DePaul suffered a tough loss to Cincinnati Tuesday night, losing 75-70 at the All State Arena. Cleveland Melvin led the Blue Demons with 32 points and 8 rebounds. He shot 14 of 20 from the field in a stellar performance. Brandon Young added 18 points and 4 assists.

Pivotal Moment(s): The Blue Demons nearly made an improbable comeback. With 1:03 left in the game, Cincinnati nursed a 70-59 lead. Then DePaul turned up the pressure cutting Cincinnati's lead to 73-70 with 8 seconds left in the game, behind the efforts of Melvin, Paul and Charles McKinney. But Sean Kilpatrick drew a foul and made both free throws on the ensuing possession, sealing the victory for Cincinnati. DePaul then had one last chance to cut the lead, but Young missed a three to end the game.

Prior to the final exciting minute, there was another key moment in the game. Cincinnati's Cashmere Wright went down with a knee injury with 15:12 left in the game. Up to that point, the Bearcats had a 54-41 lead, thanks in large part to Wright. He had 20 points and 7 assists before he was hurt, in only 22 minutes of play. Wright missed the rest of the game. He clearly controlled the Cincinnati offense and DePaul had no answer for the guard. DePaul failed to capitalize with Wright out of the game, and was never able to regain its previous lead.

Key Stats: DePaul Three Point and Free Throw Shooting. DePaul only made 2 of 14 of its three point attempts in the game, continuing its struggles from beyond the arc. Additionally, DePaul only got the free throw line 8 times, making 6 free throws. By comparison, Cincinnati attempted 31 free throws and made 19. In close games like these, the Blue Demons need to get the free throw line consistently. It will allow them to score points without taking time off the clock.

Cincinnati's Shooting Percentages Across the Board

Cincinnati made an astounding 59.5% of its field goals Tuesday night. The Bearcats also converted 6 of 13 three pointers on the night. With Cincinnati converting at that rate, it was an uphill battle for DePaul to get back into the game. Although Cincinnati only made 61.3% of its free throws, the Bearcats still made 13 more free throws than DePaul.

Next for DePaul: The Blue Demons host St. John's (10-7, 2-3) on Saturday at 11:00am. The Red Storm is coming off a home win against #20 Notre Dame.

Notes:

DePaul's reliance on the junior duo of Melvin and Young was evident in the second half. Melvin and Young combined to score 29 of DePaul's 32 points in the second half. For the game, the two scored 72% of DePaul's points.

DePaul held Cincinnati star Kilpatrick to three first half points. Once Wright got hurt and left the game, Kilpatrick became more assertive on the court. Although Kilpatrick finished with 18 points, DePaul's containment of him in the first half kept the Blue Demons in the game.

Coming off a one game suspension, McKinney had one of his better games of the season. He had 10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in 24 minutes of play. He also made his first three pointer of the season, and at a crucial moment in the game.

9 NBA teams were in attendance tonight at Allstate Arena: Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Hornets, Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks and the Los Angeles Clippers.

Tyquone Greer, a 2014 guard/forward from Orr High School was in attendance tonight. He has an offer from DePaul.