppg) and assists (120). McNeal is second in both categories (14.4 ppg, 100 assists), with Wesley Matthews (12.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg) and Barro (9.1 ppg, team-high 7.0 rpg) providing frontcourt balance.
DePaul has relied heavily on defensive pressure to produce wins this season, with the team allowing just 63.3 ppg. Opponents are converting just 41.1 percent from the floor. Offensively, the Blue Demons are led by a trio of double-digit scorers in Wilson Chandler, Sammy Mejia and Draelon Burns. Chandler leads the team in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 14.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per outing. Mejia ranks second in scoring (13.2 ppg), rebounding (6.4 rpg) and assists (68), as one of the better all-around performers in the Big East. Burns finishes things off with 11.0 ppg and leads the team with 35 three-pointers. In the big win over Notre Dame last time out, Chandler was unstoppable, recording a huge double-double with 25 points and 12 rebounds. Burns added 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists to the victory, while Marcus Heard came off the bench to tally 10 points in 20 minutes of work. DePaul was able to shoot a healthy .491 from the field and won the battle on the boards, 39-34.
© 2007 The Sports Network
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