DePaul working against recent history in visit to Butler

It's been more than six years since DePaul won back-to-back Big East Conference road games. And even longer since winning a game at Butler. The Blue Demons look to avoid a 10th overall defeat against the Bulldogs - and an 11th straight on the road -- on Saturday in Indianapolis.

DePaul (10-10, 1-8) snapped a 39-game regular-season Big East losing streak with its 73-68 win at Georgetown on Jan. 17. That also ended a 24-game conference slide on the road, where it last won consecutive league contests Jan.



12 and 19, 2019. However, the Blue Demons followed that with Tuesday's 73-49 home loss to Creighton. They set season lows for points, field-goal percentage (30.

2) and 3-point shooting (3-for-23). DePaul shot 40 percent from distance while going 9-2 against a favorable nonconference slate, but just 31.6 percent during league play.

Meanwhile, its Big East foes are averaging 80.9 points while shooting 49.3 percent overall and 40.

6 percent from beyond the arc. "There's gonna be nights where you don't make a lot of shots, but that can't affect our defensive end," Blue Demons guard Isaiah Rivera said. "It's just gotta be a collective fight.

...

We gotta be better." DePaul's CJ Gunn has averaged 17.2 points on 45.

6 percent shooting in the last five contests. DePaul last won at Butler (8-11, 1-7) on Jan. 9, 2014.

The Bulldogs' lone league win this season came at home, 82-77 versus Seton Hall on Jan. 15. However, they've suffered three conference defeats by four or fewer points after falling 80-78 in overtime at No.

19 UConn on Tuesday. Jahmyl Telfort scored 25 for the Bulldogs, who overcame an eight-point halftime hole to give the two-time reigning national champs a serious scare. "(The objective) for us is where we are right now," said Butler coach Thad Matta, whose squad is shooting 44.

7 percent this season. "We just got to keep getting better. .

.. We've got to continue to just find ways.

" Telfort averages a team-high 15.7 points, but he scored 10 or fewer in three of the last four at home. --Field Level Media.