DePaul defeats Wichita St 58-61

DePaul Thrills in Wichita: 61-58 Victory Over Wichita St

In a nail-biting, back-and-forth affair, the visiting DePaul Blue Demons edged out host Wichita State 61-58 on the road at Charles Koch Arena, handing the Shockers their first home loss this season.

The primary storyline of this thrilling matchup centered around the close battle between two evenly-matched teams. At halftime, the away team led 36-31, setting the stage for a dramatic second half that would decide the outcome.

DePaul's CJ Gunn emerged as the top performer for his team, firing off 18 points on 4-of-7 three-point attempts. The Blue Demons' Kaleb Banks chipped in with 4 points and 5 assists, while also grabbing 5 rebounds to anchor DePaul's balanced attack.

For Wichita State, Kenyon Giles led the charge with 16 points, but his efforts were not enough to overcome the team's struggles from beyond the arc. The Shockers' 3-point shooting woes, which saw them go 5-of-17 from downtown, proved costly in their inability to pull away from DePaul.

The key differentiating stat between the two teams was DePaul's improved three-point performance, with a 41% clip compared to Wichita State's 29%. This disparity played a significant role in the Blue Demons' narrow victory.

Advanced statistics highlighted DePaul's strong efficiency on offense, with an eFG% of 58.5 and a True Shooting percentage of 59.3. The team also held a major edge in rebounding, outboarding Wichita State 29-33 despite playing on the road.

The final margin of 3 points was a testament to the intensity and competitiveness of this matchup, which will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the most thrilling non-conference games of the season.

In the end, DePaul's balanced attack, improved three-point shooting, and strong rebounding proved too much for Wichita State to overcome. As the Blue Demons celebrated their hard-fought victory, they took a significant step towards establishing themselves as a force in the Missouri Valley Conference.