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After losing five of their last seven since the start of conference play, the Butler Bulldogs and senior guard Roosevelt Jones defeated the visiting DePaul Blue Demons for a 67-53 victory on Wednesday evening. Jones led all players with 23points, four assists and four rebounds, including 11 points at the free throw line.
Overall, the Bulldogs got a huge boost all night at the charity stripe, sinking 25 of their whopping 29 free throw attempts on the night. In fact, Butler did the bulk of its damage at the line in the second as they began to pull away, amassing 23 of their total attempts in the game's final 20 minutes. The Bulldogs have actually improved their free throw percentage up to 73 percent this season (a feat, considering last year's dismal 68 percent mark), but this was a big step in the right direction for a team looking for a way to get more out of each offensive possession.
For DePaul, this marked the team's tenth loss in their last 12 games, as the team struggled from all over the floor offensively. While the team had some impressive defensive stretches tonight, especially in cutting off entry passes from the Butler guards, the Blue Demons shot just 38.9 percent from the field as a whole. They struggled even more from behind the arc, posting just a 29 percent clip, and connected on just six of their 13 attempts at the free throw line.
Guard Eli Cain and forward Tommy Hamilton led the Blue Demons with 13 points each, and Myke Henry added another 12 points and five rebounds. Billy Garrett Jr. and Darrick Wood combined for just 3-of-16 from the field, and DePaul also combined for 12 turnovers on the night.
For the Bulldogs, guard Kellen Dunham added 16 points, hitting three of his four attempts from three and all seven of his free throws. Sophomore forward Tyler Wideman led the team with nine rebounds, including three on the offensive end.
The Bulldogs will travel to Milwaukee this weekend to take on Marquette at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 30. The Blue Demons will have a bit of a test on Saturday, returning home to face No. 7 Xavier at 2 p.m. ET.