DePaul Basketball Falls vs Butler: 3 Takeaways

DePaul basketball fought hard against the Butler Bulldogs and nearly came away with a win but fell 84-72.

Layden Blocker led the Blue Demons with 25 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists.

He shot 9-15 (60%) from the field, 4-6 (66.7%) from downtown, and 2-5 (40%) from the line.

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs were led by Pierre Brooks II with 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists while shooting nearly identical to Blocker, except going 4-7 (57.1%) from beyond the arc.

Brooks also led the Bulldogs during their last contest against the Blue Demons with 29 points.

Here are three key takeaways from the defeat.

Takeaway #1: DePaul basketball collapsed in the end

The game was close, but in the end, the Blue Demons’ chances slipped away in crunch time.

With just over four minutes left, Butler was up 70-69. They then went on a 13-1 run over the next three minutes to seal the deal.

Throughout the course of this season, DePaul basketball either has a lead and squanders it or narrowly climbs its way back to make it close, only for a timeout to kill the momentum, and its opponents come out of the huddle blazing.

Multiple missed three-pointers from Troy D’Amico, C.J. Gunn, and others, led to converted jumpers by the Bulldogs. This team is in its first season together, with a new roster and staff, this will always be one of the greatest challenges for such a team to face: closing out in crunch time.

This issue will come up again down the line, how the Blue Demons adjust in the future will dictate how this team grows beyond Chris Holtmann’s first season in Chicago.

Takeaway #2: The Bulldogs shot great from the perimeter

Butler shot 10-24 (41.7%) from downtown against DePaul basketball.

This effort was carried out by three players: Brooks, Finley Bizjack (4-6), and Kolby King (2-3).

King only recorded 8 points, but he made up for that with 8 rebounds. Bizjack was the third-leading scorer for Butler with 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists.

The Bulldogs also saw notable contributions from Jahmyl Telfort, who scored 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. He shot 6-12 (50%) from the floor and 5-6 (83.3%) from the charity stripe. He didn’t shoot well from the perimeter, going 0-2 in that endeavor.

Takeaway #3: Isaiah Rivera

One of the more unsung heroes for DePaul basketball has been Isaiah Rivera. He recorded a double-double against the Bulldogs with 13 points and 11 rebounds. He also logged 6 assists and 2 blocks while playing a full, 40-minute game.

He also shot 5-11 (45.5%) from the field and 3-3 (100%) from the line. Although he did have a poor shooting night from beyond the arc, going 0-5 in that regard.

Seeing someone play a full game of college basketball is a rare sight to behold, especially in a game where DePaul basketball clawed back from a deficit as large as 16 at times.

While Rivera hasn’t always shown up on the scoresheet as much as some fans would like to see, such performances like this, especially with the absence of both Conor Enright and N.J. Benson, make such a performance all the more worthwhile.

There are only three games left in the season for the Blue Demons, so these next few games will be further tests to see how the team can grow with little time left and where they can improve next season.

Next up for DePaul basketball (11-17, 2-15): at Creighton (18-8, 11-4) – Feb. 26 at 8 p.m. CST

Next up for Butler basketball (13-14, 6-10): vs. #10 St. John’s (23-4, 14-2) – Feb. 26 at 8 p.m. CST