It could be called one of those "better late than never" situations and it's obviously working out currently for the Noblesville Miller girls basketball team.
4A#1 Hamilton Southeastern 61, Noblesville 36 (at The Mill, Friday, 12/1/12)
On Friday, December 7th, the Millers welcomed county and Hoosier Crossroads Conference rival Hamilton Southeastern to The Mill for a girls-boys doubleheader.
Donna Keck's Miller appeared to have been more prepared than the visiting Royals thought they would be. Things were tied up at 10-10 after the first frame and that had the Noblesville faithful both surprised and excited that their Millers were sticking right with the #1 team in Class 4A.
Noblesville had four different leads in the first, but things changed quickly in the second. The Millers grabbed an 12-10 edge, but HSE's Lindsay Walton knocked down a three to give the Royals a 13-12 lead that they would never give back to Noblesville.
The Royals took a 27-20 halftime advantage and they were just getting started through two quarters. Miss Basketball candidate and Notre Dame signee Taya Reimer was held to 3 first half points on a field goal and free throw. Walton led HSE with 8 to pace the Royals.
Noblesville's demeanor changed at halftime. The ran off the court and into the locker room as if the game was already over, but there were still 16 minutes left. Slowly, but surely, Hamilton Southeastern pulled away from the home standing Millers. After three, the Royals extended their seven point halftime lead to a 45-30 margin.
During the fourth quarter, Noblesville had pretty much run out of gas. The Royals outscored the Millers 16-6 in the final eight minutes to turn this HCC game, that was close in the first half, into a blowout, 61-36.
Kayleigh Herron led Noblesville in scoring with 12 points, followed by Becca Bergman with 11 and five assists. Jessica Kiser and Erin Wood were both held to just two points each, but Kiser (5) and Wood (9) were able to grab rebounds.
Hamilton Southeastern spread out their scoring. Taya Reimer had 17 points, 14 in the second half, and six rebounds. Lindsay Walton was the heartbeat of the Royals on this night. She had 15 points and five boards. Megan Walton (8) and Kalee Huppenthal (7) were also big contributors for HSE.
Brownsburg 75, Noblesville 72 (at The Mill, Saturday, 12/15/12)
Two games in a row against Miss Basketball candidates is a lot to ask, but Stephanie Mavunga isn't Brownsburg's whole team. This was one of the more physical games that Noblesville played to this point of the season, hands down. It was a taxing 32 minutes, but Brownsburg was able to escape Noblesville with a 75-72 win over the Millers.
Noblesville took a 16-15 lead after one, but had a letdown before halftime. You could just see it on the face of Becca Bergman that she was going to do whatever her Miller teammates needed.
Mavunga had 22 first half points, 11 in each quarter and launched the Bulldogs to a 36-27 halftime lead, outscoring Noblesville 21-11 in the second.
Brownsburg kept it up in the third with an 18-10 quarter and you could almost count Noblesville out...almost.
Noblesville played their hearts out in the 4th, outscoring Brownsburg 25-21. Stephanie Mavunga fouled out with 46.1 seconds left on the clock, but managed to drop 39 points on the Millers before committing her fifth personal.
The Millers tried to find their way back and almost found themselves in position to win the game, but Brownsburg found their saving grace in freshman forward Aliyah Walker. With Mavunga fouled out, Walker found her time to shine for the Bulldogs down the stretch, making 6-of-8 free throws to help Brownsburg to a 75-72 win at Noblesville,
Brownsburg was able to spread around their scoring, aside from Mavunga's 39. Walker wound up with 10, while Kayle Comer had 9 and Mackenzie Trout with 6, to make up for the majority of the Bulldog points.
Becca Bergman had a team-high 28 for Noblesville, followed by Erin Flynn with 9, Jessica Kiser (8), Alexis Shannon and Kayleigh Herron (7) each and Cori Cain (5) were most of the Millers' point totals.
