3 reasons Butler basketball lost to Marquette: Dawgs lead most of way, but can't hold on
MILWAUKEE – Butler held on as long as it could.
And came up short. Again.
After trailing for almost all of the opening 31 minutes, Marquette came from behind to hand Butler a fourth successive defeat, 64-56, in Big East basketball Saturday at Fiserv Forum.
The Bulldogs led 47-43 midway through the second half and were outscored 21-9 thereafter. After scoring 23 points in the first 7 ½ minutes, they had 33 in the next 32 ½.
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Bryce Golden scored 14 points for Butler. Aaron Thompson had 12 points and six assists, and Bryce Nze 11 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.
Darryl Morsell led Marquette (18-10, 10-7) with 16 points.
The Bulldogs (13-17, 6-13) finished 2-8 in conference road games and 2-7 in February. They close the regular season in next Saturday’s senior day game against Villanova at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
The loss virtually eliminated any chance Butler had of making the NIT. Its only postseason shot is to win four games in the Big East tournament and claim an automatic berth.
Three reasons Butler lost:
Ball insecurity
The Bulldogs did not necessarily melt down against Marquette pressure. But they failed often enough to allow the Golden Eagles to build a 22-1 lead in points off 16 turnovers. Many turnovers came in half-court offense when Butler could not find an open look.
Butler is more proficient at a ponderous pace than Marquette, and the press allowed the pace to quicken. Advantage, Marquette.
Not in a zone
Butler started spectacularly, shooting 10-of-15 in building a 23-14 lead through seven-plus minutes. But Marquette’s zone defense soon cut off paths through the lane. Butler could not hit from the arc, either.
After shooting 13-of-28 on 3s in beating Marquette 85-79 two weeks ago, Butler was 4-of-23. After a 3-of-4 start, Butler was 1-of-19.
Butler endured a long drought – as it so often has – and shot 1-of-11 during a nine-minute span of the first half.
Justin Lewis happens
This is why Marquette sophomore Justin Lewis is a Big East player of the year candidate.
After a scoreless first half, he scored 11 points, including a play that was the coup de grace – a flying dunk on a rebound after Butler forced a harried attempt with the shot clock expiring. Lewis’ slam expanded the margin to 59-53 with 2:26 left.
Contact IndyStar reporter David Woods at david.woods@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.
MARQUETTE 64, BUTLER 56
BUTLER (13-17) — Golden 6-10 0-0 14, Nze 5-9 1-2 11, Harris 0-6 0-0 0, Hodges 3-10 2-5 9, Thompson 4-6 3-5 12, Taylor 2-7 1-2 5, Lukosius 0-5 2-2 2, Groce 1-2 1-2 3, Hughes 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-55 10-18 56.
MARQUETTE (18-10) — Kuath 2-2 0-0 4, Lewis 4-14 3-3 11, Jones 2-4 0-0 5, Kolek 2-5 0-0 5, Morsell 5-11 4-6 16, Ighodaro 1-2 2-2 4, Prosper 1-4 0-0 2, Elliott 2-7 3-4 7, Mitchell 2-3 0-0 5, Joplin 2-4 0-0 5. Totals 23-56 12-15 64.
Halftime—Butler 33-30. 3-Point Goals_Butler 4-23 (Golden 2-5, Thompson 1-1, Hodges 1-5, Groce 0-1, Lukosius 0-2, Nze 0-2, Taylor 0-3, Harris 0-4), Marquette 6-24 (Morsell 2-4, Mitchell 1-1, Joplin 1-2, Jones 1-3, Kolek 1-3, Elliott 0-2, Prosper 0-3, Lewis 0-6). Rebounds: Butler 38 (Nze 11), Marquette 27 (Lewis 7). Assists: Butler 17 (Thompson 6), Marquette 11 (Kolek 5). Total Fouls: Butler 17, Marquette 17. A: 17,504 (17,500).
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 3 reasons Butler basketball lost to Marquette, 64-56, in Big East play
