Against Creighton, Butler's freshmen show they won't shy away from the big stage.

With the game on the line late in the second half, there was only one person Butler wanted to get the ball to, D.J. Davis.

Davis is the second-best free throw shooter in the nation at 95.9%, and the Bulldogs needed to send him to the line to ice Friday's game against No. 13 Creighton. After one failed inbounds attempt bounced off his foot and went out of bounds, Butler had another chance to inbound the ball to Davis and seal the win.

With six seconds left, Landon Moore got the ball to Davis, but Ryan Kalkbrenner poked Davis in the eye while attempting to foul him. The poke drew blood along Davis' lower eye and impaired his vision. Butler's training staff tried to work Davis' injury, but it became clear Davis would not be able to finish the game.

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Enter, freshman center Boden Kapke. Because Kapke was subbing in for Davis, the freshman had to shoot the critical free throws. Kapke's playing time has been sporadic all season. He hadn't played since Butler's Dec. 23 win over Georgetown. And he hadn't played more than four minutes in a game since a Dec. 15 win over Division II Saginaw Valley. Jalen Thomas' first-half foul trouble forced Kapke into eight first half minutes, so the 6-11 big man from Minnesota wasn't coming into the game cold. Still, the freshman had attempted just eight free throws all season, and his next two free throw attempts could decide the outcome against the Bluejays.

Kapke calmy stepped to the line and sank both free throws. The points proved to be the winners, sending Butler to a 99-98 victory.

"That was the game, without a doubt," Butler coach Thad Matta said. "Our bench was (key). Boden comes in and knocks down two free throws and that was the game for us. There's no doubt about it."

Kapke made an impact in 12 minutes off the bench, shooting with confidence out of pick-and-pop actions, scoring eight points on 2-of-3 shooting from 3 to go along with three rebounds. Fellow freshman Augusto Cassia was also thrown into action and added two points and two rebounds in eight minutes.

Freshman Finley Bizjack had one of the plays of the game, sinking a first-half buzzer beater from halfcourt, shrinking Butler's halftime deficit to four. Bizjack led Butler's bench unit with 11 points including a 3-for-3 mark from 3.

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The first-year players' confidence to take tough shots in crucial situations kept Butler in the game. Sophomore Landon Moore got the start at point guard with starter Posh Alexander out with a foot injury. Moore is poised to be Butler's point guard of the future, but Bizjack's shown impressive chemistry with Kapke, giving Butler a 1-2 punch to dream on. Cassia's length and athletic ability makes him an X-factor capable of becoming an all-around threat if everything clicks.

If Butler wants to make the NCAA tournament and go on a run, it will need contributions from its entire roster. Against Creighton, the freshmen showed they will not shy away from the big stage.

"Bizjack's made two 3s in conference play, he made three tonight," Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. "I think Kapke's made two (3s) all year, maybe three all year. He made two tonight. So, they had some guys really step up and make shots.

"Bizjack comes off (the bench) and scores 11, and Kapke gets eight, those were huge. (Andre) Screen had been playing more minutes and Kapke's not, so in an effort to pull Kalkbrenner away from the basket, they went with a younger kid, and he threw in a couple shots."

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Butler basketball: Finley Bizjack, Boden Kapke play key role in upset