Noblesville 60, Anderson 56 (OT) (at Anderson, Thursday, 12/27/12)
The Millers knew that it would be a tough task to steal a win on the road at Anderson. The fact that it was over the Christmas Holiday break, was going to make it a challenge for both squads.
After Anderson took the opening frame 8-7, it was quite obvious that it would be an absolute dogfight throughout the rest of the game.
Noblesville exploded in the second with a 20-11 advantage for a 27-19 lead at the half. Anderson tried to defend their home court as best as it could, taking the final two quarters of regulation, 32-24, which sent this game into overtime, all tied up at 51-51.
The Millers did what was needed to rise to the occaision in the extra period, overtaking the Indians 9-5 for a 60-56 victory.
Anderson shot just 31% overall (21-67) and 32% (8-25) on their three-point attempts. They weren't able to get to the free throw line as much, only going 6-for-8. Thompson had 17 points and 8 rebounds, while Bentley notched a double-double with 12 points and 12 boards. The rest of the Indians combined for the remaining 27 for Anderson.
In a very balanced team effort, Becca Bergman led the way with a team-high 15 points (7-16 FG's) and 5 assists. Jessica Kiser also had a great game with 13 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals, while shooting 4-7 from the field and 5-6 free throws.
It really became a dominating game for Noblesville's frontcourt. Katelyn O'Reilly had 8 points and 7 rebounds and Erin Wood had 6 points and 9 boards, while the two combined for 4 blocked shots. Erin Flynn (7 points) and Alexis Shannon (4 points) also got together for 16 rebounds.
Noblesville didn't shoot a whole lot better, going 23-53 (43%), but really struggled from the charity stripe, shooting a dismal 43% (12-28). The Millers did outrebound the Indians (50-36), but turned the ball over more than Anderson (24-19).
Noblesville 64, Harrison 25 (at Harrison, Thursday 1/3/13)
This game was over as soon as the Millers got off the bus in West Lafayette. Harrison has a history of really not being a good girls basketball school and finds itself normally at the bottom of the standings of the Hoosier Crossroads Conference.
As Noblesville took the first two quarters, 18-5 and 18-2, respectively to take a 36-7 lead at halftime. The Millers again dominated the third quarter, 22-9, to put things in complete cruise control for the final eight minutes with a 58-16 advantage. Harrison was able to take the fourth (9-6) with Noblesville's reserves seeing all minutes of the fourth.
Harrison turned the ball over with ease and at-will 28 times to Noblesville's 10. Noblesville held the host Raiders to a mere 20% (8-20) from the floor overall and even worse from three-point land (18%).
Noblesville was again led by Becca Bergman with a game-high 16 points on 7-9 field goals. Erin Flynn found herself having another great game off the Miller bench with 9 points and three rebounds. Other notable scorers for Noblesville were Cori Cain (7), Jessica Kiser (6) and Erin Wood (6). As a team, the Millers shot decent, going 23-56 (41%).
Noblesville 69, 3A#7 Mt. Vernon (Fortville) 64 (at Mt. Vernon, Saturday 1/5/13)
Last year at Noblesville, the Millers had an upset in mind, but lost to the eventual Class 3A state runner-up Marauders. This season, those same Millers were grown up another year and were more than ready to upset Mt. Vernon, and upset they did on the Marauders' home court, 69-64.
Bergman seems to always play up a notch when the Millers play an opponent that's ranked or should give her more of a challenge. She really put up some numbers against Mt. Vernon with 23 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals.
Noblesville was up 37-32 at halftime. It's a good thing they clung to that five point lead at half. With Mt. Vernon taking the third, 17-14, NHS was up just 51-49 heading into the final eight minutes. Noblesville outlasted the Marauders 18-15 in the fourth to hang on for a 69-64 upset of 3A #7 Mt. Vernon.
Alexis Shannon and Jessica Kiser gave Bergman a nice helping hand with 15 and 14, respectively.
Noblesville forced the Marauders into 20 turnovers to just 12 for the Millers. Shelton and Houck (49)combined for much of Mt. Vernon's scoring, but it obviously wasn't enough to fend off Noblesville's attack.
