Ari Wiggins had 10 points and four rebounds off the bench against DePaul. Photo by Grace Hensley. 

DAVID JACOBS | STAFF REPORTER | drjacobs@butler.edu 

After a tough road loss to Georgetown on Feb. 24, the Dawgs utilized a strong second half performance to defeat DePaul 73-70 on Feb. 28. 

Utilizing their hot-hand as of late by shooting over 40% from deep as a team for the third straight game, graduate wing Rachel Kent and senior guard Caroline Strande led the team with 15 points each. 

Joining the two veterans in double figures was first-year forward Riley Makalusky with 12 while first-year guard Karsyn Norman and junior guard Ari Wiggins each chipped in 10 points. 

Here is how the Dawgs were able to secure the gritty win on the road. 

Perimeter playmaking 

In what has been a  point of emphasis defensively throughout the season, the Dawgs have seen vast improvement in their defensive play as of late. The Bulldogs held DePaul to just 24% from behind the arc while also forcing 13 turnovers. 

On the offensive end, the Dawgs saw five players connect from the perimeter with Kent and Strande leading the pack with three makes each. 

The sharp shooting opened up the paint, allowing Butler to score 24 points in the paint and an additional 17 from the charity stripe. 

Once again, Strande led the squad from the stripe as she went four-of-eight on the night. 

Getting hot at the right time 

After starting 8-3 through their non-conference slate of games, the Dawgs would then lose 10 of their next 12 outings as they sat at a despondent 9-13 record and a woeful 1-10 in conference play. 

Soon after, the wins started to pile up as the Bulldogs racked four wins in a row before securing their fifth win in six games —- which puts them at 14-14 and 6-11 in conference. 

In terms of potential postseason play, an at-large bid seems unlikely given the lack of high-quality wins on the resume. Despite this, being able to get things clicking right before the Big East Tournament will be crucial in their hopes for a potential bid-stealing Cinderella conference championship run. 

Up next 

For now, the Dawgs will hope to keep being the only source of winning basketball on campus as they take on Marquette at Hinkle Fieldhouse on March 2. 

In their first match-up, a 23-8 run to start the second half pushed the Golden Eagles to victory. Thus far, Creighton has been the only conference foe to complete a two-game sweep over the Bulldogs — so do not expect a cakewalk for a highly touted Marquette squad.