DePaul Gets Back in Win Column Saturday

CHICAGO – DePaul men's basketball rebounded into the win column with a strong, 91-72, victory against Wichita State Saturday afternoon at Wintrust Arena. The Blue Demons shooting was red hot, as DePaul made a program-record for a regulation game with 17 made three-pointers.

Isaiah Rivera led the Blue Demons three-point effort, tying a personal-best five for a 17-point performance in addition to seven rebounds. Jacob Meyer and CJ Gunn both exploded for four apiece, as CJ Gunn went off for a career-high 22 points off the bench. Meyer had a game-high 23 which included seven made free-throws.

HOW IT HAPPENED
DePaul (8-2, 0-1 BIG EAST) opened the game shooting 4-of-5 from three-point range for a 12-7 lead. Wichita State (8-2) answered with three quick layups for their own, 13-12, lead, setting the stage for a back-and-forth first half with nine lead changes. A 12-0 run for Wichita State built up their advantage, before Rivera knocked down a three-pointer to leave DePaul down five at halftime.

The Blue Demons shooting stayed hot as DePaul opened the second half with a three-pointer by Troy D'Amico, making it a one-point game. After nine points in the first half, Gunn really got going as he sparked a 13-4 DePaul run for the go-ahead 58-53 lead. Wichita State would fight to keep the game tied at 60 on a pair of free throws, but DePaul had an answer with back-to-back baskets from Gunn. The Blue Demons gave themselves some separation with a 15-2 run over a period of five minutes and locked down defensively to close out the game for DePaul's sixth double-digit victory of the season.

OF NOTE

DePaul had three players record four or more three-pointers, the only time it has happened in Blue Demons history dating back to records in 1996-97.
Saturday marked the first time DePaul has outscored an opponent in the second half by 24 or more points since Nov. 13, 2021.
Rivera surpassed 150 career three-pointers while marking his sixth game of the season in double-digits.
Conor Enright had nine assists, marking his fourth-straight game with seven or more.
Layden Blocker recorded three steals, marking his 10^th career game with multiple takeaways.

UP NEXT
DePaul will face its second conference test of the season next week as they travel to St. John's for a midweek matchup on Tuesday, Dec. 17. The Blue Demons will tip against St. John's at 5:30 p.m. CT on Peacock.

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Players Mentioned

Layden Blocker

Troy D'Amico

Conor Enright

CJ Gunn

Jacob Meyer

Isaiah Rivera