INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Butler made four of its first five three-point attempts in the opening four minutes of the contest and never looked back, defeating the Northern Illinois University men's basketball team, 95-68, on Saturday afternoon at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs made 17 triples in the contest and shot 60.7 percent (34-of-56) from the field. 

Junior Eugene German (Gary, Ind./21st Century Charter) scored a team-high 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds for NIU; senior Levi Bradley (Milwaukee, Wis./Pius XI) added 14 points. 

"Butler played extremely well, but we didn't make them feel uncomfortable (on the offensive end)," said NIU head coach Mark Montgomery. "Credit (Sean) McDermott, he got them going and they are a good ball club. The offensive efficiency for Butler tonight was outstanding but I just wish my team had a little more fight today."

Butler (7-2) connected on five triples in the opening five minutes, three by Sean McDermott, as the Bulldogs took an early 17-6 lead. McDermott finished with a game-high 23 points and went 7-of-12 from beyond the arc. 

The Bulldogs remained red-hot throughout the opening 20 minutes and their lead grew to as large as 28 with 7:21 to play in the half before the Huskies went on an 11-2 run. 

A free throw from sophomore Rod Henry-Hayes (Zion, Ill./Zion-Benton Township) was followed by a jumper by senior Jaylen Key (Milwaukee, Wis./Homestead) and a triple from German. After a basket by the Bulldogs, senior Anastasios Demogerontas (Orland Park, Ill./Moraine Valley CC) hit a corner three and Bradley made a bucket as the Huskies began to find some success on the offensive end. 

Key finished with eight points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting from the field and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line. 

On the other end, Butler continued to knock down triples, finishing the first half with 11, as the Bulldogs took a 51-28 lead into halftime. 

NIU (5-4) cut into the Butler lead early in the second half, scoring 12 of the first 18 point out of the intermission. The Huskies had success offensively in the contest, shooting 50 percent (23-of-36) from the field, but had no answer for the Butler offense as the Bulldogs finished the contest shooting 53.1 percent (17-of-32) from beyond the arc. 

Four Bulldogs scored in double figures as Paul Jorgensen had 16, Kamar Baldwin finished with 13 and Henry Baddley scored 11 points to go along with McDermott's 23. 

NIU will now have a week off for finals before returning to action on Monday, December 17, when the Huskies host Western Illinois. Tipoff against WIU is scheduled for 8 p.m., and will be the second game of a doubleheader with the NIU women's basketball team starting at 5:30 p.m.