Lukosius didn't start the second half, but he emerged from the locker room with a bandage on his nose, ready to play.īrownsburg grad Pierce Thomas played well in Lukosius' absence, notching three steals and using his elite athleticism to contest shots and shoot into the passing lane, leading to a breakaway dunk. The sophomore laid on the court for several minutes before leaving to the locker room.

Late in the first half, the Bulldogs' already short rotation suffered quite the scare when Simas Lukosius took an elbow to the face. Hunter finished with 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting and two assists. Hunter was aggressive in the halfcourt, attacking the basket for layups and throwing home a one-handed slam off a high screen from D.J. Hunter manned the point guard spot and provided steady defense on the perimeter. played a key role in his Butler debut as well. Purdue transfer and Tindley grad Eric Hunter Jr. Once he gets the ball in close, he has the strength to dunk just about everything and lobs inside are an effective offensive strategy Butler fans should get used to. When he did receive the ball on the block, Bates showed patience with his footwork and the touch to finish at the rim. His size at 6-11 and excellent positioning allowed him to alter several shots at the rim. Not a gentle giant: Butler center Manny Bates ready to unleash his inner beastīates started at center and immediately provided a shot-blocking force for the Bulldogs. 'That building was electric': Fast-paced Butler ignites Hinkle in Thad Matta's return 'It just felt good to be back out there, especially seeing the court as packed out as it was today,' Bates said 'I feel like the fans gave me so much energy tonight. Bates finished with a team-high 25 points and 11 rebounds, showing all the signs of a dominant post player the Bulldogs haven't seen, maybe ever. Bates threw down one-handed slams in transition, two-handed jams under the basket, caught alley-oops and capped his night with driving one-handed poster dunk over a helpless Privateers defender. Now the final buzzer has sounded and the Fieldhouse has been cleared out, let’s dive into some of the biggest takeaways for Butler following the win.North Carolina State transfer Manny Bates dunked his way into the hearts of Butler faithful with a stellar debut against New Orleans. He finished the game with 28 points while his partner-in-crime Saddiq Bey added 29 on five 3-pointers. Collin Gillespie was superb from the opening tip of the contest as he drove to the basket at will. Villanova did not exhibit the same balanced attack that Butler did but its stars certainly came to play. Aaron Thompson scored nine in his return. Bryce Golden then chipped in a career-high 18 points (and some emphatic ones) while Kamar Baldwin and Bryce Nze also scored in double figures with 17 points and 12 points, respectively. Sean McDermott led the Dawgs in scoring on the night as he dropped in 21 points despite only attempting eight shots. Hinkle Magic came up big again in this one and pushed Butler to a huge win. The Dawgs have put together one of the nation’s best resumes en route to reaching this record and beating Villanova at home gave them another Quadrant 1 win for the year.

With this win, Butler moves to 18-5 (6-4 BE) on the season and has quietly won three of its last four games. When asked if he thought that shot was going in when he released it, the soft-spoken Baldwin simply said “Yes sir.” A cold-blooded killer on the court with the confidence needed to a star. The senior guard that has carried Butler on so many occasions throughout his career once again buried the huge shot to further his status as perhaps the most clutch player in the entire country.

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