Butler jumped out early and held out late in taking an 80-75 Senior Day win over Xavier Saturday afternoon at a sold-out Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
 
Two of the seniors recognized – Michael Ajayi and Yohan Traore – combined for 45 points in the win.
 
Butler is now 15-13 overall and 6-11 in BIG EAST play while Xavier falls to 13-14 (5-11 BIG EAST).
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Butler opened the game by hitting seven of their first 10 attempts from the field in taking their first double-digit lead at 19-9 with 13:29 remaining in the first half.
• The lead grew to 20 for the first time when two Traore free throws gave Butler a 43-22 advantage with 3:47 to play in the first half.
• Butler led, 47-28, at the half, shooting 54 percent over the first 20 minutes.
• Xavier chipped away throughout the second half with a 7-0 run, cutting the Butler lead to single digits at 57-49 with 12:24 to play.
• Xavier would cut the lead to just two points on two occasions in the final three minutes of the game, but Finley Bizjack made three of four free throw attempts in the final minute and the Bulldogs finished the game with four defensive stops to seal the win.

 
TIP-INS:

• Ajayi scored 24 points and added nine rebounds to lead the Bulldogs in both categories.
• Traore's 21 points were his high in a Butler uniform and his 11 made free throws (on 13 attempts) were a career-high. He made all five of his attempts from the field.
• Bizjack went 9-for-10 from the free throw line and finished with 18 points.
• Jamie Kaiser Jr. pulled down eight rebounds, helping the Bulldogs to a slim 35-32 rebounding advantage.
• Butler shot 47 percent for the game, attempting only 11 of their 55 shots from three-point range. More than half of Xavier's attempts came from behind the arc as they made 10 three-pointers on 32 attempts.
• Butler got to the line 33 times, making 25. Xavier was 9-for-11 from the line.
• Tre Carroll, the BIG EAST's leading scorer, finished with 24 points. Malik Messina-Moore added 20.
• Butler committed only six turnovers while Xavier turned the ball over only seven times.
• Thad Matta was recognized pregame after winning his 500^th career game as a head coach Wednesday night at Georgetown.
• Michael Ajayi, Yame Butler and Yohan Traore – Butler's three student-athletes exhausting their NCAA eligibility – were recognized in a pregame ceremony.
• This was the second meeting between the teams this season as Xavier picked up an 89-75 win over Butler Jan. 14 in Cincinnati.

 
UP NEXT: The Bulldogs head to Philadelphia for a Wednesday night contest against Villanova. The 7 p.m. tip will air on FS1. Butler finishes out the Hinkle portion of their regular season March 4, hosting Creighton.