Overview
- DePaul erased a 44-36 halftime deficit with a 14-0 burst early in the second half and held off Marquette for an 80-75 Big East win at Wintrust Arena on Jan. 16.
- CJ Gunn scored a career-high 31 points and hit seven 3-pointers to lead the Blue Demons to an 11-7 overall mark and 3-4 in league play.
- NJ Benson added 17 points on 8-for-9 shooting, Brandon Maclin scored 12, and Layden Blocker contributed 10 points with eight assists for DePaul.
- Marquette led by as many as 10 before the break while shooting 60.7% from the field and 8-for-14 from deep, but DePaul’s pressure and timely shooting flipped the game after halftime.
- Nigel James Jr. paced Marquette with 18 points, four threes, five rebounds and eight assists as the Golden Eagles fell to 6-13 and 1-7 Big East, ending a six-game series win streak for MU; the outcome aligned with pregame models that narrowly favored DePaul.