MENS BASKETBALL

Butler 69, Marquette 62

BY TOM KERTSCHER
ASSOCIATED PRESS

MILWAUKEE - Pierre Brooks and Landon Moore each scored 14 points, leading Butler to a surprising 69-62 victory over No. 11 Marquette.

Jalen Thomas had 10 points and 14 rebounds for the Bulldogs (11-5, 2-3 Big East), who had lost three straight. Posh Alexander added 10 points, seven assists and five steals.

Kam Jones scored 20 to pace the scuffling Golden Eagles (11-5, 2-3), who have lost two in a row. Oso Ighodaro had 12 points and nine boards.

Tyler Kolek, the reigning Big East player of the year, managed only two points and eight assists on 1-for-13 shooting — including 0 of 7 from 3-point range.

After trailing 35-28 at halftime, the Bulldogs scored the first seven points of the second period. They went up 62-49 with under four minutes left, and Marquette couldn’t recover.

David Joplin’s 3-pointer cut Butler’s lead to 65-58 with 53.7 seconds left. After a Bulldogs turnover, Ighodaro made one of two free throws with 51 seconds remaining.

But after DJ Davis hit two free throws to make it 67-59, Jones and Kolek each missed a 3-pointer on Marquette’s next possession.

Moore sank two foul shots with 37.3 seconds to go, and Butler held on.

The Bulldogs finished 10 of 22 on 3-pointers, with Brooks making four of six.

The Golden Eagles shot 32.9% from the field. They made only five of 31 attempts from beyond the arc.

Jones, who was 18 for 57 (32%) from the field in his previous four games, started hot. He scored 13 of Marquette’s first 19 points, with all six field goals coming on layups.

But he went 1 of 10 on 3s and Marquette’s other top scorers were held in check.

The Golden Eagles, who entered leading the Big East with 9.1 steals per game, made 12 steals and forced 18 turnovers, but it wasn’t enough.

BIG PICTURE

Butler: The Bulldogs definitely appear capable of improving on last season’s 6-14 record in Big East play, which left them ninth in the 11-team conference.

Marquette: The loss seems certain to drop the Golden Eagles lower in the AP Top 25 poll next week. They were ranked seventh before losing at Seton Hall on Saturday.

Butler athletics press release

January 10, 2024