Junior guard Finley Bizjack reached 1,000 career points against DePaul. Photo by Andrew Buckley.
NHU-HAN BUI | SPORTS CO-EDITOR | hbui@butler.edu
The men’s basketball team capped off its regular season with a 81-71 win at DePaul. With the win, both teams move to 16-15 to end the year.
The first half saw both sides struggle to make layups, as Butler made 42.4% of its shots from the field and DePaul made 38.2%. The difference-maker was the Bulldogs’ ability to nail three-pointers, as they made 5-of-11. Four of those came from redshirt sophomore forward Jamie Kaiser Jr. and junior guard Finley Bizjack, who combined for 20 of Butler’s 39 points.
Kaiser Jr. was the game’s first double-digit scorer, and the forward was also perfect from the field, making all four of his shots.
Despite low shooting totals, senior forward NJ Benson was dominant at the post for the Blue Demons, slamming down three dunks and scoring 15 of DePaul’s 32 points. No other player for DePaul scored more than five points in the first half, with leading scorer senior guard CJ Gunn held to just three.
Butler was able to find its rhythm quickly after halftime against the Blue Demons. The Bulldogs’ seven-point lead at halftime extended to as much as 27 points. DePaul made just one shot from the field in the early frames of the half, while first-year guard Efeosa Oliogu-Elabor made two dunks to give the Dawgs a large swing of momentum.
After starting the half with a dominant 18-2 run, Butler’s tempo slowed as DePaul found its footing again. Following just six points in the opening 10 minutes, the Blue Demons stormed back with 33 points.
The Bulldogs did not make a single shot from the field in the last seven minutes, while DePaul took advantage and shrank the lead to as low as seven points. A pair of late free throws from Oliogu-Elabor sealed the win for the Dawgs, who ended the season with a winning record.
Bizjack led the Bulldogs with 19 points, and the guard also reached 1,000 career points after a pair of free throws. Kaiser Jr. and Oliogu-Elabor had 15 points, graduate forward Michael Ajayi followed close with 14, and senior center Yohan Traore rounded out the Dawgs’ double-digit scorers with 10.
Benson finished with a game-high 24 points, going 11-of-17 from the field. Senior forward Kaleb Banks was the only other Blue Demon in double digits with 11 points. DePaul was held to 37.1% shooting from the field and a mere 22.2% from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs also out-rebounded them 48-36.
With the win, Butler moves into the No. 8 seed for the Big East Tournament. The Dawgs can lock up this spot if Marquette beats UConn, and if Providence loses to Georgetown. Their first match will be on March 11 at 4 p.m against the No. 9 seed.
