Creighton beats DePaul in Big East Tournament first round

DePaul Blue Demons forward Jamee Crockett defends Creighton Bluejays guard Rick Kreklow in the first round of the Big East basketball tournament at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, March 11, 2015. Photo Credit: AP / Evan Vucci

James Milliken recorded 22 points as the Creighton Bluejays topped the DePaul Blue Demons to advance to the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden.

Austin Chatman scored nine of his 11 points in the second half for 10th-seeded Creighton (14-18), which will take on No. 2 seed Georgetown on Thursday. Devin Brooks pitched in 12 points, five assists and five rebounds off the bench.

Jamee Crockett registered 15 points as seventh-seeded DePaul (12-20) lost its eighth straight game. Billy Garrett Jr. and Myke Henry added 10 points apiece

Milliken was the star of the first half, scoring 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting as Creighton led 35-33 at the break. The game was tied at 46 just over seven minutes into the second half when the Bluejays embarked on a 13-2 run, including a 3-pointer by Toby Hegner and a three-point play by Milliken

DePaul scored the next three points, but Chatman responded with a layup and six foul shots over the next two-plus minutes as Creighton closed it out. Chatman added five assists and five rebounds, while Will Artino contributed team highs of eight rebounds and three steals to go with nine points off the Bluejays’ bench.

Notes: Creighton lost both meetings with Georgetown this season by a combined 42 points. … Garrett had eight assists, while Henry grabbed nine rebounds. … The Bluejays shot 41.2 percent from 3-point range and only had five turnovers.