{{pageModel.leagueAbbr}} {{pageModel.subtitle}} | Las Vegas Review-Journal
National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Loyola Marymount 72, DePaul 69
When: 1:30 PM ET, Thursday, December 25, 2014
Where: Stan Sheriff Center, Honolulu, Hawaii
Officials: # Bart Lenox, # Alfred Smith, # Ryan Wells
Attendance: N/A

Loyola Marymount 72, DePaul 69: Evan Payne shot 8-of-10 from the field – draining each of his three 3-pointers – and scored 24 points as the Lions edged the Blue Demons in the seventh-place game of the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu.

Ayodeji Egbeyemi continued his strong play at this event, finishing with a season-high 20 points for Loyola Marymount (4-8), which shot a season-high 53.5 percent and snapped a six-game losing streak. Godwin Okonji contributed 13 points and five boards as the Lions posted a 35-22 rebounding advantage to overcome 59 percent foul shooting and 17 turnovers.

Billy Garrett Jr. led the way with 16 points and Jamee Crockett tallied 15 for DePaul (6-7), which suffered its sixth straight setback. Tommy Hamilton IV and Durrell McDonald chipped in with 12 points apiece and Myke Henry added 10 as all five starters for the Blue Demons finished in double figures.

Neither team established more than a five-point lead in the first half, although DePaul started to take control with an 8-0 spurt right before the break. The Blue Demons nailed three straight 3-pointers to extend their two-point halftime edge to eight early in the second half before going over five minutes without a field goal until Garrett knocked down a triple to give DePaul a 47-44 lead with 11:41 to go.

The Blue Demons went through another cold spell after Garrett’s 3-pointer, going nearly six minutes without a field goal while Egbeyemi contributed a pair of dunks during Loyola Marymount’s 14-3 surge. McDonald’s 3-pointer with 3 ½ minutes left brought the Blue Demons within 61-59, but back-to-back buckets from Payne – including a 3-pointer with just over two minutes to go – and six free throws down the stretch helped the Lions hold on for their first victory since Nov. 26.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Egbeyemi found his groove in Hawaii, averaging 16.3 points during the three games in Hawaii after scoring eight per game in his team’s first eight contests. … DePaul allowed its three opponents at this event to shoot a combined 53.1 percent from the floor. … The Lions finished 23-of-39 from the foul line while the Blue Demons shot 12-of-14 from the stripe.
Top Game Performances
 
DePaul   Loyola Marymount
Billy Garrett Jr. 16 Scoring Evan Payne 24
Tommy Hamilton IV 4 Assists Ayodeji Egbeyemi 1
Tommy Hamilton IV 8 Rebounds Marin Mornar 7
Billy Garrett Jr. 4 Free Throws Made Ayodeji Egbeyemi 8
Jamee Crockett 4 Steals Ayodeji Egbeyemi 2
Billy Garrett Jr. 1 Blocks Marin Mornar 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
DePaul 69 41.1 11-28 12-14 13 22 1 9 13
Loyola Marymount 72 53.5 3-8 23-39 5 31 1 7 17