Junior guard Pierre Brooks had a team-high 20 points against Georgetown on Jan. 23. Photo by Andrew Buckley.
CALEB DENORME | ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR | cdenorme@butler.edu
It was a complete performance by the Bulldogs in a 90-66 dismantling of Georgetown on the road. Butler started quickly and never looked back en route to a 24-point victory.
It started as a back-and-forth game for the first 11 minutes of the contest. Georgetown led by three with a little over nine minutes to go in the first half, but then Butler took over. The Bulldogs ended the half on a 24-9 run spurred on by Pierre Brooks’ 18 first-half points.
Butler’s dominance continued into the second half on both ends of the court. The Dawgs outscored the Hoyas in the second half 46-34 on their way to a victory by double digits.
Brooks was the star of the night yet again, grabbing a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds. This is his third straight game with 20+ points. Jahmyl Telfort bounced back after a tough outing against DePaul with 17 points on 60% shooting from the field.
Let’s go beyond the box score.
Highly efficient offense
This game was Butler’s second-best shooting performance all season. The Bulldogs shot 56.9% from the field, only narrowly behind their victory over Eastern Michigan on Nov. 6, when they shot 57.1%.
The Dawgs did most of their damage inside the arc, scoring 54 points on two-point shots. The ability to attack the interior of the Hoyas’ defense propelled them on huge runs to put them out in front.
In addition to their success attacking inside, Butler still had a good day at the office from deep. The Bulldogs shot 37.5% from the three-point line, but they were not forced to launch from beyond the arc often. Only 27.6% of the Dawgs’ shots came from beyond the three-point line, showing just how much Butler wanted to attack Georgetown down low.
This is one of the better offensive performances we have seen from the Bulldogs, and they will look to keep that momentum going into their next game against Villanova.
Playing stingy defense and rebounding
One of the main concerns all season for Butler has been their defense. With that being said, the Bulldogs answered the critics with a great defensive performance to grab the win.
Butler forced Georgetown to take tough, contested shots which led to the Hoyas shooting a mere 34.8% from the field. The poor shooting night for the home team allowed the Bulldogs to jump out in transition and grab easy baskets to grow their lead.
Rebounding has been another huge struggle for the Dawgs. Coming into the matchup today, Butler had only won the rebounding battle in two games: the previous game against Georgetown and last weekend’s battle with DePaul. The Bulldogs were massive on the boards, grabbing 41 rebounds compared to the Hoyas’ 32.
The defensive improvement is a good sign for the rest of the season, especially heading into a hard matchup against Villanova. If Butler plays like they did tonight, they will match up well against the Wildcats.
