Butler University exploited the men’s basketball team’s llackluster 3-point defense Saturday leading to a 95-68 victory over NIU in Indianapolis.

The Huskies, with a 5-4 record, ranked 309 out of 351 teams in the nation in opposing 3-point percentage before Butler made 17 of its 32 3-point attempts in NIU’s worst non-conference loss since Dec. 19, 2012, when the Huskies lost 75-48 to Seattle University.

“We have to guard one-on-one better and challenge ourselves to keep guys in front, chest-to-chest,” Head Coach Mark Montgomery said. “The games we’ve lost, teams have shot the three very well. I don’t think Butler saw our best game. You’ve got to look yourself in the mirror and challenge yourself to do better.”

The Bulldogs knocked down 3-pointers early and often; they converted seven of their first eight attempts from beyond the arc to go up 23-9 with 13:44 left in the first half.

A hot shooting streak was sparked when Butler redshirt junior forward Sean McDermott made his first four 3-point attempts before finishing the contest with a game-high 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting from beyond the arc.

The Huskies switched from defending man-to-man to a 2-3 zone defense, but it wasn’t enough. Butler’s lead grew as large as 28 with 7:21 left in the opening half.

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NIU outscored the Bulldogs 15-7 for the remainder of the opening period before Butler senior guard Paul Jorgensen drained a corner 3-pointer with one second left in the half to give the Bulldogs a 51-28 advantage heading into halftime.

“We were just playing too soft on the perimeter,” Montgomery said. “You’ve got to get up and guard a guy and make it a one-on-one challenge. We gave up too much room, we didn’t make them uncomfortable. We never ran them off the line and then it got contagious. We tried different defenses, but they were already in a groove. Sooner or later, you have to get a defensive stop.”

The Huskies reduced their deficit to 17 in the second half before eventually losing. NIU had a productive offensive showing shooting 50 percent from the field, 35 percent from beyond the arc and turning the ball over 10 times.

Junior guard Eugene German tallied a team-high 20 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Senior forward Levi Bradley scored 14 points, and senior forward Jaylen Key finished the contest with eight points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting from the field and made both of his free-throw attempts.

The Huskies struggled to contain Butler’s offense as the Bulldogs shot 60.7 percent from the field and 53.1 percent from beyond the arc.

“Butler came out hot, and it seemed like we never got a stop in the first 20 minutes of the game,” Montgomery said. “They got into a good rhythm, and it got contagious for them. We shot a good percentage, and we got to the free-throw line enough, but it was on the defensive end that totally cost us.”

NIU has a week off from competition for finals before returning to action against Western Illinois 8 p.m. Dec. 17 at the Convocation Center in the second game of a doubleheader with the women’s basketball team’s game starting at 5:30 p.m.

“We just have to regroup,” Montgomery said. “It shows the character of a good team if you can overcome some adversity and bounce back the next game. That’s what we plan to do.”