ROSEMONT, Ill. -- Tracking DePaul from afar via video and scouting reports left Providence coach Ed Cooley impressed with the Blue Demons' development in a difficult season.
But he may not have expected a team this good -- at least for one night.
Forward Myke Henry scored a season-high 27 points and guard Billy Garrett Jr. added 16 as DePaul claimed a 77-70 Big East victory over the No. 11 Friars on Tuesday at Allstate Arena.
"This wasn't an upset. They outplayed us," Cooley said. "They out-toughed us, they out-rebounded us (48-24) and it's a credit to them. They've been playing well and I told their coach before the game how much his team has improved."
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The Blue Demons (8-14, 2-8 Big East) snapped a two-game losing streak as they beat a ranked team for the second time this season.
"We needed and deserved a night that we could persevere and win," said DePaul coach Dave Leitao. "Whatever we've done or not done leading up to this point it hasn't been because we haven't played hard. We were resilient tonight."
DePaul used an 11-0, second-half run to take control and then kept Providence from getting enough traction to catch up.
The Friars closed within three points with 2:10 to play and again in the final minute, but the Blue Demons went 7-for-10 from the free-throw line through the last 2:01 to preserve the lead.
Henry also had a game-high 11 rebounds for a DePaul team that won for only the second time since beating then-No. 20 George Washington on Dec. 22.
Guard Kris Dunn scored 14 points while reserve Ryan Fazekas had 13 as visiting Providence (18-5, 6-4) took their second loss in three games. Forward Rodney Bullock had 11 points, while guard Kyron Cartwright added 10.
Ben Bentil, the Friars forward and leading scorer (20.3 points), played only 14 minutes as he suffered an apparent ankle injury in the first half.
Cooley said after the game he would not know Bentil's status until Providence returned home.
"I was more disappointed with our effort and our level of concentration," said Cooley. "That's the first time we've played in a Big East game without one of our key players (Bentil) but at the same time we gave ourselves a chance to win. We just weren't very poised at the end and we weren't very disciplined."
For a second straight game, DePaul sprinted to an early lead -- this time with eight unanswered points. Providence broke an 0-for-4 shooting start with Bentil's jumper from the free throw line with 17:02 showing.
DePaul went on to lead by as many as 11 points and it took nearly nine minutes for Providence to close the gap. Fazekas forced a 26-26 tie with his baseline 3 point jumper at the 8:08 mark.
Fazekas gave Providence its first lead at 38-36 with a 3 pointer with 50 seconds showing.
Garrett, who closed with 11 first half points, forced a 38-38 tie with a layup with three seconds left.
"When we got out to that lead early it gave us good rhythm and good tempo and we stayed aggressive even when they came at us," Leitao said.
NOTES: Providence junior G Kris Dunn topped 1,000 career points in Saturday's 73-69 victory over Georgetown. He now has 1,034 career points. ... The Friars have collected votes in national polls each week this season and have been in the Top 25 for 10 consecutive weeks. ... Three losses came in January, including a 75-68 home setback against No. 7 Xavier on Jan. 26. ... Tuesday's game was DePaul's second in three days against a ranked opponent. The Blue Demons fell 84-64 last Saturday to Xavier and they'll host No. 3 Villanova on Feb. 9. ... DePaul is ninth in the league in scoring offense (68.3 points) and eighth in scoring defense (73.0 points). ... Providence travels to No. 3 Villanova on Saturday while DePaul is at Creighton.
