DePaul Blue Demons vs Xavier Musketeers Box Score on Dec 30, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Dec 30, 2017

CINCINNATI -- J.P. Macura scored 19 points and Trevon Bluiett scored 16 off the bench as No. 6 Xavier held off DePaul 77-72 on Saturday afternoon at Cintas Center.

Macura also had six rebounds and five assists for Xavier (14-1, 2-0 Big East), which won its ninth straight game, earning head coach Chris Mack his 200th career victory on his 48th birthday.

The Muketeers had to rally from a 16-point, second-half deficit to pull out the victory.

DePaul had possession behind by a point with under a minute left, but Macura's steal and outlet to Quentin Goodin for a reverse dunk put the Musketeers ahead 75-72 with 22.5 seconds left. The Blue Demons turned the ball over on their next possession, and Xavier held on.

DePaul junior guard Max Strus put on a show, equaling his career-high with 33 points with six 3-pointers, and Justin Roberts added 16 points.

However, the Blue Demons (7-7, 0-2) committed a season-high 23 turnovers. Their previous high was 17.

Strus did his best to ruin Mack's birthday, scoring 10 points in the first eight minutes of the game, including a fadeaway 3 that put the Blue Demons ahead 14-11.

He scored 16 points in the half, including four 3s, to help the Blue Demons build a surprising 39-31 halftime lead.

Xavier was sluggish throughout the first half and did not have a field goal in the final 4:35 before halftime.

DePaul turnovers helped the Musketeers erase a 16-point deficit in the second half.

Goodin's steal and emphatic one-handed dunk sparked the crowd and cut Xavier's deficit to five. Bluiett 's 3 and a pair of free throws by Goodin capped a 7-0 run to tie the score at 60 with 8:19 left.

When Goodin scored off Kerem Kanter's assist to put Xavier ahead 64-63 with 6:54 left, it was the Musketeers' first lead since less than four minutes remained in the first half. Goodin had 12 points and four assists.

Macura threaded a pass to Sean O'Mara for a layup, giving Xavier a 70-66 lead with three minutes left. But, the Blue Demons didn't go quietly.

Strus hit another 3 to cut Xavier's lead to 73-72 with a minute left. But, the Musketeers held on.

NOTES: Xavier G Trevon Bluiett did not start due to a shoulder issue. The last time Bluiett did not start a game but played was Feb. 7, 2015 vs. Providence. Bluiett scored 19 points in that game. ... Xavier leads the all-time series 12-9, including seven straight wins. ... DePaul has faced four ranked opponents this season, including No. 1 Villanova, then-No. 4 Michigan State, and then-No. 14 Notre Dame.