Butler picked up its first double-digit power-conference win of the season. Photo by Jada Gangazha.
SAWYER GOLDWEIN | MANAGING EDITOR | sgoldwein@butler.edu
The men’s basketball team snapped its losing streak with a 77-66 win over No. 25 Seton Hall.
A choppy first half worked out well for the Bulldogs, drawing a surplus of Pirate fouls and taking care of the basketball en route to a 10-point advantage at the break. Junior guard Finley Bizjack found his rhythm, pouring in 14 first-half points to lead all scorers. First-year guard Stink Robinson also stood out with eight.
Time after time this season, Butler has come out of halftime flat, but it was a different story at the Prudential Center. The Dawgs extended their lead to 17 at the first media timeout and put Seton Hall in foul trouble once again, positioning themselves to live at the free-throw line in the second half.
The Pirates refused to let Butler get too comfortable, though. An aggressive full-court press baffled the Bulldogs, leading to turnovers, disjointed offense and forced timeouts. Butler’s lead was quickly sliced in half, fading to six points with four minutes to go. Graduate forward Michael Ajayi also picked up his fourth foul during the chaos, but played through it and continued to have a pivotal role down the stretch.
Fouls and free-throw shooting loomed large for both teams throughout the game. Along with Ajayi, Seton Hall’s junior guard Budd Clark was in foul trouble throughout the game, eventually picking up his fifth with just under three minutes to go. The Dawgs sought out contact all night, making more free throws — a season-high 33 — than field goals. That aggression allowed them to maintain control of the game despite being heavily outrebounded by the Pirates, 45-27.
Ajayi led the Bulldogs in rebounding with eight, adding 13 points as well. Bizjack was the overall standout, scoring a game-high 25 points on 4-7 from deep. Robinson also contributed a career-high 14 points and led the game with four assists.
For the Dawgs, the victory is their first on the road all season and their first ranked win. Butler is now 11-7 overall and 2-5 in Big East play.
