Box Score
Butler cruised to an 82-58 win over Cal Saturday afternoon, putting all five starters in double figures and shooting 55 percent from the field at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, Calif.

Butler closes the non-conference portion of the season with an 8-3 mark; Cal is now 0-11.
 
KEY STAT: Eric Hunter Jr. picked up the first double-double of his career with 13 points and a career-best 11 rebounds. He added five assists for good measure.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Simas Lukosius and Jayden Taylor led the Bulldogs with 16 points apiece.
• Manny Bates had 12 points and four blocks, which was one shy of his season-high in terms of swats.
• Chuck Harris scored 14 points.
• Lukosius and Hunter each had five assists, while Harris added four.
• Butler shot 55.2 percent from the field, the eighth time in 11 games that the Bulldogs have shot 50 percent or better.
• The Bulldogs limited Cal to 3-for-21 shooting (14.3 percent) from behind the arc.
• Devin Askew and Grant Newell each had 17 for the Golden Bears, but needed a combined 33 shots to get there.

 
HOW IT TRANSPIRED:

• After Cal climbed within four at 24-20 with 8:11 to play, Butler went on a prolonged 17-4 run over the next seven minutes to take a 41-24 lead and ultimately a 41-26 halftime advantage. Butler shot 57 percent from the field in the first half in taking control of the game.
• In the second half, Butler's lead quickly grew to 20 (51-31) at the 15:16 mark before climbing to 30 for the first time with 7:33 to play (73-43).

OF NOTE:

• Butler put all five starters in double figures for the third time this season.
• DJ Hughes saw his first action since sustaining a concussion Nov. 24 in the Battle 4 Atlantis win over BYU; Myles Wilmoth got his first minutes of the season after working back from an arm procedure in the preseason.
• This was the first meeting between the two programs and the front half of a home-and-home series that will bring Cal to Hinkle Fieldhouse Dec. 9, 2023.
• Butler is now 16-11 all-time against current members of the Pac-12 Conference; the Bulldogs have won 11 straight (all since the 2009-10 season). Butler's last loss to a Pac-12 Conference opponent came against Arizona in the 2001 Tournament, which was part of Thad Matta's first season as the head coach at Butler.
• Through 11 games, Butler has shot 50 percent or better from the field eight times; the Bulldogs hit the 50-percent mark six times all of last season (31 games).
• Butler is now 8-0 this season when leading at halftime.
• Over the past eight games, Butler has limited its opponents to 25-percent shooting from three-point range (39-155); six of those eight opponents have hit five or less three-pointers.
• Myles Tate (illness) missed his second consecutive game. Butler has been without Ali Ali, John-Michael Mulloy, and Jalen Thomas due to injury for the entirety of the regular season thus far.

 
UP NEXT: Following Finals Week on the Butler campus, the Bulldogs will open BIG EAST play Saturday (Dec. 17), hosting Top 5 UConn at Hinkle Fieldhouse.