It was Noblesville's key play from their frontcourt of Kiser, Shannon and Flynn that propelled them to the upset over then-3A #7 ranked Mt. Vernon.
Fishers 64 Noblesville 54
It was Coaches vs. Cancer night at Noblesville with Fishers and Noblesville's girls teams collaborating on raising money toward fighting cancer.
It was a close battle throughout with these two Hoosier Crossroads Conference and Hamilton county rivals. Leading 20-15 and 31-24 after two quarters, it seems like Fishers' speed was going to be way too much for Noblesville, despite their own ability to run with just about any opponent.
Fishers started pulling away after the third with a 49-38 advantage and eventually kept Noblesville at a distance, winning by the count of 64-54.
Brooke Sugg led all scorers with 20 points on six field goals. She was helped out by Adrianna Murphy (12), Alex Hochstedler (9), Abby Mozingo (9) and Kara Gerka (7) to round out most of the Tigers' scoring.
Noblesville was led by junior forward Jessica Kiser with 16 on four field goals and 8-of-9 free throws, including converting all seven attempts in the fourth. Erin Wood also dropped in 11, while Becca Bergman (9) and Kayleigh Herron (8) contributed to the Miller offense.
Come back to my blog for more on Noblesville girls basketball. I'll have the rest of the regular season games, Avon through Lawrence North, before Noblesville faces Zionsville Tuesday in the first game of the Class 4A Westfield Sectional #8 at 7 p.m.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Clarke nets 24 in return as #9 Butler downs Temple
The Butler Bulldog fans welcomed senior guard Rotnei Clarke back to the starting lineup with open arms and gave the faithful sellout at Hinkle Fieldhouse quite the game to take in on a Saturday night in Indianapolis.
Clarke poured in 24 points and dished out 9 assists in his first action in 3 games since going head first into the backboard support while going up for a layup at Dayton on January 12. As anxious as Rotnei was to get back on the court, team physicians recommended that he take two weeks to get himself back to a healthy status.
Temple got itself out to a 10-4 lead before Butler could really blink. A few possessions later, Clarke converted on three free throws after he was fouled attempting a three. Then, their next trip down, Rotnei found himself right back at the line to sink a couple more charity tosses to get Butler back into the game and only down 10-9.
The visitors from Philadelphia were able to sustain this lead until 9:07 left in the first half. Butler was down 21-14 and was finally able to climb their way out of the hole the had dug. With two three-pointers from Kellen Dunham and a jumper from Clarke, put Butler up briefly (22-21). Temple regained the lead one more time on a Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson dunk (23-22), but wouldn't lead again the rest of the game.
Kameron Woods scored four consecutive to tie things at 26-26. Butler's next time down the floor on offense, Clarke nailed a three to put Butler in front for good, 29-26. Temple kept it close and brought it back to just a three-point lead at the half with a three from Jake O'Brien to trail just 37-34.
Khyle Marshall scored 7 of Butler's first 14 in the second half to help the Bulldogs jump out of halftime on a 14-4 run for what would be their largest lead all night at 51-38.
Then, things got a little interesting from Temple's standpoint. Hollis-Thompson was a big part of an 18-5 run, with 7 of his 11, that evened the game up at 56-56 with 8:12 remaining.
Butler played with the sense that they couldn't and wouldn't lose for the final eight minutes of the game. Their leading scorer was back and it was time to get in a groove again and stay on track. The Bulldogs jetted their way to win #17 with a 27-15 takeover in the final eight minutes and ran away with an 83-71 A-10 win.
The win over Temple put Butler alone atop the Atlantic 10 conference standings with a 4-1 league mark. The A-10 is such a tight league that there are five schools right on their heels with a 4-2 conference record (Charlotte, VCU, LaSalle, Xavier and George Washington) that will be a challenge for Butler the rest of the way.
