Butler 79, DePaul 46

ROSEMONT, Ill. — Guard Alex Barlow scored 19 points and the Butler Bulldogs ended their seven-game losing streak with a 79-46 win on Thursday night over the DePaul Blue Demons.

Forward Khyle Marshall added 18 for Butler (13-16, 3-14 Big East), which had not won since a 64-57 victory at Seton Hall on Jan. 29.

Barlow, who was averaging 6.2 points per game, made 7 of 9 shots from the field and 4 of 5 3-pointers to set a season and career scoring high, topping the 16 points he had against Evansville on Dec. 21.

The Bulldogs wrap up their regular season on Saturday at home against Seton Hall. With a win, Butler can avoid finishing in last in their first Big East season.

They gave themselves that chance by holding DePaul to 32.7 percent shooting from the field and outrebounding the Blue Demons 46-29.

Butler opened the second half on 10-0 run, stretching their lead to 48-18.

Guard Brandon Young led DePaul with 24 points and Billy Garrett Jr. had 12. The Blue Demons (11-20, 3-15) lost their second straight game and their 12th in the last 13. They scored their fewest points of the season and suffered their biggest loss of the season.

Thursday was DePaul’s last conference game of the season. The Blue Demons will finish in at least a tie for last in the league for the sixth straight year.

Thursday’s rout was a far cry from the teams’ first meeting.

Butler, which lost 99-94 to DePaul in double-overtime on Jan. 9, took a 38-18 lead into halftime on Thursday. Barlow had 13 points for the Bulldogs, who shot 47.1 percent from the field.

DePaul, meanwhile, struggled badly. The Blue Demons were just 7 of 25 from the field, and that contributed to the Bulldogs building a big early advantage.

Butler jumped out to an early 15-2 lead with 12:11 left in the first half on a dunk by Marshall as DePaul made just one of its first 10 shots from the field. The dunk was part of an 11-0 Bulldogs run that was completed with a layup by guard Durrell McDonald.

McDonald’s basket also ended a 5:13 stretch without a basket for DePaul, which had its fewest points in a first half this season.

Things got even worse for DePaul with 6:20 left when forward Tommy Hamilton IV was ejected for elbowing Marshall. Marshall missed the ensuing free throws, but Butler scored with 6:03 left on forward Erik Fromm’s dunk.

The Bulldogs ended the half with a flourish. Center Nolan Berry dunked with one second left. DePaul forward Peter Ryckbosch’s inbound pass was intercepted by Barlow, who hit a 3-point shot to end the half.

Butler also controlled the glass, outrebounding DePaul 26-12 during the first half.

NOTES: DePaul honored senior Gs Brandon Young and Edwind McGhee and senior F Sandi Marcius in a ceremony before Thursday’s game, the Blue Demons’ last at home. The Blue Demons’ senior class also once included F Cleveland Melvin, who was dismissed from the school last month and has signed with the Erie BayHawks of the NBA D-League. … Thursday was the first meeting between the schools in the Chicago area since Feb. 16, 1980, a 103-79 DePaul win for the then-No. 1 Blue Demons. Entering Thursday, Butler had not beaten DePaul since the 1938-39 season. … Butler started the night on a seven-game losing streak, its longest since dropping 11 straight during the 1989-90 season. … DePaul and Butler will be playing in the first round the Big East tournament, which begins Wednesday in New York. They will be the bottom two seeds. … DePaul was without G Charles McKinney (ankle).