Gibson Scores 25 Against Butler

Wednesday, February 22

Chicago, Ill.

7:30 P.M. CT

DePaul University

9-19,3-14Big East

Butler

14-15,6-12Big East

Butler

DePaul

2/22/2023 10:41:00 PM | MEN'S BASKETBALL

Box Score Final Box

CHICAGO – Umoja Gibson scored a game-high 25 points, including 15 in the first half, Wednesday evening against Butler. In a back-and-forth contest that featured eight lead changes, Butler came away with the one-point, 59-58, victory.

Gibson shot 9-of-19 from the floor, including five three-pointers. Javan Johnson and Nick Ongenda tied for a game-best eight rebounds while Ongenda also added six blocks.

HOW IT HAPPENED
DePaul (9-19, 3-14 BIG EAST) got out to a slow start with four early turnovers as Butler took a 19-10 lead. The Blue Demons settled in following the under-12 media timeout for a 14-2 run that gave DePaul a 24-21 lead.

Coming out of halftime, Butler jumped ahead after using a 10-0 run for a 47-45 lead. The Bulldogs led by as much as six points in the second half before Eral Penn came up big with back-to-back second chance baskets. After Butler held their lead at four, Gibson made a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to one. Ongenda came up with the block defensively, but the Blue Demons ran out of time to get a shot off.

OF NOTE

DePaul held Butler to 24 first-half points, the fewest the Blue Demons have given up to a BIG EAST opponent.
Ongenda moves into a tie for seventh all-time at DePaul with 118 career blocks, matching Stanely Brundy.
Gibson had his eighth 20+ scoring game of the season and 28^th of his career.
Since returning from injury, Ongenda is averaging six blocks per game.
DePaul won the rebounding battle, 39-37, including a 9-7 advantage on the offensive boards.

UP NEXT
DePaul heads on the road for back-to-back games against #10/#9 Marquette and #18/#23 UConn. The Blue Demons matchup against Marquette is set for Saturday, Feb. 25 for a 6:30 p.m. CT tip on FS1. Tickets for upcoming games can be purchased at DePaulBlueDemons.com/Tickets.