CJ Gunn and JJ Traynor combined for 44 points as visiting DePaul withstood a late Providence rally to win 80-77 in Big East action on Wednesday night.
DePaul (12-18, 3-16) used a 17-5 run to turn a one-point deficit into an eight-point lead with 2:48 left and led by nine with 1:57 left before the hosts forced multiple turnovers and scored to make it a one-point game thereafter.
Providence had a chance to tie after Bensley Joseph was fouled while heaving a 3-pointer from beyond halfcourt with 7.5 seconds left but missed the first two free throws. An inadvertent whistle on the third free throw forced a jump ball and turned the ball back to DePaul.
Gunn, who scored 12 of his 23 points in the second half and also had seven rebounds, then clinched the game at the foul line with nine ticks left.
Traynor’s dunk with 6:10 left turned the score for good, as DePaul held a 52-38 scoring advantage in the second half and snapped a six-game skid.
Corey Floyd Jr. scored 25 points and added eight rebounds for Providence (12-18, 6-13), which has lost four straight. Ryan Mela had 18 points.
Providence started 13-of-17 from the field and made two 9-0 runs — including one over the first 2:15 — in the first half, extending their lead to as many as 16. It was 39-28 at halftime.
However, the visitors changed the game in the second half.
Traynor scored the first four points after intermission for DePaul, which twice made it a two-possession game by 16:23, and after the Friars upped the lead back to 10, an 11-0 run flipped the score for the first time.
Pierre-Justin’s five quick points off the bench started the spurt before Rivera’s 3-point play tied the game and a Blocker free throw gave DePaul its first lead with 11:04 left.
Mela’s transition 3-point play helped Providence’s 7-0 response, but DePaul exploded from deep late. D’Amico came off the bench for back-to-back treys to begin an 8-0 run.
DePaul never trailed from there, but was within one possession after a Rich Barron layup in the final minute.
Traynor and Gunn’s baskets trimmed the early 9-0 score. The duo combined for the Blue Demons’ first 24 points, with Traynor’s third dunk making it 17-13 at 12:42.
A Floyd trey and Christ Essandoko dunk bookended the hosts’ second 9-0 run. The lead reached its highest point following a Joseph transition pull-up three with 7:39 left.
DePaul moved within 36-28 on Blocker’s jumper. But Mela knocked down a last-minute three before halftime.
–Field Level Media
