GAME NOTES: A pair of teams who have had anything but fun during their stay in Hawaii get together on Christmas, as the DePaul Blue Demons mix it up with the Lions of Loyola Marymount in the final day of the Diamond Head Classic.

DePaul has lost five straight games, including double-digit setbacks to Colorado (82-68) and Ohio University (99-78) in this tournament. The team's recent run of futility is somewhat surprising considering it opened the 2014-15 campaign with victories in six of its first seven games. Next on the docket, the Blue Demons return home to open their Big East Conference slate versus Marquette on New Year's Eve.

Loyola Marymount has fallen on hard time of late as well, the squad dropping six straight, which includes defeats to both Wichita State (80-53) and Nebraska (50-42 OT) in this event. As a result, the Lions sit at just 3-8 on the season, and they too will open league play next when they return home to entertain West Coast Conference foe Pepperdine on Dec. 29.

DePaul leads the all-time series, 5-1, and the Blue Demons have won the last four meetings, the most recent of which occurred back in 1993.

Despite putting four players in double figures, DePaul fell to the Ohio Bobcats on Tuesday, losing by 21. Darrick Ward paced the Blue Demons with 15 points in 21 minutes of action off the bench, while starters Billy Garrett and Tommy Hamilton tacked on 13 points apiece. Forrest Robinson was another reserve who contributed, as he tallied 12 points to go with a team-high six rebounds, and Aaron Simpson chipped in 10 points for a squad that shot 41 percent from the floor and converted 20-of-24 free throws. Unfortunately, OU made good on nearly 60 percent of its total shots, which included 10 3- pointers, and the Bobcats claimed a 38-29 rebounding advantage while logging sizeable edges in points in the paint (44-24) and off turnovers (26-16).

DePaul has seen its strong start go by the wayside, the team now scoring roughly the same figure as it allows (75.2 ppg to 75.8 ppg). Still, the Blue Demons are shooting 45.6 percent from the floor, .355 from beyond the arc and .743 at the charity stripe. Myke Henry is the club's leading scorer with 14.8 ppg, while three others are nipping at his heels in Hamilton (13.2 ppg), Garrett (12.6 ppg) and Jamee Crockett (12.0 ppg). Hamilton spearheads the unit's effort on the glass with 7.3 rpg, although the team as a whole checks in with a -3.9 rebounding differential, while sitting at -1.2 in turnover margin.

Loyola Marymount played stingy defense in Tuesday's tough loss to Nebraska, limiting the Cornhuskers to 36.8 percent field goal efficiency, while securing a massive 40-22 edge on the boards. Unfortunately, the team's offensive effort didn't match its play at the other end, as the Lions managed to convert only 28 percent of their total shots, which included a 5-of-19 showing from beyond the arc. A total of 20 turnovers and only five assists hurt LMU's cause, as the team wasted a 16-point effort from Ayodeji Egbeyemi, and a 10-rebound performance from Godwin Akonji.

Despite going just 2-of-13 from the field and netting a mere seven points, Evan Payne continues to pace LMU as its only double-digit scorer on the season with his 19.7 ppg. Egbeyemi is the closest to cracking that barrier, as he is averaging 9.1 ppg for a team that only puts up 62.9 ppg. For the most part, the Lions have played well with their backs to the basket, yielding 68.9 ppg, and they are +1.5 in rebounding margin, but -4.0 in turnover differential, coughing the ball up an average of 15.4 times per outing.

Both teams are in desperate need of a win, and the Blue Demons probably have the more balanced attack. Expect them to salvage a game in this tourney, as they fly back to the mainland feeling a little bit better about themselves.