Hoosier State Today

Butler used a strong performance at the free throw line to post a 78-70 win over visiting DePaul Wednesday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

With the win, the Bulldogs improve to 10-6 on the season and 2-3 in BIG EAST play. DePaul falls to 7-9 (1-4 BIG EAST).

 KEY STAT: Butler made 23 of their 30 attempts from the free throw line with 26 of those attempts coming in the second half.

 MR. 1,000: Eric Hunter Jr. went over 1,000 career points Wednesday night behind a career-best 23 points. Hunter entered the contest five points shy of the mark. He went 8-for-13 from the field, including three three-pointers. Seventeen of the points came in the second half.

 INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Jayden Taylor came off the bench to score 16 points, one game after netting a career-high 24 points Sunday at Georgetown.
• Butler shot 45 percent from the field and went 7-for-15 from three-point range.
• Simas Lukosius (12) and Manny Bates (11) also reached double figures.
• Umoja Gibson led DePaul with 16 points, while Yor Anei and Da'Sean Nelson each scored 14.  

HOW IT TRANSPIRED:

• Butler closed the first half on a 12-3 run to take a 34-25 halftime advantage.
• The Bulldogs' lead grew to a high of 13 at 66-53 with 5:29 remaining in the game.
• The next nine points came from DePaul's Philmon Gebrewhit to trim the lead to four (66-52) two minutes later.
• Butler closed the game by going 8-for-10 from the free throw line to take the win.

OF NOTE:

• This was the first time that Hunter led the Bulldogs in scoring.
• Butler owns a 17-2 advantage in the series with DePaul since joining the BIG EAST prior to the 2013-14 season. 
• Butler is 9-1 against DePaul at Hinkle Fieldhouse since joining the BIG EAST, including nine consecutive wins. 
• Butler has won six straight in the series with DePaul. 
• Butler is 10-0 this season when leading at halftime. 
• Butler is 10-0 this season when scoring 70 or more points.
• Butler is 7-0 when out-rebounding its opponent, as the Bulldogs did 34-28 Wednesday night.
• Butler is now 7-2 at Hinkle Fieldhouse this season.
• The Bulldogs committed only eight turnovers in the game, the eighth time this season with 10 or fewer.
• Chuck Harris moved into 21st place in Butler history in career three-pointers with his 119th career make. 

UP NEXT: 

The Bulldogs travel East for a two-game road trip, which includes a Saturday night tip at Seton Hall and a Tuesday night contest at St. John's. Both games will air nationally on FS1. Butler returns to Hinkle Fieldhouse for a Jan. 13 tip with Villanova. A limited number of tickets remain for that match-up.

Original source can be found here.