Central Michigan Chippewas vs DePaul Blue Demons Box Score on Mar 20, 2019

Max Strus scored 33 points to lead DePaul to a 100-86 win over Central Michigan on Wednesday in a first-round game of the College Basketball Invitational at Chicago.

Eli Cain added 20 points, six rebounds and seven assists for the Blue Demons (16-15). Paul Reed chipped in with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Next up for DePaul is a matchup with Longwood, which defeated Southern Mississippi 90-68 on Wednesday.

The Chippewas, who finish the season with a 23-12 record, had five players score in double figures. David DiLeo and Larry Austin Jr. led the way with 20 points each. Shawn Roundtree Jr. finished with 16 points, Rob Montgomery compiled 14 points and Kevin McKay added 12.

Central Michigan scored the first seven points of the game and went up 21-9 on a layup by Montgomery. They still led 31-19 after a DiLeo 3-point jumper.

But that's when the Blue Demons' offense finally awoke. DePaul outscored the Chippewas 16-4 to tie the game at 35-all on a 3-point shot by Cain. Strus' trey gave the Blue Demons their first lead of the game at 38-35 with 3:54 to go in the half.

Central Michigan tied the game at 42-42 on Flynn Cameron's layup. However, Reed broke the tie with a free throw, which gave DePaul the lead for good with just over a minute before halftime.

With game knotted at 50-all, DePaul went on a 14-4 run to open a double-digit advantage, but Central Michigan had one last gasp.

McKay's layup with 12:33 to go cut the Central Michigan deficit to just three at 66-63. The Blue Demons put the game out of reach scoring 10 of the next 13 points.

The DePaul lead swelled to 94-78 on a layup by Devin Gage.

The Blue Demons finished the game shooting 52.7 percent from the field and connecting on 9 of 19 attempts from beyond the arc.

The Chippewas show 50 percent from the field and made 11 of 29 long-range attempts.

DePaul finished with a 44-29 advantage on the boards.

--Field Level Media