3 reasons Butler basketball beat Marquette: Dawgs shoot their way to biggest win of year
INDIANAPOLIS -- Butler earned its biggest win of the season Saturday afternoon, holding off No. 19 Marquette 85-79 after leading by as many as 21 points.
Bryce Golden led the way for the Bulldogs with 22 points and three 3s. Sophomore guard Chuck Harris posted 15 points and five assists, while grad student Bryce Nze added 12 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Freshman Simas Lukosius also scored 14 points.
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Here’s three reasons Butler (12-13, 5-9 in Big East) beat Marquette (16-9, 8-6):
Shooting
The Bulldogs entered the game shooting 30.1% from 3, good for 324th in Division I. But Saturday’s game saw Butler shoot 13-of-28 from deep. It helped that Marquette shot below 35% from the same range after coming in as an above average shooting team.
Butler's shots from deep weren’t just falling; They seemingly fell at the most pivotal points. The Bulldogs hit shots off second chances. Lukosius’ two 3s early in the second half earned them momentum. They hit several 3s to beat shot clocks, including Harris’ monumental 3 off the dribble with about two minutes to play. And then there was Golden’s 3 under a minute that sealed the game.
The Bulldogs hit from everywhere. While the brilliant shot making probably isn’t sustainable, it lifted a team in desperate need of a win after dropping the past three games by a combined seven points.
Rebounding
For a while it felt like the offensive rebounds were simply rolling into Butler’s lap. The Bulldogs beat the Golden Eagles 11-5 on the offensive glass, giving them quite a few second chances. Bo Hodges and Nze came up huge, combining for 20 of Butler’s 36 rebounds. Nze’s boards kept the team’s large lead afloat for quite some time.
It ultimately outrebounded Marquette by seven, with each one feeling necessary to pull out a win.
Early pace
The Bulldogs averaged 19.5 seconds per possession entering the game and entered Saturday ranked 340th in Division I in adjusted tempo. After a poor start from both teams that saw Butler leading 5-2 going into the first media timeout, the Bulldogs gained full control of the game for what felt like the next 25 minutes — and that started with pace.
Butler enjoyed long possessions, post-up opportunities, and good shots often at the end of shot clocks. When it missed, the team was there to clean up the glass and grant them extra possessions, exhausting Marquette’s defense even further. After all, defending a team for 40 or 50 seconds straight can take a toll.
When Marquette did try to break Butler’s pace midway through the first half, the Bulldogs broke the Golden Eagles’ full court defense fairly easily. It wasn’t until later in the second half when Marquette began to rush Butler and force some turnovers. But by then, it was likely too late.
Butler 85, No. 19 Marquette 79
MARQUETTE (16-9) -- Kuath 0-0 0-0 0, Lewis 10-17 3-5 27, Kolek 5-10 3-4 17, Morsell 3-10 2-2 9, Prosper 3-4 0-0 6, Ighodaro 1-1 2-2 4, Elliott 2-7 9-9 13, Jones 1-5 0-0 3, Mitchell 0-1 0-0 0, Joplin 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 25-56 19-22 79.
BUTLER (12-13) -- Golden 7-12 5-5 22, Nze 5-7 1-3 12, Harris 5-11 1-2 15, Hodges 3-10 2-2 11, Thompson 3-7 3-4 9, Lukosius 5-7 2-2 14, Taylor 1-6 0-1 2. Totals 29-60 14-19 85.
Halftime—Butler 42-27. 3-Point Goals_Marquette 10-29 (Lewis 4-7, Kolek 4-8, Jones 1-3, Morsell 1-4, Joplin 0-1, Mitchell 0-1, Prosper 0-1, Elliott 0-4), Butler 13-28 (Harris 4-8, Golden 3-5, Hodges 3-7, Lukosius 2-4, Nze 1-1, Taylor 0-3). Rebounds_Marquette 27 (Lewis 9), Butler 32 (Hodges 11). Assists_Marquette 8 (Morsell 3), Butler 18 (Harris, Thompson 5). Total Fouls_Marquette 20, Butler 17. A_8,086 (9,100).
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Butler basketball: Bulldogs shoot their way to upset of No. 19 Marquette
