Box Score #18/19 Butler picked up its first BIG EAST win of the season, topping host DePaul 77-72 at the Allstate Arena. Senior Kellen Dunham led the Bulldogs with 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting. Butler improves to 12-3 overall and 1-2 in BIG EAST play. DePaul falls to 6-9 (0-3).
After DePaul took a 55-50 lead with 9:12 to play, Butler responded with a 12-2 run that gave the Bulldogs a 62-57 lead they would not relinquish.
"We have a lot of respect for this DePaul team," said Butler coach Chris Holtmann. "We knew we were going to have our hands full tonight and I'm pleased with how we responded to their run. Our two seniors made winning plays down the stretch."
Butler shot 49 percent from the field and made 23 of 30 free throws.
Andrew Chrabascz had 16 and
Roosevelt Jones added 15 points and five steals for the Bulldogs.
DePaul out-rebounded the visitors, 39-25, but the Bulldogs forced the Blue Demons into 17 turnovers. Butler converted those into 24 points, while only committing eight turnovers of its own.
Myke Henry had 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead DePaul.
The Bulldogs return home for a Sunday 7:30 p.m. match-up against #11/13 Villanova. As of Tuesday evening, a limited number of tickets remain available for the game. The contest will be aired nationally on FS1.
