newjerseynewsroom.com

BY MIKE BECKER

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

PISCATAWAY – DePaul's Jamee Crockett came into Wednesday night's game with 15 made 3-pointers in 19 games this season.

Crockett would torch Rutgers on this night, as the freshman forward came off the bench and shot 6-of-8 from 3-point range, including 5-of-5 in the second half, to finish with 20 points and lead DePaul to a 69-64 win over Rutgers at the Rutgers Athletic Center.

“It's DePaul,” Rice said. “You know somebody has the ability to step up and go on a run like that.”

Cleveland Melvin also came through for DePaul, finishing with 14 points and seven rebounds.

Only two Scarlet Knight players finished in double figures, as Myles Mack finished with a game-high 22 points and Jerome Seagears had 14.

Rutgers held a 29-24 lead at the half, as the first half saw nine lead changes and six ties between the teams.

Gilvydas Biruta had foul trouble in the first half, as he picked up his second foul less than six minutes into the game and played only six minutes in the first half.

The Scarlet Knights would lead by as many as 11 in the second half, but struggled down the stretch, as DePaul shot 56 percent from the field in the second half and closed out the game on a 27-12 run.

“We struggled with getting in our own way a lot of the night, whether it was not having solid possession of the basketball,” Rice said. “But still, you're up 11 points, DePaul never went away.”

Rutgers seemed to be in control the first 10 minutes of the second half. They held an 11-point lead with 10:09 to play after a Derrick Randall basket.

But then came Crockett with one three. And another. And another. It was all part of a 13-2 DePaul run that put them up 55-54 with 4:51 left.

“Defensively, it seems that whenever we made a mistake, Crockett would find space and find a way to get three points,” Rice said.

Myles Mack came up with two 3-pointers and Eli Carter hit two free throws, as the teams found themselves even with 2:11 left at 62-62.

But then Cleveland Melvin put down a dunk with 1:55 left to put DePaul up 64-62. He would then knock down two free throws a minute later to put his team up 66-62.

Rutgers then failed to convert on the offensive end, and DePaul was able to hit enough free throws down the stretch to finish Rutgers off.

The schedule does not get any easier for Rutgers, as they play a Cincinnati team at home on Saturday. Cincinatti is coming off a loss to Syracuse.

Rutgers can only hope they don't have another night like they did on Wednesday.

“A night where I wanted to scream at all of them, and I had a right to scream at all of them because there was no composure,” Rice said. “There was no mental toughness. And so it's disappointing. Again, this is what the weakness of this team is, a lack of maturity and mental toughness.”