Xavier Rallies To Beat DePaul, 77-72
CINCINNATI (AP) -- J.P. Macura scored 19 points and had a steal and a blocked shot in the final minute Saturday, completing No. 6 Xavier's comeback from a 16-point deficit to a 77-72 victory over DePaul.
The Musketeers (14-1, 2-0 Big East) won their ninth in a row and matched the best start in school history. The big comeback set up their seventh win in a row over the Blue Demons (7-7, 0-2).
Macura's steal set up Quentin Goodin's fast-break dunk for a 75-72 lead with 28 seconds left. He blocked Eli Cain's shot with 9.5 seconds left, and Trevon Bluiett made two free throws to seal it.
Xavier couldn't hit open shots in the first half and trailed by 16 points early in the second half before turning up the defense and pulling ahead 64-63 with 7 minutes left. Max Strus led DePaul with 33 points, matching his season high.
Xavier shot only 28 percent, including 3 of 16 beyond the arc, as DePaul took a 39-31 lead into halftime. Strus hit six of his eight shots for 16 points in the half, and hit another 3 as the Blue Demons pushed the lead to 16 points early in the second half.
Xavier's shots started falling, and the Musketeers limited DePaul to three field goals and four free throws over the next 10 minutes.
BIG PICTURE
DePaul: The Blue Demons had the roughest opening stretch in Big East play. They lost to No. 1 Villanova 103-85 on Wednesday. They're 0-4 against ranked teams this season, including losses to Notre Dame and Michigan State. Their last win over a ranked opponent on the road was Jan. 22, 2015 over No. 24 Seton Hall.
UP NEXT
The Blue Demons host Georgetown on Tuesday.
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