The outcome of DePaul’s first game at the Diamond Head Classic was not as nice as the Hawaii weather. The Blue Demons fell Monday to Colorado 82-68.
Although DePaul trailed 17-4 early, it trailed Colorado by just three points going into halftime. The Blue Demons’ remained close in the second half’s opening minutes, but then the Buffaloes blew the game open.
“It was a good win for us, DePaul is a talented team,” Colorado coach Tad Boyle said in a release. ” I thought transition in the second half we got some easy run outs and we handled their press better in the second half than we did in the first half.
Forward Xavier Johnson started a 14-2 run with a 3-pointer, and suddenly Colorado led 55-39 with 13:42 remaining. The Buffaloes led by double digits the rest of the way.
Guard Askia Booker led the Buffaloes with 17 points, six rebounds and six assists. He made all 14 of his free throws.
“It’s all about confidence,” Booker said in a release. “I think the first four games of the season my head wasn’t there. It was just some stuff I had going on, but I think I figured it out.”
Johnson also had an impressive outing with 20 points and seven boards.
Three DePaul players reached double figures in scoring. Sophomore forward Tommy Hamilton led the team with 16 points and 12 rebounds, his second double-double of the season.
Sophomore guard Billy Garrett Jr. tallied 15 points and also was perfect from the foul line at 11-for-11. Junior forward Myke Henry recorded 10 points.
DePaul faces Ohio Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. CT in the second round of the Diamond Head Classic.
