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WVU keeps DePaul winless in Big East play

Feb 13, 2011 - 1:31 AM Morgantown, WV (Sports Network) - John Flowers notched 15 points as No. 25 West Virginia got back in the win column with an 82-71 victory over Big East bottom-dweller DePaul.

Joe Mazzulla did it all with 12 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Mountaineers (16-8, 7-5 Big East), who halted a two-game losing streak. Deniz Kilicli had 12 points while Casey Mitchell and Darryl Bryant each scored 11.

Brandon Young netted 14 points and Jimmy Drew had 13 for DePaul (6-18, 0-12), which has not won since December 22 with a 71-62 defeat of Florida Atlantic. Since then, the Blue Demons have dropped 12 straight -- all of which have been conference games.

Krys Faber and Tony Freeland each had 11 points in the defeat.

The Mountaineers scored 10 of the game's first 12 points. However, the Blue Demons made it a 10-9 contest with a seven-point run led by Jimmy Drew's trey, but they could never take control of the lead.

Moments later, West Virginia regained the momentum after Bryant's three- pointer made the tally 18-10 with 14 minutes left. The hosts kept the lead at an arm's length for a 47-34 advantage at the half.

It remained a double-digit edge for most of the second half until Jeremiah Kelly's trey cut it to a seven-point game with 2:48 left, but West Virginia pushed the cushion back to double digits, 78-67, when Mazzulla nailed two free throws with 1:47 to go.

"I thought we did real good until the end," said West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins. "When you got them on the run that's when you really want to attack them and we didn't."

The home team cruised from there, easily breaking the Blue Demons full-court press.

Game Notes

The Blue Demons have faced seven nationally ranked opponents without success this season and have lost 27 straight games to ranked opponents overall...Mazzulla was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line to lead West Virginia, which hit 80 percent (20-of-25) of its freebies ...The Mountaineers had 23 assists on 28 field goals and hit 52.8 percent of their shots. The Blue Demons made 51 percent from the field.