INDIANAPOLIS - IU Indy fifth-year senior Matt Compas went for a game-high 25 points off the Jaguars' bench, but it wasn't enough as the Jaguars fell on the road at Butler on Saturday night (Nov. 8), 112-80. Finley Woodward added 12 points, six assists and four rebounds and Kyler D'Augustino finished with 11 points in the loss. 

Jalen Jackson led five Bulldogs (2-0) in scoring with 17 points and Michael Ajayi had a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds. Butler pummeled the Jaguars on the boards 59-32, including 23 offensive rebounds that led to 30 second chance points. 

"We want to play good teams. What we're trying to do is get ready by March," head coach Ben Howlett said. "This game is going to help us come Horizon League play and that's what we're looking to do. We're looking to win the Horizon League and take steps to do that. 

"Us playing Butler certainly doesn't hurt us. It's going to help us."

IU Indy (0-3) showed they belonged in the early going, scoring the game's first six points and maintaining a 10-8 lead on a D'Augustino pull-up. From there, Butler scored the game's next six points and never seized the advantage. The Jaguars were plagued by turnovers and personal fouls in the opening half as 16 whistles led to 24 Butler free throws. The Jags benefited from some ice cold Butler shooting as the Bulldogs hit just 15-of-24 from the free throw line before intermission and 2-of-12 from three-point range. 

After trailing 51-38 at the break, the Jags cranked up the defensive pressure at the start of the second half to pull within nine on a Woodward three-point play at the 18:11 mark. However, the Bulldogs ran away and hid, pushing the lead beyond 20 with 12:50 remaining, largely attacking the rim after beating the Jaguar press. 

Later, a 13-0 Butler run extended the lead beyond 30 as the Bulldogs shot 63 percent in the second half. 

Howlett emptied his bench for the first time this season in the final five minutes, in part due to Maguire Mitchell and JP Dragas fouling out. The Jags were whistled for 31 fouls and drew just 15, leading to a 43-15 disparity in free throw attempts. 

Butler finished the night at 51.3 percent from the floor while the Jaguars shot just 40 percent overall. Compas was the team's primary weapon, hitting 11-of-20 shots while also collecting five steals. Jaxon Edwards closed with nine points and Reece Hagy added seven points and six rebounds. 

"Our guys didn't quit. The game was over and our guys kept playing. We need all the reps we can get," Howlett said. "We only have four guys who have played in this system, so we need those reps in game action."

The Jaguars will return home to host IU Columbus inside Corteva Coliseum on Tuesday (Nov. 11) for the annual NCAA 'Read to the Final Four' game, presented by Anthem. More than 5,000 elementary school children from across Central Indiana will be in attendance as part of the partnership with the NCAA. Tuesday's game will be seen locally on WNDY as Greg Rakestraw (pxp) and Hall of Famer Bob Lovell (analyst) describe the action.