EVANSTON, Ill. (AP)—Craig Moore scored 10 points and hit a key 3-pointer, and Tim Doyle and Kevin Coble scored nine apiece to lead Northwestern to a 49-39 victory over DePaul on Tuesday night.
Moore was just 2-for-6 from the field, but his 3 with 1:53 remaining extended the Wildcats’ lead to 43-36.
Doyle added five rebounds and six assists, while Coble hit 4-of-7 field goals, but neither team shot well.
Northwestern (1-1) was 18-of-45 overall and 4-of-17 on 3-pointers. DePaul (0-2) was as bad, at 16-of-47—including 3-of-16 from the outside.
But Northwestern protected the ball, committing five turnovers to the Blue Demons’ 15.
Coble hit a 3, reverse layup and jump hook in the opening minutes of the second half. And Sterling Williams added a pull-up jumper as Northwestern turned a four-point halftime deficit into a 29-25 lead.
DePaul tied it at 29 when Marcus Heard hit the first of two free throws, Karron Clarke grabbed the rebound and Draelon Burns made a 3. But a 3-pointer by Moore and a steal and breakaway layup by Jeff Ryan gave Northwestern a 36-31 lead with 8:57 remaining.
Wilson Chandler led the Blue Demons with 11 points and nine rebounds, and Heard finished with eight points and nine boards.
After struggling last season with a new coach (Jerry Wainwright) and a new league (the Big East), DePaul expects to do better. With four starters back from a team that went 12-15 and 5-11 in conference, the Blue Demons were picked to finish eighth in the Big East.
But so far, it’s been more of the same.
After opening the season with their second straight season-opening loss to Bradley—78-58—the Blue Demons led 20-16 at halftime.
Both teams misfired from inside and long range.
Northwestern was 7-for-26 in the first half, hitting 1-of-10 3-pointers, and was scoreless until Vince Scott hit a short hook 6:42 into the game. But DePaul wasn’t much better, hitting 9-of-22 and missing all six attempts from the outside.
The schedule doesn’t get easier for the Blue Demons. After hosting Eastern Illinois on Friday, they play Kentucky in the first round of the Maui Invitational on Nov. 20 and could meet UCLA the next day. Then they had home, where Kansas visits Dec. 2.
