Butler Defeats Georgetown In Big East Opener

 

    Butler began it's conference slate of the 2023-24 season with a 74-64 win over Georgetown on Tuesday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse in the Big East opener for both teams. 

    Four Bulldogs scored in double figures led by 13 points each from Pierre Brooks and Posh Alexander. D.J. Davis and Jahmyl Telfort each added 12 points a piece. Alexander was the best player on the floor for the Bulldogs on Tuesday night, adding seven assists and then on the defensive end racking up five steals. 

    The Hoyas were led in scoring by Dontrez Styles who had a game high of 19 points and six rebounds. Also scoring in double figures for the Hoyas were Jayden Epps with 12 points and Supreme Cook who had 10 points and led the Hoyas in rebounds with seven for the game. 

    Butler and Georgetown didn't exactly have the prettiest showing of basketball in the first half. Both teams struggled from the floor early on with both sides going through multiple scoring droughts. Butler looked hesitant to shoot for awhile it seemed. It remained a close game until about three minutes to go in the first half. Butler would then go on their run. 

    The Bulldogs for the final three minutes of the first half would go on a scoring and defensive barrage that would extend their lead to 13 points by the time the halftime buzzer sounded with Butler ahead 40-27. Butler would end the half on a 13-2 run that would give them the lead that they wouldn't relinquish the rest of the ballgame. Butler turned seven first half turnovers into seven points. The first half run to end the half was the key part in the Bulldogs win. 

    Butler went on a scoring run in the second half with six straight points as they pushed to their largest lead of the game at 54-38 with 11 minutes to go. Georgetown would trim the lead to 60-52 but that was the closest the Hoyas would get as another Bulldog scoring run of seven straight points would push the lead back to 15 points at 67-52 with six minutes left. 

    Georgetown did have an edge in the rebounding category early on in the game. The Hoyas generated 12 second chance points from their offensive rebounding led by Supreme Cook who had five rebounds in the first half alone, four of which were on the offensive side. Butler has been notorious the last couple of seasons for being a poor defensive rebounding team. Butler then regrouped towards the end of the half and outrebounded the Hoyas 19-16. After halftime, the Bulldogs would limit Georgetown to only five second chance points. Butler finished the game with a 37-29 edge on the boards. Butler was led in rebounding by Jalen Thomas who finished with eight. 

    Butler unfortunately suffered a key injury on Tuesday night of note. Starting shooting guard D.J. Davis left early in the second half with an ankle injury and did not return to the game. Davis was the leading scorer in the first half with 12 points. Butler can't afford to miss their sharpshooting guard for much time especially with the gauntlet of the Big East season officially underway. If Davis is unable to play then expect freshman Finley Bizjack or sophomore Landon Moore to fill the shooting guard spot for the Bulldogs in his absence. 

      Butler has won seven in a row and currently has a record of 10-2. It is the Bulldogs best 12 game start to the season since 2019-20. The Bulldogs are undefeated so far at Hinkle Fieldhouse with an 8-0 record. The Hoyas fall to 7-5 on the season. Butler's next game is Saturday afternoon at Providence while Georgetown travels to Marquette on Friday night.  

Butler Outduels Texas Tech

 

        In one of the wildest games so far of the college basketball season, Butler defeated Texas Tech 103-95 in the Big East vs Big 12 Battle on Thursday night in front of 7,893 fans at Hinkle Fieldhouse. 

        The Bulldogs gutted out the win in overtime by weathering the Red Raiders second half rally which was fueled by three point shooting and several big plays down the stretch that sent the game into the extra session. Butler would go on to outscore Texas Tech 20-12 in overtime to put the game away and send the Bulldog faithful home happy. 

        Five Bulldogs reached double figures on Thursday evening. Butler was led in scoring by Seniors Jahmyl Telfort and D.J. Davis who scored 26 and 25 points respectively. Also having a big contribution for the Bulldogs was fellow Senior guard Posh Alexander who became the first Butler Bulldog to post a triple double in a game since Roosevelt Jones in 2016. Alexander finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. Junior Pierre Brooks contributed 18 points of his own and helped seal the win in overtime with a baseline three pointer in the final minute. Center Andre Screen added 14 points off the bench. 

        Butler looked like a well oiled machine on the offensive side of the ball. Texas Tech tried their best to defend the Bulldogs but Butler had an answer for every run the Red Raiders made. Butler's offense was clicking all game. Telfort and Davis got it done from the perimeter and Andre Screen dominated on the inside. Texas Tech tried to go to a zone, Butler found openings in the zone and moved the ball inside and out. Butler's passing was crisp and it seemed everybody touched the ball on possessions which led to baskets. Butler shot 55 percent from the field on Thursday. The 103 points are the most scored by the Bulldogs in a game since they scored 101 against Villanova in 2018. 

       Texas Tech was led in scoring by Chance McMillian who poured in 24 points. McMillian was on fire from long range, going 8-10 from the three point line. Point guard Joe Toussaint added a double double, scoring 20 points and dishing out 12 assists. Also scoring in double figures for the Red Raiders was Devin Cambridge who scored 16 points and Warren Washington who added 10 points. 

        Butler was in control for most of the first half and built a 45-38 lead at halftime. Butler led by as many as 10 points in the second half before Tech made their rally. The Red Raiders would go on a 25-10 run in the second half to take their first lead of the game since the opening minutes at 68-67. Texas Tech would extend their lead to 73-67 with four minutes to go. 

        The Bulldogs would respond and retook the lead at 80-79 on a three pointer by D.J. Davis with one minute to go. Texas Tech answered and led 81-80 with 35 seconds left. Jahmyl Telfort would hit a three pointer to give butler a 83-81 lead with 20 seconds remaining. Butler's defense broke down on the final possession when Joe Toussaint drove in the lane and kicked it out to Pop Issacs who then would make a layup in the lane to tie the game and send it into overtime.

        In overtime the lead would change three times before Butler asserted themselves and would take the lead for good after a three pointer by Telfort in the corner put Butler ahead 92-89. Pierre Brooks would add five points of his own in overtime to extend the lead and eventually the final horn sounded and Butler would be victorious 103-95.  Butler outscored Texas Tech 20-12 in the extra session. Very gritty win by the Bulldogs at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

        Butler has now won three in a row and their record stands at 6-2 on the young season while the Red Raiders record drops to 5-2. Both of Texas Tech's losses have come at the hands of Big East opponents, they were defeated by Villanova on November 22nd. Butler's next game is home against Buffalo next Tuesday night and the Red Raiders travel back to Lubbock to take on Omaha next Wednesday.