Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
DePaul
Wildcats Notch First Win, Defeat DePaul 49-39
11/14/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 14, 2006
EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) -- Craig Moore scored 10 points and hit a key 3-pointer, and Tim Doyle and Kevin Coble scored 9 points 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.
Clarke 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.
Coble was awarded the Waldo Fisher-Frank McGrath Award as the MVP of the annual Northwestern-DePaul game.
The Wildcats play their first road game Friday, traveling to Stanford.
