3 reasons Butler basketball beat Creighton: Balanced effort helps Dawgs snap skid
INDIANAPOLIS – Butler, the worst-shooting 3-point team in the Big East, made four straight from the arc during a 14-0 run and defeated Creighton 72-55 in college basketball Wednesday night before a crowd of 6,920 at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
The outcome ended a four-game losing streak by the Bulldogs (10-10, 3-6).
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Bo Hodges led the Bulldogs in points (18) and rebounds (seven). Chuck Harris scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half, and freshman Simas Lukosius also had 14.
Arthur Kaluma scored 18 for Creighton ( 12-6, 4-3).
Creighton was without head coach Greg McDermott, who was out for health and safety protocols. Assistant coach Alan Huss led the Bluejays.
Three reasons Butler won:
Three-point windfall
Something no one is used to seeing:
Butler winning via the 3-point shot.
The Bulldogs came in having shot 26% on 3s over 10 games. They weren’t necessarily accurate against Creighton in the first half – 4-of-13 – but made five in a row in the second half in building a 20-point lead.
Butler finished with 10 3-pointers, featuring three by Harris and two each by Lukosius and Bryce Golden.
Butler scored 45 second-points for its most in single half since November wins over Troy, Central Arkansas and Chaminade.
Bluejays’ wings clipped
In seizing a 27-24 halftime lead, the Bulldogs held Creighton to 0.73 points per possession and 1-of-11 shooting on 3-pointers. Butler has been relatively stout in organizing half-court defense, and there weren’t enough turnovers or long rebounds for Creighton to score in transition.
Butler’s Aaron Thompson clung to Duke transfer Alex O’Connell, who had a two-point half and was 0-of-2 on 3s. He finished with 10 points and one 3-pointer.
This is our house
There are different courses for different horses, and for some reason, the Bluejays can’t find their stride at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
This was their fifth successive loss at Butler. It is Creighton’s longest active road losing streak against any Big East opponent.
The outcome ended a three-game home losing streak by Butler, which is 2-3 in conference home games after going 7-3 last year.
Contact IndyStar reporter David Woods at david.woods@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.
Butler 72, Creighton 55
CREIGHTON (12-5): Hawkins 2-6 4-4 8, Kaluma 7-13 3-4 18, Kalkbrenner 4-8 2-2 10, Nembhard 1-10 0-0 2, O'Connell 4-7 1-1 10, Alexander 1-6 0-0 2, Andronikashvili 0-3 0-0 0, Feazell 2-3 1-2 5, Christofilis 0-1 0-0 0, Kancleris 0-0 0-0 0, Davis 0-1 0-0 0, Osmani 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-59 11-13 55.
BUTLER (10-10): Golden 4-7 0-0 10, Nze 3-9 0-0 6, Harris 6-15 0-0 14, Hodges 6-12 3-4 18, Thompson 2-4 1-2 5, Lukosius 3-5 6-6 14, Taylor 1-7 0-0 3, Bolden 0-1 0-0 0, Hughes 0-0 0-0 0, Parker 0-0 2-2 2, Tate 0-1 0-0 0, Wilmoth 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-61 12-14 72.
Halftime—Butler 27-24. 3-Point Goals_Creighton 2-22 (Kaluma 1-4, O'Connell 1-4, Christofilis 0-1, Davis 0-1, Hawkins 0-1, Kalkbrenner 0-1, Osmani 0-1, Alexander 0-2, Andronikashvili 0-3, Nembhard 0-4), Butler 10-27 (Hodges 3-6, Golden 2-3, Lukosius 2-3, Harris 2-6, Taylor 1-3, Bolden 0-1, Thompson 0-2, Nze 0-3). Rebounds_Creighton 28 (Hawkins, O'Connell 7), Butler 32 (Hodges 7). Assists_Creighton 7 (Nembhard 3), Butler 14 (Thompson 6). Total Fouls_Creighton 14, Butler 15.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 3 reasons why Butler Bulldogs basketball beat Creighton Bluejays
