BY MATTHEW VANTRYON | ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
Balance was the name of the game for the Butler men’s basketball team on Wednesday night, as the Bulldogs visited Seton Hall.
Butler (12-9, 2-7) used solid defense and key shots down the stretch to down the Pirates (12-9, 3-5) 64-57, grabbing their first Big East road win.
The Bulldogs had four players score in double figures. Senior forward Khyle Marshall had a game-high 13 points, shooting 6 of 9 from the field.
Freshman guard Elijah Brown chipped in 12 points. Junior forward Kameron Woods and freshman forward Andrew Chrabascz each scored 11 points.
The Butler freshmen showcased their talent in the first half. Chrabascz started the first game of his career, scoring nine points in the first 10 minutes of the game. Elijah Brown added eight in the half as well.
Butler took a seven-point lead with just under 10 minutes to play in the half as Brown netted a 3-pointer.
The host Pirates tied the game at 23, but sophomore guard Kellen Dunham hit a 3-pointer to aid a 5-0 Butler run.
Butler went into the half with a 34-33 lead.
Fuquan Edwin kept Seton Hall in the contest, scoring 15 points in the opening period.
Butler opened the second half strong, widening its lead to five with a 4-0 run. Yet, as has been the case so many times in conference play, the opposing team stormed back.
A 10-0 Seton Hall run gave Butler a six-point deficit with 12 minutes to play in the game.
After trailing by six, Butler outscored Seton Hall 24-11 the rest of the way.
The rest of the game was back-and-forth, as both teams made continual efforts to pull away.
Despite struggling in the early going, Dunham hit consecutive shots from deep to give Butler a 57-55 lead with just over two minutes to play.
After a number of defensive stops, Butler was forced to win the game at the free-throw line.
Butler hit 5 of 6 from the stripe down the stretch to ice the contest and secure its first road conference win.
Assistant coach Chris Holtmann said hard fought practices led in part to the win.
“We played like we practiced the last couple days. I was really pleased with our composure down the stretch,” Holtmann said.
The team will have the week off before visiting Marquette on Tuesday night. Tip-off is at 9 p.m.
