Butler trimmed a Marquette lead to a single possession several times in the closing minutes, but could never get over the hump as the No. 4-ranked Golden Eagles won, 78-72, Tuesday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
 
Tyler Kolek led the Golden Eagles with 27 points.
 
Marquette has now won eight straight games, dating back to Butler's win over the Golden Eagles in Milwaukee Jan. 10. Marquette is 19-5 (10-3 BIG EAST), while Butler falls to 16-9 (7-7).
 
HOW IT TRANSPIRED:

• A 12-2 Marquette run erased a very early Butler lead and gave the visitors a 16-9 advantage at the 12:04 mark of the first half.
• That seven-point lead was the largest of the first half by either team.
• Butler fought all the back, taking a short-lived 26-24 lead of their own with 5:34 remaining.
• Marquette led, 34-32, at the half. The Golden Eagles shot 49 percent and forced nine Butler turnovers over the first 20 minutes.
• Marquette's Tyler Kolek and Butler's Jahmyl Telfort each had 10 points in the first half.
• The first double-digit lead of the contest came at 10:17 of the second half as Marquette took a 55-45 lead. Another basket gave the Golden Eagles their largest lead of the game at 57-45.
• Finley Bizjack sparked a Butler comeback as the Bulldogs were able to trim the lead to only two at 64-62 with four minutes to play. The Bizjack three-pointer at that point gave him 17 points, matching his career-high.
• After two Jalen Thomas free throws made it Marquette 69-66 with 1:50 to play, the Golden Eagles scored on back-to-back possessions: a Kolek three-pointer and an Iso Ighodaro driving lay-up to stretch the margin back to eight with 50 seconds remaining.

 
OF NOTE:

• Kolek added seven rebounds and five assists to his game-high 27 points. He made 10 of his 21 attempts from the field.
• Ighodaro added 17 points and 10 rebounds for Marquette.
• Bizjack led the Bulldogs with a career-best 19 points with 16 coming after halftime.
• Pierre Brooks II scored 15 points for Butler, while Telfort (12) and Thomas (11) also reached double figures.
• Marquette had a 46-20 advantage in points in the paint.
• Butler had a 39-34 rebounding edge as Thomas and DJ Davis each had seven. Telfort and Brooks each pulled down six. It was Butler's first loss when out-rebounding its opponent (now 13-1).
• Marquette's defense limited Butler to 40-percent shooting. Butler did hit nine three-pointers, but needed 25 attempts.
• The Bulldogs won the first meeting between the teams this season, 69-62, in Milwaukee.
• Butler is 11-3 this season at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
• Tuesday's contest was the annual Project 44 game in honor of the late Andrew Smith and the non-profit organization established to drive awareness of the national bone marrow registry.
• Butler is in the midst of a five-game stretch that includes four Top 25 opponents.
• This was the 51^st meeting in the series between the two programs; Marquette now leads 26-25.

 
UP NEXT: The Bulldogs finish off their three-game homestand at Hinkle Fieldhouse with a Saturday tip against No. 17/16 Creighton. It completes a five-game stretch of four Top 25 opponents for Butler. A limited number of tickets still remain for the 12:30 p.m. tip, which will also air on FOX.