Six in Double-Figures Lead DePaul in Victory

GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico – Karron Clarke and Draleon Burns led six players in double-figures as DePaul topped La Salle, 93-88, in the final game of the San Juan Shootout. The Blue Demons finished the tourney with a 1-2 record and third place among the five teams.

DePaul (3-7) quickly built a 9-2 lead and then used back-to-back three-pointers by Will Walker and Clarke for a 17-6 advantage and a La Salle time out. Coming out of the break, Mac Koshwal scored on a turnaround jumper in the post for a 19-6 lead with 14:17 left in the opening half.

The sixth and seventh three-pointers of the first half by Jabari Currie and Burns gave the Blue Demons a 35-19 advantage at the eight-minute mark. Ruben Guillandeaux answered for La Salle with a three-point field goal on the Explorers’ next possession.

La Salle (4-6) closed the deficit in the final five minutes of the half and pulled to within a point at 43-42 when Paul Johnson knocked down a pair of free throws. The Blue Demons regrouped and scored seven of the period’s final 10 points to take a 50-45 advantage at intermission.

Burns pushed the DePaul lead to 62-54 on a steal and ensuing layup early in the second half before the Explorers answered with eight straight points to knot the score with 12:45 left in the game.

DePaul went back ahead by five points, but La Salle wouldn’t go away easily. Darnell Harris, who knocked down five three-pointers in the game, gave the Exploers their first lead at 70-68 on a trifecta with just over nine minutes left.

Each team scored on its next possession before Clarke canned one of his four three-pointers to give DePaul a lead it would never relinquish in the final 7:39 of the game. The Blue Demons led by as many as eight points in the closing minutes before finishing with a 93-88 victory.

Clarke’s four three-pointers set a new career high while his 25 points marked highest totals this season. He added six rebounds and two steals while Burns finished with 20 points, four boards and three steals. Walker came off the bench to finish the afternoon with 15 points and four steals while Koshwal just missed a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds.Wesley Green rounded out the double-figure scoring with 10 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots.

La Salle was led by Harris' 21 points while Ruben Guillandeaux added 16 and four assists.

The Blue Demons travel to Detroit next weekend for a Saturday game against the Titans. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m.

Game Notes: DePaul’s 50-point first half marked a season-high for scoring in half... Draelon Burns is now five points shy of reaching the 1,000-point plateau... the 11 three’s against La Salle marked the fourth game this season with at least 10 three-pointers... the Blue Demons are now 3-3 all-time in their two San Juan Shootout visits... the Blue Demons now lead the series, 7-2, with Saturday serving as the first meeting since a 83-62 victory for La Salle on Dec. 2, 1989.

Box Score