DePaul University Athletics
DePaul University
Butler
Blue Demons Fall in BIG EAST Thriller to Butler
1/5/2016 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S BASKETBALL
Box Score: Butler 77, DePaul 72 
ROSEMONT, Ill. - Myke Henry and Tommy Hamilton IV put on quite a show Tuesday night at Allstate Arena.
The Blue Demon pair combined for 41 points and 19 rebounds, but it wasn't quite enough to overcome No. 18/19 Butler in a 77-72 BIG EAST Conference loss that came right down to the end.
Henry led DePaul (6-9, 0-3 in BIG EAST) with 22 points and 10 rebounds, the senior forward's first double-double of the season. Hamilton came up big with 19 points and nine boards. Darrick Wood came off the bench to finish with a season-high 15 points along with five assists and four rebounds. The 15 points matched his career best.
Kellen Dunham, who has played some of his best games against the Blue Demons, had a game-high 24 points and hit a critical three-pointer down the stretch.
A big Wood three-pointer from the corner brought DePaul within 67-64. Butler extended the lead to 72-65 on Dunham's three. Billy Garrett Jr. answered from long distance and it was 72-68 with less than two minutes to go.
After a pair of Roosevelt Jones foul shots, Henry hit a baseline jumper to keep the Blue Demons down four with 1:10 left. Tyler Lewis converted a free throw with 22.1 seconds on the clock. Henry retaliated down low off a nice pass from Wood and it was 75-72.
On the ensuing in-bounds play, the DePaul press forced a jump ball with 7.1 seconds left but the possession arrow was pointing Butler's way. Dunham was fouled and converted both shots.
"It is equal parts disappointment and frustration," said DePaul coach Dave Leitao. "We gave the ball back to them with unforced errors that turned into baskets. In the late stretch, they scored the ball too easily.
"But give them some credit. They are poised, and that's the reason they have won a lot of games."
A pair of Hamilton free throws provided a 36-35 lead early in the second half when Butler scored seven unanswered points. Wood, Hamilton and Henry sparked a 12-2 Blue Demon burst in seizing a 48-44 lead. In that run, Wood scored on a pair of athletic moves and Henry's layup off a nice Hamilton feed made it six unanswered points.
"Darrick's been healthy lately and his talent starts to show," Leitao said. "The last few days he's had a really good rhythm in practice. He is engaged, and you can hear his voice in the gym. The same thing for Tommy."
After an R.J. Curington rebound basket, Kelan Martin's three-point play sliced DePaul's lead to 50-49. Back came Hamilton with a three-point play, and two Curington free throws increased the margin to 55-50.
Seven-straight by the Bulldogs after switching to a zone defense pushed the visitors in front 57-55 when Wood hit another clutch basket to tie it with 7:21 left. Butler scored the next five points to pull ahead 62-57.
Baskets by Henry and Hamilton cut the deficit to 65-61 with 3:34 on the clock. Hamilton had been a force inside, and Butler's response was to remain in a zone defense and reinforce its interior.
"I had a good three days of practice and built up some confidence in myself," Hamilton said. "I'm embracing the body I have, and I know I can move some people around down there and get some easy baskets."
Dunham scored eight points in the first three minutes after tipoff in staking Butler to a 10-2 lead. Hamilton's layup and two free throws along with a Darrick Wood dunk narrowed the gap to 13-8.
Defense would be a top priority for DePaul on this night. Butler came into the game averaging more than 87 points a game---fifth in the nation. The Bulldogs were 15th in the country in scoring margin at nearly 16 points per game.
The Bulldogs shot 73 percent from the floor and made all three of their attempts from behind the arc in securing a 21-10 lead at the second media timeout. Nine of those points came off DePaul turnovers. The Blue Demons finished with 17 turnovers while Butler had eight.
Back-to-back threes from Henry and Eli Cain launched the home team on an 11-4 run to draw within 25-21. Four Butler foul shots made it an eight-point deficit with less than eight minutes to go in the first half.
Two Henry baskets including one on a pretty left-handed scoop shot cut into the Bulldog advantage. The Blue Demons closed out the first half on a 6-1 run behind a pair of Hamilton baskets and a big shot by Wood to trail 35-34 at the break.
"DePaul makes it difficult to play with their athleticism, size and how hard they play," said Butler coach Chris Holtmann. "We learned that first-hand tonight.
"We had a hard time guarding them. This is a very good rebounding team (DePaul outrebounded Butler 39-25) and they certainly gave it to us tonight."
Leitao realizes the Blue Demons still have a ways to go.
"Step one in this process is reaching some level of consistency," Leitao said. "You play as hard as you can, as smart as you can, as together as you can. It becomes the fabric of who you are 24 hours a day.
"We've got to change the culture by starting to believe in this process. You start winning games with more consistency and that's how it develops."
DePaul resumes BIG EAST play with an 11 a.m. game Saturday at Georgetown that will be televised on FS1 (FOX Sports 1).
POSTGAME NOTES: The Blue Demons outrebounded the Bulldogs, 39-25... DePaul's rebounding margin of 14 is the largest margin of the season... the Blue Demons have outrebounded the opponent in 11 of 15 games this season... Myke Henry is the first Blue Demon to have a double-double since Tommy Hamilton IV at UIC on Dec. 2, 2015... Darrick Wood tied his career high (second time) for points with 15... Myke Henry posted double-digit rebounds for the first time this season... DePaul leads the series, 6-5... Butler has won four straight games in the series... the two teams meet again on Jan. 27 at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