Overall, Butler was 52% from the floor (26-50) and the Owls were 24-59 for just 41%. Three-point shooting was a big plus for both with Butler going 8-of-20 (40%) and Temple sticking right with them with a 9-for-18 performance outside-the-arc. Obviously, both teams shot decently well from the field, but it really came down to free throws and how many trips Butler could make to the charity stripe compared to Temple.
The Bulldogs were 23-29 (79%) and Temple was 14-18 (78%). Temple (13-6, 2-3 A-10) was led in scoring by Khalif Wyatt with a team-high 22 points, to go along with six assists and four steals. He was joined in double-figures by Scootie Randall (13), Anthony Lee (12) and Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson (11).
The #9 Bulldogs (17-3, 4-1 A-10) chunked their scoring between six players. They were led by Rotnei Clarke with 24 and he also had career-highs with 9 assists and 13-for-14 from the free throw line. Khyle Marshall's offense finally was in full throttle with his 19 points on 9-of-11 from the floor. Kellen Dunham made the most of his time off the bench with 17 points, shooting 6-for-10, including 5 out of 6 from downtown. Roosevelt Jones (9), Andrew Smith (7) and Kameron Woods (7) also pitched it for Butler.
It's possible that Butler will drop out of the Top 10 in the rankings this week, but their loss to LaSalle (Wednesday) became it little more legit than it was first thought to be. LaSalle upset #19 VCU on the road Saturday afternoon for their second win over a Top 25 team this week.
The Bulldogs will hit the road to Saint Louis (14-5, 3-2) on Thursday, January 31 at 9 p.m. to try to finish off the month on a high note. Brad Stevens and his Dawgs will come home to a sold out Hinkle Fieldhouse crowd Saturday, February 2 for an afternoon affair when the Rhode Island Rams (6-12, 1-4) come to town for an A-10 battle.
Clarke poured in 24 points and dished out 9 assists in his first action in 3 games since going head first into the backboard support while going up for a layup at Dayton on January 12. As anxious as Rotnei was to get back on the court, team physicians recommended that he take two weeks to get himself back to a healthy status.
Temple got itself out to a 10-4 lead before Butler could really blink. A few possessions later, Clarke converted on three free throws after he was fouled attempting a three. Then, their next trip down, Rotnei found himself right back at the line to sink a couple more charity tosses to get Butler back into the game and only down 10-9.
The visitors from Philadelphia were able to sustain this lead until 9:07 left in the first half. Butler was down 21-14 and was finally able to climb their way out of the hole the had dug. With two three-pointers from Kellen Dunham and a jumper from Clarke, put Butler up briefly (22-21). Temple regained the lead one more time on a Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson dunk (23-22), but wouldn't lead again the rest of the game.
Kameron Woods scored four consecutive to tie things at 26-26. Butler's next time down the floor on offense, Clarke nailed a three to put Butler in front for good, 29-26. Temple kept it close and brought it back to just a three-point lead at the half with a three from Jake O'Brien to trail just 37-34.
Khyle Marshall scored 7 of Butler's first 14 in the second half to help the Bulldogs jump out of halftime on a 14-4 run for what would be their largest lead all night at 51-38.
Then, things got a little interesting from Temple's standpoint. Hollis-Thompson was a big part of an 18-5 run, with 7 of his 11, that evened the game up at 56-56 with 8:12 remaining.
Butler played with the sense that they couldn't and wouldn't lose for the final eight minutes of the game. Their leading scorer was back and it was time to get in a groove again and stay on track. The Bulldogs jetted their way to win #17 with a 27-15 takeover in the final eight minutes and ran away with an 83-71 A-10 win.
The win over Temple put Butler alone atop the Atlantic 10 conference standings with a 4-1 league mark. The A-10 is such a tight league that there are five schools right on their heels with a 4-2 conference record (Charlotte, VCU, LaSalle, Xavier and George Washington) that will be a challenge for Butler the rest of the way.
