Kemba Walker scored 19 of his 26 points in the second half and added seven rebounds as ninth-seeded Connecticut crushed 16th-seeded DePaul, 97-71, in the first round of the Big East Championship at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.

Jeremy Lamb chipped in 19 points and Alex Oriakhi collected 13 points and 19 rebounds for the Huskies (22-9, 9-9 Big East), who won their first Big East Tournament game since 2005 and will face eighth-seeded Georgetown in the second round on Wednesday.

Connecticut made a big run in the first half, turning a 15-14 edge midway through the period into a 23-point cushion, 45-22, with two minutes remaining until the break. Lamb, who totaled 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting in the half, led the way with 12 points during the burst.

The Blue Demons (7-27, 1-17) trimmed it to 45-28 at the half and managed to draw as close as 63-56 with just under 11 minutes left in the second half.

But The Huskies did not fold, ripping off a 29-8 spurt behind seven points from Walker to push it back over 20 points with three minutes left. Connecticut sealed it at the free throw line, connecting on 29 of 32, and dominated on the glass, 44-20.