(BUTLER RELEASE)
Butler jumped out to a big first half advantage and used 21 points from Jair Bolden to claim a 67-53 win over DePaul Tuesday night at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.
The Bulldogs are now 5-7 on the season and 4-5 in BIG EAST play. The win is Butler’s first of the season away from Hinkle Fieldhouse.
“We’ve had a good run of practices and I think that play continues to carry over into games,” said Butler coach LaVall Jordan. “Winning isn’t easy. We got sloppy late after coming out of the gates with really good competitiveness. But, I’m proud of our toughness to close it out.”
Butler was able to overcome a season-worst 18 turnovers by limiting the Blue Demons to 33-percent shooting, including only 4-of-24 from behind the three-point line. DePaul chipped away at Butler’s lead, which grew to 25 with 12 minutes to play. The Blue Demons trimmed the lead to 12 (60-48) with 3:50 to play before Butler closed the door.
An 18-2 run gave Butler a 35-12 lead with 2:43 remaining in the first half. At that point in the contest, DePaul was shooting only 5-of-26 from the field. The Bulldogs took a 35-17 lead into the locker rooms behind 14 first-half points from Bolden.
Bolden’s 21 included five three-pointers. He was one of four Bulldogs in double figures as Bryce Golden, Myles Tate and Chuck Harris each added 10. The Bulldogs shot a season-best 50 percent from the field, and 10-of-27 from three-point range.
Bryce Nze pulled down 14 rebounds, matching his season-high. Butler had a 40-33 edge on the glass.
Butler limited DePaul’s top three leading scorers, Charlie Moore, Javon Freeman-Liberty and Romeo Weems, to only 15 points on 5-of-26 shooting. The trio entered the match-up averaging 38.4 points per game. Kobe Elvis came off the bench to lead
the Blue Demons with 12 points.
The Bulldogs return to Hinkle Fieldhouse and action Friday night, hosting Seton Hall for a 9 p.m. tip. Tickets are still available for the contest through the Butler Ticket Office.
Comments