Butler beat Ball State on Saturday, going away, but the visiting Cardinals weren't going to go away quietly. BSU kept at a close distance throughout the first half of play and then found itself gaining momentum as the half came to a close.
Junior guards Jesse Berry (Lafayette, IN/Jefferson) and Chris Bond (Gary, IN/Bowman Academy) each dropped in a couple buckets to propel a 13-2 run for Ball State, tying the game at halftime, 33-33. Matt Kamieniecki (Clarkston, MI/Clarkston) chipped in a few free throws and Majok Majok (Perth, Australia/Midland College) sank a jumper as time expired in the half.
The 8,282 at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Saturday all had hopes of an even better second half, especially from the host Bulldogs. They got that and more from Butler, especially from the supporting cast off the bench.
Ball State (2-4) may have grabbed the lead, 36-33, just into the second half, but that just ignited the Bulldog defense to step up and work even harder. End-capped by a Roosevelt Jones (O'Fallon, IL/O'Fallon) layup, Butler (5-2) darted off on a 21-5 run to jump out to a 54-38 lead with just under eight minutes left.
Defensively, Butler was anchored by sophomore Alex Barlow (Springboro, OH/Moeller), who contributed five points, but also had three steals and three assists in his 19 minutes of action. Barlow and Jones combined for six of Butler's 10 steals that led to 19 turnovers by Ball State.
During the final five minutes, Bulldog center Andrew Smith (Zionsville, IN/Covenant Christian) scored eight of his 12 to keep the Cardinals at a distance, with Butler taking this version of the intra-state rivalry, 67-53.
Jesse Berry was Ball State's lone double-digit scorer with 12 points, but also turned the ball over seven times. Majok Majok had nine points and 10 rebounds.
Butler was paced in scoring by senior Rotnei Clarke (Verdigris, OK/Verdigris) with 15 points and five assists. Joining Clarke in double-figures were Andrew Smith (12) and Khyle Marshall (Davie, FL/Flanagan) with 10.
Neither team was lighting up the nets from three-point range. Ball State barely shot just better from three, going 2-of-11 for 18%, while Butler shot a horrid 4-of-23 for 17% from outside-the-arc. The difference in the game was the turnover margin. Ball State turned the ball over 19 times to just five for Butler.
Butler head coach Brad Stevens has to be pleased at the play of his defense and how they responded in the second half on Saturday. His squad outscored Ball State 34-20 in the second half.
The Dawgs will have their chances to keep it rolling in a couple outings this week. They host IUPUI (3-6) on Wednesday, December 5 and Hinkle Fieldhouse at 7 p.m. On Saturday, Butler heads to Evanston, Illinois and Welsh-Ryan Arena to face the Northwestern Wildcats (6-2). This will be the first of two consecutive Big 10 opponents. Butler meets up with #1 Indiana at Banker's Life Fieldhouse on Saturday, December 15 for the Boston Scientific: Close the Gap Crossroads Classic.
No comments:
Post a Comment