The name Marin Maric might not be all that familiar to most members of the 2017-18 Miami RedHawks basketball team, but veterans like Logan McLane were well aware of what a day at the office with Maric could entail.
Maric came off the bench to score a season-high 22 points and spark the DePaul Blue Demons to an 83-66 victory over Miami Thursday at Wintrust Arena.
The 6-11, 240-pound center . . .
The Blue Demons were struggling early as Miami jumped out to a 7-2 lead and were up 17-12 when Maric came up with a steal near mid-court. When he tried to finish at the other end, he was fouled hard by Nike Sibande.
A flagrant one foul was called, and Maric made two free throws at 9:09 for his first points of the game. Less than a minute later, Maric’s dunk pulled the hosts to a 17-16 deficit.
Max Strus, who scored 21 points on the evening, hit one of his four treys to give DePaul its first lead, 19-17 at 7:53. He then added five of the next seven points, giving DePaul a 26-17 advantage.
Miami fought back and Jake Wright’s triple at 2:43 pulled the RedHawks to within three at 26-23. However, the Blue Demons outscored MU 9-3 to take a 35-26 lead to the locker room.
DePaul bumped its advantage into double digits and was up 60-44 with 10:05 remaining. Miami then put together an 11-2 run that started with a Rod Mills triple and ended with Sibande’s 3-ball at 7:36.
That drew MU within seven (62-55) with plenty of time left. Maric, however, provided seven points – five on free throws -- during a 12-1 burst. Tre’Darius McCallum’s trey gave the hosts an 18-point cushion (74-56) with 3:45 left and DePaul cruised in for the final 17-point margin.
Joining Maric and Strus in double figures for DePaul were Eli Cain (19) and McCallum (10).
Sibande led MU with 17 points, while Wright added 12 – all on 3-point goals.
Miami shot 41.8 percent from the floor and 39.4 percent outside the arc.
The Blue Demons had a nine-point advantage in made free throws, but Miami’s biggest problems were dealing with the Maric-Strus combo and turnovers. The RedHawks registered a season-high 25 turnovers.
Miami returns to action Dec. 30 when it travels to Ohio State (noon, ET). That game will be televised on ESPNU.