Photo by Brian Georgeson

Markus Howard scored 19 points but had five shots blocked against Butler Tuesday.

Point guard problems

Markus Howard’s final line looks alright at first glance. He scored 19 points, shooting an efficient 5-for-8 from 3-point range. However, he struggled selecting the right time to drive Tuesday, often running into double coverage or into a well-positioned Butler big. He was blocked on five of his six attempts from inside the arc.

“One of the things that we talked about coming into the game is that when you are able to penetrate against them you’ve got to keep your feet and or keep your dribble because they converge on penetration,” Wojciechowski said. “We didn’t do that as well as we need to.”

Even with the lost possessions, it’s tough to make the argument head coach Steve Wojciechowski should have given Howard the yank in favor of Andrew Rowsey. There was no leftover magic from an outstanding performance at DePaul for Rowsey, who went o-for-4 from the field and 0-for-3 on 3-pointers Tuesday.

“He’s been such a good player for us recently,” Wojciechowski said. “You don’t expect to go into a game and he scores zero, but those things happen.”

Martin meets the bench

Kelan Martin, the Bulldogs’ leading scorer, didn’t come into the game until the 15:35 mark of the second half. Butler head coach Chris Holtmann didn’t want to elaborate on the decision, simply saying it was a coaches decision and something the program would like to keep internal.

He had a minimal impact on the game once he was put in, scoring one point on 0-for-3 shooting from the field.

His replacement, Avery Woodson, had a strong game in just his second start of the season, scoring a season-high 17 points on 5-for-17 shooting.

Defending Chrabascz

Butler forward Andrew Chrabascz’s ability to put the ball on the floor made him a difficult matchup for Luke Fischer, who was put on him when Tyler Wideman wasn’t on the floor. He stepped up down the stretch, scoring eight straight points in the final five minutes to give Butler a 66-58 lead.

“I thought Andrew took over the game when they needed it,” Wojciechowski said.

Chrabascz finished with 21 points, five rebounds, four assists and a block.

Who to blame?

The big question on Twitter after the game is whether or not the offense or defense is more to blame for the loss. Life isn’t black and white and neither is basketball, so it’s likely both played into the missed opportunity for a resume-building victory.

The offense clearly wasn’t where it normally is, with many of Marquette’s top weapons falling flat. Rowsey, Jajuan Johnson and Haanif Cheatham combined for seven points. Katin Reinhardt went 3-for-7 and took some strange shots, including a no-pass deep three with 1:14 remaining. Every player in the starting lineup turned the ball over at least twice.

On the defensive end, the Golden Eagles gave up 1.25 points per possession in the first half and once again struggled defending the 3-point shot. Marquette’s opponent shot better than 40 percent from long-range for the third time in four games.

When the defense started locking down late in the game, the offense let the team down with a scoreless drought that nearly reached four minutes.

Best stat line

Luke Fischer: 19 points, 13 rebounds, two assists, four blocks, one steal

Stat of the night

Marquette, usually the 3-point specialists, were outshot by Butler from deep. The Golden Eagles shot 38.1 percent, while the Bulldogs shot 42.9 percent.

Up next

Marquette’s game at Georgetown Saturday suddenly feels like a must-win. The Hoyas are 13-12 and riding a two-game losing streak.