ROSEMONT, Ill. – The long walk down the court toward the free-throw line said it all.
Sophomores Dominic James and Jerel McNeal pleaded with the ref, challenging the foul that had just been whistled on Dan Fitzgerald.
Marquette trailed by six with 2:36 remaining, and every DePaul fan inside Allstate Arena could see it coming.
Wesley Matthews tried to provide a cohesive presence, striding toward the conversing threesome with his hands out, palms down. But it was no use.
No. 12 Marquette was coming apart at the seams.
The Golden Eagles (21-6, 8-4 Big East) lost their composure Wednesday night, and as a result, lost the game as well, 72-67 at DePaul (15-11, 6-6).
Different facets of Marquette's game that usually serve as strengths operated out of sync versus the Blue Demons.
The Golden Eagles' vaunted fast break never got into a rhythm, and for possibly the first time all season, was outdone by that of DePaul.
However, head coach Tom Crean wasn't about to chalk up the poor transition on miscommunication.
"That's just called lack of effort," Crean said. "That's called not getting back and understanding that they wanted a lob dunk every time."
Sloppiness plagued the Marquette halfcourt attack as well. The Golden Eagles committed 16 turnovers and shot 39.1 percent from the field.
"We got a little bit caught up tonight in our own offense," said McNeal, who finished with 16 points. "We didn't get back to cover their transition offense."
James broke out of his scoring slump by contributing a team-high 17 points. He also handed out six assists but willingly took credit of a different sort in the post-game press conference.
"It came down to execution, and we didn't get it done," James said. "It starts with me, getting guys involved. The drive-and-kick has got to be there."
It wasn't.
Marquette claimed the lead early when McNeal, Matthews and James were driving to the basket with precision and confidence.
But as the turnovers mounted, the Blue Demons began building steam.
DePaul went on a 9-0 run to take the lead midway through the first half.
Sammy Mejia had a game-high 18 points, but it was the play of DePaul's frontcourt that got Crean's attention.
"Our frontline did not match their frontline tonight," Crean said.
DePaul forward Wilson Chandler posted a double-double, scoring 14 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. Marquette's two starting forwards combined for just four points but did grab a combined 17 rebounds.
The second half was a seesaw affair with Marquette nipping at DePaul's heels only to have the Blue Demons eventually kick them away.
Fitzgerald hit several shots that kept the Golden Eagles within striking distance and finished with 16 points.
"We got the type of tempo we want," James said. "But the defensive transition wasn't there, and they got some easy baskets. We got the lead a few times, but we couldn't make enough stops.
"We couldn't ever get over the hump."