Butler used a 14-0 run nearly midway through the second half to pull away from visiting Creighton en route to a 72-55 win Wednesday night in Indianapolis.
Bo Hodges paced the Bulldogs (10-10, 3-6 Big East) with 18 points and pulled down seven rebounds as they snapped a four-game losing streak. He finished 3-for-6 from 3-point range and was one of four players to score in double figures for the victors, joining Chuck Harris (14), Simas Lukosius (14) and Bryce Golden (10).
Butler piled up 42 percent of its total points while shooting 10-for-27 from long range after entering the game as the worst 3-point shooting team in the conference.
Arthur Kaluma had a team-high 18 points on 7-for-13 shooting for the Bluejays (12-6, 4-3), whose head coach Greg McDermott was missing his second consecutive game due to COVID-19 protocol.
Creighton cut its deficit to two points twice before the hosts made their key run in just over three minutes. Golden hit back-to-back threes at the end of that stretch to increase the Butler lead to 18.
Butler held a 27-24 halftime edge, overcoming nearly a four-minute stretch without a field goal. The Bulldogs scored 11 first-half points off of nine Creighton turnovers.
Hodges, who made just his second start of the season after a knee injury sidelined him for the first 14 games, led the Bulldogs with seven first-half points. His three at the 11:15 mark capped a 5-0 run and lifted Butler to its first lead since the opening two minutes.
Kaluma scored Creighton’s first five points and 11 in the first half. The Bluejays played without point guard Ryan Nembhard for more than half of the opening period as he picked up two early fouls.
Jayden Taylor’s three highlighted a 14-6 run that helped Butler build a 25-18 lead — its largest of the first half — with 5:36 left. Nembhard cut into it with a jumper for his first point 1:14 later.
–Field Level Media