Overall, Butler was 52% from the floor (26-50) and the Owls were 24-59 for just 41%. Three-point shooting was a big plus for both with Butler going 8-of-20 (40%) and Temple sticking right with them with a 9-for-18 performance outside-the-arc. Obviously, both teams shot decently well from the field, but it really came down to free throws and how many trips Butler could make to the charity stripe compared to Temple.
The Bulldogs were 23-29 (79%) and Temple was 14-18 (78%). Temple (13-6, 2-3 A-10) was led in scoring by Khalif Wyatt with a team-high 22 points, to go along with six assists and four steals. He was joined in double-figures by Scootie Randall (13), Anthony Lee (12) and Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson (11).
The #9 Bulldogs (17-3, 4-1 A-10) chunked their scoring between six players. They were led by Rotnei Clarke with 24 and he also had career-highs with 9 assists and 13-for-14 from the free throw line. Khyle Marshall's offense finally was in full throttle with his 19 points on 9-of-11 from the floor. Kellen Dunham made the most of his time off the bench with 17 points, shooting 6-for-10, including 5 out of 6 from downtown. Roosevelt Jones (9), Andrew Smith (7) and Kameron Woods (7) also pitched it for Butler.
It's possible that Butler will drop out of the Top 10 in the rankings this week, but their loss to LaSalle (Wednesday) became it little more legit than it was first thought to be. LaSalle upset #19 VCU on the road Saturday afternoon for their second win over a Top 25 team this week.
The Bulldogs will hit the road to Saint Louis (14-5, 3-2) on Thursday, January 31 at 9 p.m. to try to finish off the month on a high note. Brad Stevens and his Dawgs will come home to a sold out Hinkle Fieldhouse crowd Saturday, February 2 for an afternoon affair when the Rhode Island Rams (6-12, 1-4) come to town for an A-10 battle.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Rotnei Clarke cleared to play Saturday vs. Temple
It seems like it's been weeks now, but Butler senior guard Rotnei Clarke has been cleared to play by Butler University's head athletic trainer Ryan Galloy.
Clarke has been sidelined for the last three games because of a sprained neck he suffered in Butler's 79-73 win at Dayton on January 12. He returned to practice Thursday and in full-contact drills was free of all symptoms.
Clarke stole the ball and drove to the other end of the court where he was intentionally fouled, sending him to the floor and crashing into the basket support. Rotnei was on the court for around 8 minutes before he was taken off the court on a stretcher and taken to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton and was later released to travel back to Indianapolis with his teammates.
When Rotnei Clarke takes the court Saturday against Temple, Hinkle Fieldhouse will more than likely erupt with excitement that one of the vital pieces to this team is back and ready to help the Butler Bulldogs win, no matter what it takes.
What the Temple Owls (13-5, 2-2 A-10) bring to the tables...
The Temple Owls have had their ups and downs during this 2012-13 college basketball season, just like most teams. They got themselves an early Christmas present by defeating current #3 ranked Syracuse, 83-79 on a neutral court.
Since that time, the Owls have gone 3-3 in the month of January. Starting out the month, they gave it their best, but couldn't quite upset #6 Kansas on the road, bowing out in the final minutes, 69-62.
Xavier got the best of Temple in Cincinnati on January 10, 57-52. Two wins in a row (Saint Louis and at George Washington) started sparking more interest the Owls' way, but losing to St. Bonaventure at home (81-78) and narrowly beating Penn (76-69), have left Temple trying to figure out what its identity will be for the remainder of the season.
The Atlantic 10 has quickly become one of the more evenly spread conferences in the country. Thirteen of the 16 teams have won at least 10 games and it's going to make for a great finish to conference season and an even better Atlantic 10 tournament in the second weekend of March.
They'll for sure have their hands full with the #9 ranked Butler Bulldogs on Saturday evening at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis at 6 p.m. With Butler having senior guard Rotnei Clarke back in their lineup, the Bulldogs depth may get the best of the visiting Owls.
