Bulldogs Roll Past DePauw In Exhibition Opener

Sophomore Shelvin Mack scored a game-high 13 points and teammate Gordon Hayward added 11 to lead Butler to a 77-45 victory over DePauw in an exhibition basketball game at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Sunday (Nov. 1) evening.   It was the first preseason test for both squads.

The Bulldogs, ranked No. 10 in the first ESPN/USA Today national poll and No. 11 in the Associated Press national rankings, jumped to a 12-0 lead and increased that margin to 21-3 before DePauw scored its first field goal.  The lead was 39-12 at halftime, and Butler coach Brad Stevens was able to get a long look at all of his players in the second half.

“In the beginning part of the season, we’re looking for opportunities and moments to prove that we are going to get better and that we have the right mindset to get where we need to go,” said Stevens after the game.  “We’ve had a couple of opportunities in practice, because we haven’t had a good day and we’ve had to respond to that, and we’ve now had an opportunity in a game where I thought we did a lot of good things.”

Stevens used multiple lineups and 14 of Butler’s 15 players saw action in the contest.  Only sophomore Garrett Butcher, who’s recovering from an illness, did not play in the game.

Five different players contributed to Butler’s first 12 points and six different players were in the scoring column before DePauw’s first field goal.  Nine different Bulldogs tallied points in the first half.

Mack scored his 13 points in 18 minutes, while Hayward had 11 points, four assists and four blocked shots in 20 minutes.  Freshman center Andrew Smith came off the bench with 10 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots in 21 minutes of action.

The Bulldogs hit 10 of 23 three-point field goal attempts in the game with junior Zach Hahn and redshirt freshman Chase Stigall each nailing three three-pointers.

Butler will get a second preseason test on Saturday, Nov. 7, with an afternoon game against Taylor.  That contest is slated for 2 p.m. (ET) at Hinkle Fieldhouse.