CHICAGO – The Western Illinois men’s basketball team wrapped its non-league schedule with a 91-72 setback against DePaul Wednesday night (December 23).
“We’re just way too inconsistent,” said head coach Rob Jeter. “We play hard but are really hurting ourselves — turnovers, quick shots. We’re going to live with some of that, but at some point, we have to be consistent.
“Our start wasn’t the best, but we were able to cut the lead. And when we found a rhythm, we couldn’t keep it because we went back to those bad habits. It’s going to take some time for guys to eliminate those. Teams are going to have to beat us; we can’t continue beating ourselves. We gave DePaul way too many easy opportunities.”
There were flashes where Western kept the Blue Demons on their toes.
The 44-25 halftime score wasn’t quite as seismic six minutes before the break; there was a three-point game sandwiched between 12-0 and 15-0 DePaul runs, but the latter proved to be too much to overcome.
With the assistance of 3-pointers by Will Carius and JJ Flores, Western pulled within range — 22-19 with 5:46 to go — for the closest difference the rest of the way.
Coach Jeter often mentions the “fight and grit” his team possesses, and like usual, both were on full display inside Wintrust Arena. The Leathernecks worked their Big East opponent through the final horn, and play was much improved in the second half. They nearly doubled their offensive production from 25 points to 47 in the later period and were also more cautious with the ball, committing only four turnovers.
Both Carius and Tamell Pearson finished with a team-high 15 points and seven rebounds. Western also saw Anthony Jones and Justin Brookens record 13 and 10 points, respectively.
Following holiday break, the Leathernecks return to Western Hall for the start of Summit League play. They’ll host North Dakota State on January 2 and January 3 at 3:30 p.m.
***Recap courtesy of WIU Athletics***
