CHICAGO, Ill. | James Graham scored a team-high 18 points, but Alabama A&M could not overcome a decisive second-half surge as DePaul defeated the Bulldogs, 84-47, Monday night at Wintrust Arena.
Alabama A&M (2-1) pulled within four points late in the first half and trailed by 10 at the break before DePaul (3-0) used a 13-0 run early in the second half to take control.
Graham finished 6-of-12 from the field, including two 3-pointers, and added four rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
Stephaun Walker contributed 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds, while
Sami Pissis registered 10 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals. DeVontes Cobbs collected a team-best three steals.
Layden Blocker paced five DePaul players in double figures with 20 points and four assists. Kahmare Holmes added 15 points, Ade Popoola and Koree Cotton scored 13 apiece, and Fabian Flores finished with 10 points and six rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Graham put Alabama A&M on the scoreboard with a hook shot at the 18:41 mark, and Pissis knocked down a transition 3-pointer to tie the game at 5 with 15:23 remaining in the opening half.
DePaul answered with eight consecutive points to build a 13-5 advantage before Walker halted the run with two free throws at the 11:07 mark.
Graham helped keep the Bulldogs within striking distance, connecting from beyond the arc with 9:56 remaining before converting a three-point play at 8:57. His fast-break layup off a Pissis assist trimmed the deficit to 20-15 with 8:11 left.
After DePaul pushed its lead back to eight, Pissis drained his second 3-pointer to bring Alabama A&M within 25-20 at the five-minute mark. Pissis later added two free throws, and Walker finished a driving layup to cut the margin to 28-24 with 3:36 remaining.
The Blue Demons responded with an alley-oop basket from Flores and a Blocker 3-pointer. Graham added three free throws over the final 1:34, but DePaul carried a 37-27 lead into halftime.
Graham scored 13 first-half points, while Pissis added eight and Walker contributed six points and six rebounds.
Popoola opened the second half with a 3-pointer before Graham answered from long range to make it 40-30 with 19:09 remaining.
DePaul then scored the next 13 points. Cotton connected on two 3-pointers during the stretch, while Flores added a layup, Popoola hit another triple and Blocker capped the run with two free throws for a 53-30 advantage at the 14:50 mark.
Pissis ended the run with a driving layup 16 seconds later. Cobbs added two free throws, Javante Edwards scored on a drive and Graham converted a putback to bring the Bulldogs within 60-38 with 9:07 remaining.
Walker added a jumper at the 7:09 mark and a 3-pointer with 4:19 left, but the Bulldogs could not close the gap as DePaul outscored Alabama A&M, 47-20, in the second half.
UP NEXT
Alabama A&M returns home to play host to the Bulldog Bash, starting on Thursday as West Florida comes the AAMU Event Center. Tip-off against the Argonauts is set for 7 p.m. and streamed on SWAC TV.
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