DePaul University Athletics
Saturday, March 7
11 a.m.
DePaul University
16-15,8-12Big East
71
vs
81
Butler
16-15,7-13Big East
1
2
F
Butler
39
42
81
DePaul
32
39
71
Blue Demons Run Out of Time With Late Comeback
3/7/2026 4:17:00 PM | MEN'S BASKETBALL
CHICAGO – A late second half comeback for DePaul men's basketball wasn't enough to pull back from a deficit Saturday afternoon at Wintrust Arena as Butler won, 81-71. NJ Benson had a personal-best in BIG EAST play with 24 points for his fifth double-double of the season.
DePaul (16-15, 8-12 BIG EAST) held Butler (16-15, 7-13 BIG EAST) without a field goal for the final eight minutes of the game, nearly erasing a double-digit deficit.
Kaleb Banks added his sixth double-digit outing of the year with 11 points, followed by a trio of nine-point scorers in Brandon Maclin, Layden Blocker and CJ Gunn. Maclin and Gunn both had career-high assists with seven and five, respectively.
HOW IT HAPPENED
DePaul had a slow start to open the game before Banks drained a three-pointer. A second-chance layup by Benson gave DePaul its first lead of the game, 11-9. Butler took a 23-17 lead on a pair of three-pointers. DePaul pulled back within five after back-to-back dunks from NJ Benson in the closing minutes of the half. Finley Bizjack had the final basket of the half, as Butler held a 39-32 lead.
The Bulldogs controlled the opening of the second period with a 20-2 advantage. Down to only seven minutes remaining, DePaul fired off a 14-3 run before ending the game with a 33-14 advantage in the final nine minutes of the game.
OF NOTE
UP NEXT
DePaul will head to New York for the 2026 BIG EAST Tournament in a to-be-determined matchup on Wednesday, March 11.
DePaul (16-15, 8-12 BIG EAST) held Butler (16-15, 7-13 BIG EAST) without a field goal for the final eight minutes of the game, nearly erasing a double-digit deficit.
Kaleb Banks added his sixth double-digit outing of the year with 11 points, followed by a trio of nine-point scorers in Brandon Maclin, Layden Blocker and CJ Gunn. Maclin and Gunn both had career-high assists with seven and five, respectively.
HOW IT HAPPENED
DePaul had a slow start to open the game before Banks drained a three-pointer. A second-chance layup by Benson gave DePaul its first lead of the game, 11-9. Butler took a 23-17 lead on a pair of three-pointers. DePaul pulled back within five after back-to-back dunks from NJ Benson in the closing minutes of the half. Finley Bizjack had the final basket of the half, as Butler held a 39-32 lead.
The Bulldogs controlled the opening of the second period with a 20-2 advantage. Down to only seven minutes remaining, DePaul fired off a 14-3 run before ending the game with a 33-14 advantage in the final nine minutes of the game.
OF NOTE
- Saturday marked Benson's eighth-straight game of double-digit scoring and his fifth double-double of the season.
- Blocker had a season-high six rebounds.
- The Blue Demons reached 221 made three-pointers on the season, ranking seventh all-time in the single-season record books.
UP NEXT
DePaul will head to New York for the 2026 BIG EAST Tournament in a to-be-determined matchup on Wednesday, March 11.
Team Stats
Butler
DePaul
FG%
.410
.371
3FG%
.333
.222
FT%
.833
.650
RB
48
36
TO
16
11
STL
8
8
Game Leaders
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
1
3FGM
1
FTM
6
Players Mentioned
F
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