Dec. 30, 2004

Box Score

ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) - Quemont Greer scored 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead DePaul to a 60-51 victory over Rhode Island on Thursday night.

Trailing 38-29 with 13:38 left, DePaul (7-3) went on a 19-4 run to take the lead. Greer's layup put DePaul ahead for good and made the score 43-42 with 6:36 left.

Jamal Nichols' basket extended the DePaul lead to 48-42 with 4:37 remaining.

Rhode Island (2-8) got within 53-51 with 1:31 remaining on Scott Hazelton's two free throws, but Greer converted a 3-point play on the other end to give DePaul a 56-51 lead with 1:03 remaining.

Hazelton scored a career-high 27 points for Rhode Island, including 16 points in the first half, which Rhode Island led 29-24 at the break.

LeVar Seals added nine points for DePaul.

Before the game, DePaul announced sophomore guard Sammy Mejia is taking a leave of absence for personal reasons. The 6-foot-6 Mejia started in nine games and was averaging 12.9 points per game.