Rosemont, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Kellen Dunham scored 24 points and No. 23 Butler continued its push for the second seed in the Big East tournament with a 67-53 victory over reeling DePaul.
Roosevelt Jones had 16 points, five rebounds and four assists for the Bulldogs (21-8, 11-5 Big East), who hold a one-game lead over Georgetown for the conference's No. 2 seed.
Kameron Woods posted 14 points and six rebounds for a Butler team that pulled away in the second half with a 26-3 run.
Jamee Crockett was the lone player to reach double figures in scoring for DePaul, finishing with 20 points.
The Blue Demons (12-18, 6-11) suffered a season high-tying sixth consecutive defeat.
Durrell McDonald hit a 3-pointer to open the second half, sparking a 14-3 spurt that gave DePaul a 38-32 lead with 14:35 left.
The Bulldogs were down 40-36 when they seized control behind their considerable run. Woods capped the burst with a jumper and Butler led 62-43 with 6:05 remaining.
DePaul trailed by 10 points twice in the first half, but used a 10-0 run to rally to tie it at 24-24 before Butler ended the frame on a 5-0 spurt.
Game Notes
The Bulldogs held a 36-19 rebounding edge ... Butler shot 52.6 percent in the second half ... DePaul also lost six straight from Dec. 11-25.