National Basketball Association
Butler 68, Marquette 65
When: 9:00 PM ET, Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Where: BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Officials:
# Jeffrey Anderson, # Pat Driscoll, # Nathan Farrell
Attendance:
12423
By The Sports Xchange
MILWAUKEE -- With a two-game losing streak and a week to prepare for Marquette, the Butler Bulldogs relied on their seniors to set the tone during practice.
And when it looked as if a late-game swoon would doom the Bulldogs to their first-ever three-game losing streak during the Chris Holtmann era, it was again the seniors who came up big. The veterans led No. 22 Butler to a 68-65 victory over the Golden Eagles on Tuesday night at the Bradley Center.
"We had to regroup," said senior forward Andrew Chrabascz, who led Butler with 21 points, including eight in a row late in the second half to snuff out a Marquette rally. "It was a good week for us in practice. We knew that the way we approached this game ... the outcome was going to be good."
The Bulldogs (19-5, 8-4 Big East) hit 49 percent of their shots from the floor, made nine of 21 3-point attempts and were in control for most of the contest, save for a five-minute stretch late in the second half when Marquette briefly took the lead.
"We've had really good moments of leadership throughout the year," Holtmann said. "I think that this time of year can demand more of your seniors, certainly when you experience some adversity like we have. Those guys demonstrated good stuff in practice. We had some hard, physical, demanding practices. We knew at some point there was going to be some benefit from our effort and our work."
Luke Fischer and Markus Howard led Marquette (15-9, 6-6) with 19 points each. They were the only players to score in double figures for the Golden Eagles, who have six players averaging 11 or more points per game this season, including Andrew Rowsey, who was held scoreless in 14 minutes of action.
"It hasn't happened often, if at all, Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski said. "We haven't been in a situation with just two guys in double figures. That's unusual for us."
Fischer hit 9 of 14 shots and grabbed 13 rebounds. Howard knocked down five 3-pointers but had his shot blocked five times as the Golden Eagles shot 43.3 percent and made 8 of 21 from beyond the arc.
"Our offensive decision-making tonight was uncharacteristically poor," Wojciechowski said. "Our defense was good enough to win the game. I thought our offense let us down, our decision-making."
Kamar Baldwin's 3-pointer capped a 10-0 run that gave Butler a 26-16 lead late in the first half. Marquette responded by scoring on its next three possessions, but the Bulldogs hit their next six shots and took a 34-29 lead. Butler was on top 40-33 at the break.
After trading baskets early in the second half, Butler went cold and hit just one of its next six shots. Marquette took advantage of the slump, and Katin Reinhardt cut the deficit to 49-48 with a long jumper at the 11:18 mark.
A JaJuan Johnson 3-pointer put the Golden Eagles ahead 51-49 with 10:25 to play. The Bulldogs had gone 5:16 without a field goal before a 7-0 run put them back in front by five, and Butler never looked back.
"Any time you get a week off, it feels good," said Butler's Tyler Lewis, who added eight points and five assists in 30 minutes off the bench. "I think we had two days off, but during our time in practice this week, we went hard. It felt like a game. It ended up showing tonight."
Kelan Martin, Butler's leading scorer at 16.3 points per game, didn't play in the first half. He finally entered the game with 15:35 remaining and scored just one point in 10 minutes of action. He had started 21 of 23 games and hadn't played fewer than 22 minutes in a contest this season.
"It was just a coach's decision," Holtmann said. "It's an internal decision that I made, and I really don't want to elaborate a whole lot on that at this time."
NOTES: Butler is 6-3 this season in games decided by five points or fewer. ... Bulldogs G Avery Woodson scored 15 points in the first half after starting for the second time in 15 games. ... Marquette C Luke Fischer's 19 points and 13 rebounds marked his third double-double of the season and the eighth of his career. ... Butler swept the season series from Marquette and leads the all-time series, 20-17.
Top Game Performances
| Butler |
|
Marquette |
|
Andrew Chrabascz 21 |
Scoring |
Luke Fischer 19 |
|
Tyler Lewis 5 |
Assists |
Sam Hauser 5 |
|
Tyler Wideman 7 |
Rebounds |
Luke Fischer 13 |
|
Andrew Chrabascz 4 |
Free Throws Made |
Markus Howard 2 |
|
Andrew Chrabascz 5 |
Steals |
Haanif Cheatham 3 |
|
Kamar Baldwin 4 |
Blocks |
Luke Fischer 4 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Butler
|
68 |
49.0 |
9-21 |
9-14 |
15 |
30 |
7 |
9 |
13 |
| Marquette
|
65 |
43.3 |
8-21 |
5-9 |
15 |
31 |
4 |
9 |
14 |
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