Clarke has missed Butler's previous three games and is just itching to get back on the court. With him back in the lineup Saturday, Kellen Dunham will probably come off the bench as the sixth man, which he's done quite well doing for a majority of the season. Along with Clarke, Alex Barlow, Roosevelt Jones, Khyle Marshall and Andrew Smith will fill out the starting lineup. Erik Fromm, Kameron Woods, Chase Stigall and Jackson Aldridge will all see time off the bench, just like they've seen against Richmond, Gonzaga and LaSalle.
Butler will surely be able to use Clarke's 16.3 ppg. (4th in the A-10), especially after they came up short 54-53 at LaSalle on Wednesday, snapping their 13-game winning streak. Saturday night will be another hostile environment for the opponent (Temple), but Hinkle has always been one of the toughest places to play in the country.
Clarke has been sidelined for the last three games because of a sprained neck he suffered in Butler's 79-73 win at Dayton on January 12. He returned to practice Thursday and in full-contact drills was free of all symptoms.
Clarke stole the ball and drove to the other end of the court where he was intentionally fouled, sending him to the floor and crashing into the basket support. Rotnei was on the court for around 8 minutes before he was taken off the court on a stretcher and taken to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton and was later released to travel back to Indianapolis with his teammates.
When Rotnei Clarke takes the court Saturday against Temple, Hinkle Fieldhouse will more than likely erupt with excitement that one of the vital pieces to this team is back and ready to help the Butler Bulldogs win, no matter what it takes.
What the Temple Owls (13-5, 2-2 A-10) bring to the tables...
The Temple Owls have had their ups and downs during this 2012-13 college basketball season, just like most teams. They got themselves an early Christmas present by defeating current #3 ranked Syracuse, 83-79 on a neutral court.
Since that time, the Owls have gone 3-3 in the month of January. Starting out the month, they gave it their best, but couldn't quite upset #6 Kansas on the road, bowing out in the final minutes, 69-62.
Xavier got the best of Temple in Cincinnati on January 10, 57-52. Two wins in a row (Saint Louis and at George Washington) started sparking more interest the Owls' way, but losing to St. Bonaventure at home (81-78) and narrowly beating Penn (76-69), have left Temple trying to figure out what its identity will be for the remainder of the season.
The Atlantic 10 has quickly become one of the more evenly spread conferences in the country. Thirteen of the 16 teams have won at least 10 games and it's going to make for a great finish to conference season and an even better Atlantic 10 tournament in the second weekend of March.
They'll for sure have their hands full with the #9 ranked Butler Bulldogs on Saturday evening at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis at 6 p.m. With Butler having senior guard Rotnei Clarke back in their lineup, the Bulldogs depth may get the best of the visiting Owls.
Clarke has missed Butler's previous three games and is just itching to get back on the court. With him back in the lineup Saturday, Kellen Dunham will probably come off the bench as the sixth man, which he's done quite well doing for a majority of the season. Along with Clarke, Alex Barlow, Roosevelt Jones, Khyle Marshall and Andrew Smith will fill out the starting lineup. Erik Fromm, Kameron Woods, Chase Stigall and Jackson Aldridge will all see time off the bench, just like they've seen against Richmond, Gonzaga and LaSalle.
Butler will surely be able to use Clarke's 16.3 ppg. (4th in the A-10), especially after they came up short 54-53 at LaSalle on Wednesday, snapping their 13-game winning streak. Saturday night will be another hostile environment for the opponent (Temple), but Hinkle has always been one of the toughest places to play in the country.
LaSalle shocks #9 Butler in final seconds
The #9 Butler Bulldogs were riding high to Philadelphia to face LaSalle following their buzzer-beating win over then-#8 Gonzaga last Saturday night. On the same night that #1 Duke would be embarrassed by 27 points (90-63) at #25 Miami, #12 Minnesota would go down at Northwestern (55-48) and #17 Creighton would fall at Drake (74-69), Butler would follow suit and be ranked victim number four to fall on Wednesday night. This time, it would be Butler that would lose in the final seconds, 54-53.
