Simas Lukosius banked a go-ahead 3-pointer off the glass with six seconds remaining while scoring 15 of his game-high 19 points after halftime to boost shorthanded Butler to a 73-71 victory against host DePaul on Tuesday night in Chicago.
Inserted into the starting lineup as regular starters Bo Hodges (muscle strain) and Bryce Nze (knee) missed the game after sustaining injuries during Saturday’s win against Marquette, Lukosius shot 8-for-14 to pace four Bulldogs in double figures.
Chuck Harris scored 18 points for the Bulldogs (13-13, 6-9 Big East), who hit their final six shots from the floor while shooting 50 percent (25 of 50). Jayden Taylor (12 points) and Aaron Thompson (11) also scored in double digits.
DePaul (12-12, 3-11) squandered a 59-50 lead with 8:46 remaining. The Blue Demons shot 41 percent and went 11-for-16 from the free-throw line.
David Jones scored 17 points and Nick Ongenda chipped in 14 points to pace five players in double figures. Jalen Terry had 11 points while Brandon Johnson had 10 points and nine rebounds.
DePaul welcomed the return of Big East leading scorer Javon Freeman-Liberty, who had missed the past seven games with a groin injury. Freeman-Liberty scored 13 points on 4-for-8 shooting in 29 minutes in his first action since Jan. 13.
The Bulldogs went 4:59 without a field goal during one sequence midway through the second half but heated up behind Lukosius, who scored 10 points in the final three minutes as Butler stretched its series winning streak to five games. His banked trey put the visitors ahead 72-69.
Thompson limped off the floor with an apparent leg cramp with four minutes to play and did not return.
DePaul jumped ahead 34-26 on a Courvoisier McCauley trey with 4:04 remaining in the first half but was unable to sustain the momentum — or keep its advantage. The Bulldogs closed on a 9-1 run as the teams entered intermission tied at 35.
After swishing a season-best 13 3-pointers against Marquette, Butler struggled to 5-for-19 shooting (26.3 percent) from distance Tuesday.
DePaul outrebounded Butler 36-31. The Blue Demons have lost six conference games by seven points or fewer.
–Field Level Media
