MATTHEW VANTRYON | Asst. Sports Editor
It was the same story on a different night for the Butler men’s basketball team, as the Bulldogs (12-10, 2-8) traveled to Marquette last night.
Butler had a double-digit lead in the second half, but saw it slip away and ended up on the short end of a 69-62 score.
The story of the game was turnovers. Butler committed a season-high 20 turnovers, and Marquette scored 15 points off the miscues.
Butler had four players in double-figure point totals, but it was not enough to overcome the mistakes.
Sophomore guard Kellen Dunham led the way with 16 points on 5-of-14 shooting from the floor. Senior forward Khyle Marshall chipped in 13 points, while freshmen Elijah Brown and Andrew Chrabascz netted 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Points were at a premium from the tip-off against the Golden Eagles. The teams combined to shoot 0-of-13 from the field before Marquette broke the lid off the basket with a layup at the 15:50 mark in the first half.
Butler began the game 0-of-9 shooting before Marshall hit a layup with less than 15 minutes to play in the opening period.
Both teams also turned the ball over frequently. Butler committed nine turnovers and Marquette had five.
Marquette scored eight points off Butler’s mistakes.
A 5-0 Butler run capped by a Dunham 3-pointer gave Butler a 9-8 lead with a little more than 10 minutes to play in the half.
Elijah Brown scored five consecutive Butler points midway through the period to give the visiting Bulldogs a 17-14 lead with less than eight minutes to play.
Both teams continued to trade the lead, but Butler took a 25-23 lead into the half. Freshman forward Nolan Berry scored five points in the half, seeing action for the first time since the team’s visit to Creighton on Jan. 14.
After a rusty start to the game, the Bulldogs brought a balanced scoring attack in the late stages of the first half. Marshall led the way with seven points, Dunham added six, and Brown and Berry each chipped in five.
Marquette senior forward Jamil Wilson scored 10 points in the opening 20 minutes.
Butler outrebounded the Golden Eagles 19-14 in the first period.
The back and forth half saw six ties and seven lead changes.
Butler picked up the second half where it left off in the first, opening up a 10-point advantage with less than 16 minutes to play in the game.
Chrabascz scored seven points for the Bulldogs in the first five minutes of the half to fuel the offense.
Marquette wouldn’t go quietly. The Golden Eagles went on a 12-3 run following the Bulldogs’ push to a double-digit lead. The run cut the Butler lead to one with less than 10 minutes to play.
Marquette junior guard Todd Mayo nailed a 3-pointer to tie the game at 50 with about eight minutes to play.
Marquette tied the game at 57 after a Butler turnover and took its first lead of the half with less than four minutes to play.
The Golden Eagles extended their lead to five after a Mayo layup and free throw.
Mayo scored 17 points in the second half after not attempting a shot in the first half.
A 9-0 Marquette run gave its squad a seven-point lead with less than two minutes to play, its largest lead of the game.
Marquette missed two free throws with 30 seconds left, and Marshall tipped the ball in on the other end to cut the deficit to four.
Butler again sent the Golden Eagles to the line after Marshall’s basket, and they extended the lead to six with 17 seconds to play.
Dunham missed a 3-point attempt after the converted free throws, sealing the Bulldogs’ fate.
The Golden Eagles scored 33 points over the game’s final 12 minutes and outscored Butler 46-37 in the second half.
Meanwhile, Butler turned the ball over 11 times in the final 13 minutes.
Marquette shot nearly 50 percent from the floor, while Butler shot a shade over 45 percent.
Wilson and Mayo led Marquette with 17 points apiece.
Butler will try to turn things around as the team travels to Georgetown (12-9, 4-6) on Saturday.
The Bulldogs fell to Georgetown earlier this season in a 70-67 overtime loss at home. Georgetown is coming off back-to-back wins at No. 9 Michigan State and DePaul.
The Hoyas have struggled in conference play, having dropped five consecutive contests before their recent wins.
The game will tip off at 1 p.m.