Butler did everything in its power to avoid the typical hangover that happens following a huge win like they had over Gonzaga on Saturday. Teams tend to play more laid back the next outing. That really wasn't the case for Butler. They matched up well against LaSalle, but were just plain caught off guard during the Explorers' run in the final minutes.
Taking off from where they left on Saturday against Gonzaga, Roosevelt Jones and Kellen Dunham anchored the scoring in the first seven minutes. The two combined for 11 of the Bulldogs' first 12 points to take a 12-6 lead with 13:08 in the first half.
Tyreek Duren and Tyrone Garland got together for 13 of LaSalle's 23 first half points to trail just 28-23 at the intermission. The host Explorers outscored Butler 17-16 in the final 13 minutes before halftime.
LaSalle regained the lead for the first time since leading early (4-3) with a 41-40 edge on a Tyreek Duren bucket midway through the second. They sustained that lead until Andrew Smith gave Butler a slight 51-50 lead with 0:51 left.
The two squads traded leads a few more times before the scoreboard clock was all zeros. Sam Mills put the Explorers up 52-51 with 32 ticks left. Roosevelt Jones found Andrew Smith down on the right block and he laid the ball up to put Butler on top 53-52 with 0:08 left.
That was way too much time as Ramon Galloway made a layup of his own with just 2.4 seconds to go. Roosevelt Jones tried to repeat Saturday's Gonzaga script, but could only get as close as half court. His heave from midcourt went hard off the right side of the rim and off, giving LaSalle a 54-53 upset of #9 Butler.
The Explorers were led in scoring by Tyreek Duren with a game-high 16 points, five boards, six assists and a few steals to his credit. Sam Mills joined him in double-figures with 11 points, while also filling up his stat sheet with five boards, four assists and a couple steals. Steve Zack also pitched-in eight for LaSalle. The rims weren't the kindest to LaSalle, as they only shot 41% (23-56) and 4-for-15 from outside-the-arc.
Senior center Andrew Smith scored 11 of his game-high 16 points in the second half, along with grabbing eight rebounds and shooting 7-for-10 from the floor. Kellen Dunham stayed comfortable with his shooting stroke (6-of-11) with his 15 points, including 3-for-4 from the three-point arc. Jones dropped in another great night with 14 points (6-of-14), while also grabbing four boards and dishing out five assists. Point guard Alex Barlow didn't attempt any field goals in 34 minutes, but had five assists. Butler shot 49% (23-47) and outrebounded LaSalle 29-26, but the Explorers were smart with the ball throughout and only turned the ball over eight times to the Bulldogs' 13.
LaSalle (13-5, 3-2 A-10) shouldn't be underestimated and the nation is now fully aware. They'll get another crack at a ranked team on Saturday as they'll hit the road and see if they can take down #19 VCU (16-4, 4-1 A-10).
#9 Butler (16-3, 3-1 A-10) will come home to Hinkle Fieldhouse on Saturday to host the Temple Owls (13-5, 2-2 A-10) at 6 p.m.
Butler did everything in its power to avoid the typical hangover that happens following a huge win like they had over Gonzaga on Saturday. Teams tend to play more laid back the next outing. That really wasn't the case for Butler. They matched up well against LaSalle, but were just plain caught off guard during the Explorers' run in the final minutes.
Taking off from where they left on Saturday against Gonzaga, Roosevelt Jones and Kellen Dunham anchored the scoring in the first seven minutes. The two combined for 11 of the Bulldogs' first 12 points to take a 12-6 lead with 13:08 in the first half.
Tyreek Duren and Tyrone Garland got together for 13 of LaSalle's 23 first half points to trail just 28-23 at the intermission. The host Explorers outscored Butler 17-16 in the final 13 minutes before halftime.
LaSalle regained the lead for the first time since leading early (4-3) with a 41-40 edge on a Tyreek Duren bucket midway through the second. They sustained that lead until Andrew Smith gave Butler a slight 51-50 lead with 0:51 left.
