DePaul basketball looks to extend their winning streak to five games. This time, they face off against the Eastern Illinois Panthers.
On Tuesday, Nov. 19, DePaul basketball hosts Eastern Illinois at Wintrust Arena at 8 p.m. CST (9 p.m. EST), their fifth of seven straight home games for their non-conference schedule.
The team is on a four-game winning streak, the latest of which was a 84-58 victory over the Duquesne Dukes.
The Panthers travel from Justice, Illinois with a 1-3 record, including two straight losses to the 17th ranked Indiana Hoosiers (55-90) and most recently, the Northwestern Wildcats (58-67). The latter game ended in an overtime loss for Eastern Illinois. Their record puts them in eighth place in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC).
This is the second time this season that the Blue Demons host a team from the OVC, the first of which was an 80-78 victory against the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles, to open the season. This is the first time ever that DePaul and Eastern Illinois will face off on the court.
General Information:
Teams:Â DePaul (4-0) and Eastern Illinois (1-3)
Tip-Off:Â 8 p.m. CST (9 p.m. EST)
Where to Watch:Â FS2
Tune In:Â Radio DePaul Sports & Entertainment (RDSE)
What to know about Eastern Illinois:
As previously stated, the Panthers are on a two-game losing streak. The last time they ended the night in a win was on Nov. 6, in a 97-61 victory over the Earlham College Quakers. The leading scorer for that game was senior guard Artese Stapleton, who scored 17 points, 8 assists, and 2 steals while shooting 6-10 (60%) from the field.
In the overtime loss to Northwestern, the scoring leader was senior guard Nakyel Shelton. Against the Wildcats, he scored 19 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. In terms of shooting, he shot 8-20 (40%) overall and a poor 1-9 (11.1%) from beyond the arc. On the season, Shelton averages 16.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 44.4% from the field, and 26.3% from three-point shots.
As a team, Eastern Illinois shot 25-61 (41%) from the field and 3-19 (15.8%) from the three-point line. In overtime, they couldn’t get a single shot in the basket, going 0-4 from the field and 0-2 from beyond the arc.
Another key player for the Panthers in this matchup is senior forward Kooper Jacobi, who nearly recorded a double-double with 14 points and 9 rebounds. This season, Jacobi has averaged 11.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game.
What to know about DePaul basketball:
DePaul comes off their fourth-straight win of the season against the Duquesne Dukes. Graduate transfer guard Isaiah Rivera led the team in scoring with 18 points while shooting 7-9 (77.7%) from the field and 4-6 (66.6%) from the three-point line. Rivera averages 17 points and three rebounds on the season. In terms of shooting, he averages 63.2% and 56% from beyond the arc, a career-high for the guard from Geneseo, Illinois.
Graduate transfer forward David Skogman was another key contributor with 16 points and nine rebounds while shooting a perfect 6-6 from the field, including one three-point shot. Skogman averages 11 points and a career-high 7.3 rebounds this season. Shooting-wise, he averages 60.7% overall and 54.5% from long range.
Sophomore guard Layden Blocker exited the game early and did not return. According to WeAreDePaul.com on X, the team is hopeful he will be able to play against the Panthers.
Perimeter defense and second-chance points were the main contributions in the win. DePaul held the Dukes to 6-22 (27.2%) from three-point shots, including a 0-7 second half.
The Blue Demons also out-rebounded their opponents 40-26, which led to plenty of second-chance opportunities and put-backs. DePaul outscored their opponents in second-chance points, 22-6.
DePaul basketball is less than a month away from their first conference matchup against the Providence Friars on Dec. 10. These last several non-conference games are critical to prepare the team for the toughest matchups on their schedule.