FINAL: Butler Bulldogs defeat Marquette in OT, 69-57

Jan 18, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Butler Bulldogs guard

(3) jumps up for a rebound against Marquette Golden Eagles center

(42) during the first half of the game game at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

The Butler Bulldogs finally notched their first Big East win of the season Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs pulled away from Marquette in overtime, winning 69-57.

Butler had played in five overtime games this season, losing their past four. The Bulldogs shouldn’t have even been forced into OT today, but poor free throw shooting from Khyle Marshall and a bad foul from Alex Barlow kept the game close.

Marshall was just 2-for-10 from the free throw line, missing two with 20-seconds left that would have made it a four point game. He finished the game with 16 points.

Barlow committed a foul 30-feet away from the basket with four seconds left to play and a two point lead. Marquette’s Jake Thomas would hit both free throws to tie the game, and subsequently sending it to overtime.

Kameron Woods did most of the damage for the Bulldogs with a double-double. He finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds. He also had two assists and two blocks.

Kellen Dunham tied for leading scorer with 18 points. He missed a deep three pointer that would have saved Butler from overtime.

The Bulldogs are 11-7 overall, but now just 1-5 in conference play.

Butler could have put this game away much earlier, but struggled from the free throw line all afternoon. The Bulldogs were just 15-of-29 from the charity stripe.

Butler’s defense finally put in an impressive game on defense. Big East opponents had been averaging 88 points against the Bulldogs. Marquette connected on just 30-percent of its shots, including shooting just 17-percent from the three point line.

The Bulldogs likely won’t make the NCAA Tournament this season unless they can start winning Big East games in bunches. They’ll have a shot with some easier games in the next couple weeks.

Butler will be back in action at Providence on Tuesday night.

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