Veterans Aaron Thompson and Bryce Golden led Butler to a 66-54 win over Eastern Illinois Saturday afternoon at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
 
Thompson posted the fourth double-double of his career with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Both those are season-highs for the graduate student. Golden matched his career-high with 20 points in the win. He went 8-for-10 from the field. With the win, Butler improves to 7-3 on the season.
 
"The first 10 minutes of each half, I thought we had the energy and attention to detail that we want," said Butler head coach LaVall Jordan. "But we had a drop-off after that. We let our emotions be tied to missing shots. There are some nights when shots don't fall, but I'd take those shots every time."
 
Butler shot 43 percent from the field, but went only 6-of-22 from behind the arc. The Bulldogs were able to utilize a 32-20 advantage in the paint and committed a season-low eight turnovers.
 
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 20-5 lead in the first half before going scoreless over the next 4:20 as EIU scored 11 straight. Butler led 32-21 at the half.
 
Butler scored the first seven points of the second half in just 90 seconds, extending the lead to 39-21. The lead grew to 21 (62-41) with 4:04 remaining before EIU closed the gap down the stretch once the contest was out of reach.
 
Ty Groce had eight points and a game-high seven rebounds for the Bulldogs; Jair Bolden added 10 points.
 
CJ Lane led Eastern Illinois (2-9) with 12 points.
 
The Bulldogs have the upcoming week off for finals before meeting Purdue Saturday (Dec. 18) in the Crossroads Classic. The game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis will air on FOX at noon.