EAST LANSING, Mich. - Quemont Greer had 18 points and Delonte Holland 16 to lead DePaul to a 78-66 win over Indiana State on Saturday in the second game of the Spartan Classic.
The Blue Demons play Michigan State for the championship this afternoon, after the Sycamores face Penn in the consolation game.
Early in the second half, those second-round matchups would have been different. Indiana State had a 10-point lead with 16:02 left before DePaul's size and defensive pressure began to make the difference.
With legendary coach Ray Meyer and all-time great Mark Aguirre seated behind the Demons bench, DePaul closed with a 45-23 surge, aided by 58.3 percent shooting from the field.
Andre Brown's work inside was another key in the comeback. Brown had 10 of his 13 rebounds in the second half and contributed 14 points.
David Moss had 20 points for Indiana State to lead all scorers. Despite 8-for-8 accuracy at the free-throw line, he was 5-of-17 from the field and 2-of-8 in the second half.
MURRAY ST. 94, SO. MISS 54: Antione Whelchel and Rick Jones scored 16 each for the host Racers.
Kelvin Brown and Cuthbert Victor added 14 points each and Adam Chiles had 13 for Murray State, which shot 37-for-60 from the field in the game and 23-of-33 in the second half. Murray State shot 56 percent (9-of-16) from 3-point range.
Charles Gaines had 18 points and 11 rebounds for Southern Mississippi, which hit 23 of 62 shots (37 percent), including 1 of 9 3-pointers (11 percent).
SAINT LOUIS 75, N.C. A&T 42: Josh Fisher scored 18 to lead the host Billikens.
Saint Louis led from the start and held the Aggies without a field goal for the last two minutes of the first half and the first eight of the second, outscoring the Aggies 28-3 during the span for a 53-21 lead.
North Carolina A&T got its first field goal of the second half when Sean Booker hit a 3-pointer with 11:29 left. The Billikens' lead hovered around 30 points for the rest of the game.
TULANE 80, ARK.-PINE BLUFF 50: George Brown had a career-high 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead the host Green Wave.
It was Brown's first double double. Vytas Tatarunas had 14 points and nine rebounds and Wayne Tinsley added 13 points, six rebounds and four assists for Tulane.
The Green Wave outscored the Golden Lions 48-6 in the paint. Tulane opened the game with a 16-1 run as Arkansas-Pine Bluff missed its first 10 shots.
MEMPHIS 74, AUSTIN PEAY 60: Anthony Rice scored 16, including 12 in the second half, to lead the host Tigers. Rice was one of four players in double figures for Memphis, which dominated after a late first-half run by the Governors tied the score at the break.
UAB 83, RICHMOND 75: Donell Taylor scored 18 and twin Ronell added 13 for the host Blazers. UAB started slowly but closed the first half with a 15-1 run to take a 31-25 halftime lead. The Blazers never trailed in the second and led by as many as 13 before the Spiders closed the gap late.
ECU 76, COASTAL CAROLINA 59: Gabriel Mikulas scored 21 to pace four players in double figures for the host Pirates. The Chanticleers shot 38 percent in the first half but hit six 3-pointers and led 31-30 at halftime. East Carolina buckled down in the second half, holding Coastal Carolina to nine field goals.
