Senior forward Pierre Brooks had 14 points in the win over Seton Hall. Photo by Andrew Buckley.
CALEB DENORME | MANAGING EDITOR | cdenorme@butler.edu
The men’s basketball team added another victory to the win column on Wednesday, downing Seton Hall 84-54. The Bulldogs blitzed the Pirates, courtesy of a hot first half that included a barrage from beyond the three-point line.
Six Dawgs finished in double-digits, with senior forward Pierre Brooks leading the way with 14 points. Butler shot 57.9% from the field and 50% from three to cap off a huge scoring night.
Let’s go beyond the box score for Butler’s third conference win of the season.
Starting fast
The Dawgs had their best first-half showing of the season, scoring a season-high 48 points. Butler shot 59% from the field and 47% from beyond the arc in the first half.
Graduate forward Patrick McCaffery and sophomore center Boden Kapke both had double digits in the scoring column, with McCaffery pouring in 13 points and Kapke adding 11. Seven Bulldogs in total contributed to the first-half scoring explosion.
Unusually, fifth-year forward Jahmyl Telfort had zero points. The Canadian national team member contributed in other ways though, dishing out four assists and grabbing three rebounds.
15 of Butler’s 32 shots came from three-point land, with seven hitting nylon. The Dawgs’ scoring charge is largely thanks to the efficiency from beyond the arc. If shots from deep did not fall, this may have been a closer game at halftime.
Luckily for the Bulldogs, the shots fell at a rapid pace. Butler went into the locker room up by 28 points and never looked back.
Carrying over the momentum
The next stretch of games for the Bulldogs comes against Providence, Georgetown, Xavier and DePaul. Three out of four of those games come against teams that are in the bottom five of the Big East.
If there is ever a time to gain momentum and stack wins, that time is now for the Dawgs. Butler now sits at 10-13 with a conference record of 3-9. A road to the NCAA Tournament seems highly unlikely, but the Bulldogs could make some noise late in the season if they can win some games down the stretch.
Whether or not Butler can put a run together will come down to its toughness and resilience. The Dawgs have struggled to close out games and play gritty basketball this season. If the Bulldogs want to put a winning streak together and make a run late in the season, they will need to show their heart along with their apparent talent.
Butler will be back in action on Saturday at Hinkle Fieldhouse to take on Providence at 3 p.m.
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