The two squads traded leads a few more times before the scoreboard clock was all zeros. Sam Mills put the Explorers up 52-51 with 32 ticks left. Roosevelt Jones found Andrew Smith down on the right block and he laid the ball up to put Butler on top 53-52 with 0:08 left.
That was way too much time as Ramon Galloway made a layup of his own with just 2.4 seconds to go. Roosevelt Jones tried to repeat Saturday's Gonzaga script, but could only get as close as half court. His heave from midcourt went hard off the right side of the rim and off, giving LaSalle a 54-53 upset of #9 Butler.
The Explorers were led in scoring by Tyreek Duren with a game-high 16 points, five boards, six assists and a few steals to his credit. Sam Mills joined him in double-figures with 11 points, while also filling up his stat sheet with five boards, four assists and a couple steals. Steve Zack also pitched-in eight for LaSalle. The rims weren't the kindest to LaSalle, as they only shot 41% (23-56) and 4-for-15 from outside-the-arc.
Senior center Andrew Smith scored 11 of his game-high 16 points in the second half, along with grabbing eight rebounds and shooting 7-for-10 from the floor. Kellen Dunham stayed comfortable with his shooting stroke (6-of-11) with his 15 points, including 3-for-4 from the three-point arc. Jones dropped in another great night with 14 points (6-of-14), while also grabbing four boards and dishing out five assists. Point guard Alex Barlow didn't attempt any field goals in 34 minutes, but had five assists. Butler shot 49% (23-47) and outrebounded LaSalle 29-26, but the Explorers were smart with the ball throughout and only turned the ball over eight times to the Bulldogs' 13.
LaSalle (13-5, 3-2 A-10) shouldn't be underestimated and the nation is now fully aware. They'll get another crack at a ranked team on Saturday as they'll hit the road and see if they can take down #19 VCU (16-4, 4-1 A-10).
#9 Butler (16-3, 3-1 A-10) will come home to Hinkle Fieldhouse on Saturday to host the Temple Owls (13-5, 2-2 A-10) at 6 p.m.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Jones' buzzer-beater helps #13 Butler edge #8 Gonzaga
This matchup of former so-called "mid-majors" lived up to all of its billing and much more. #8 Gonzaga and #13 Butler captured the college basketball world on Saturday and made everyone forget about what went on this week with all of the Lance Armstrong and Manti Te'o news that bogged down the sports world.
Butler's Roosevelt Jones stole David Stockton's inbound pass with seconds left, drove down and sank a floater from 13-feet as time expired to lift his Bulldogs over the visiting Gonzaga Bulldogs, 64-63.
It was a tough task that many thought Butler might not be able to do, but senior guard Rotnei Clarke missed his second consecutive game with a sprained neck from last Saturday's win at Dayton. No need for Butler to worry, Clarke's teammates were more than happy to step up and take his place until he's able to be back in the lineup.
In a game that had six ties and 14 lead changes, it was pretty evident that it was going to be a game that came down to the wire.
Even with a capacity crowd (10,228) at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Gonzaga wasn't frazzled at all with the home crowd playing a big factor. The visiting Bulldogs from Spokane jumped out to an early 13-4 lead before Butler's offense was sparked by freshman Kellen Dunham. Dunham put the Dawgs on his shoulders on a run that brought Butler right back in the game with a 22-20 lead with 7:52 left in the first half. In that seven minute span, Dunham led an 18-7 run with three treys, the last of those from the deep right wing for the two-point edge.
Sam Dower was huge off the Zags' bench, lighting up the Hinkle nets for 16 of his 20 points, including a three-pointer with 49 ticks until intermission to give Gonzaga a 33-32 halftime advantage.
Roosevelt Jones knocked down a jumper just 15 seconds into the second half to give Butler a 34-33 edge that they would keep until things got knotted up at 50-50 with a Kelly Olynyk layup. Olynyk had a long haircut that resembled Bill Walton in the 1970's when he was playing for the Portland Trailblazers.
Jones and Khyle Marshall combined for eight straight for Butler, giving them a slim 58-55 margin with 2:13 remaining.
Elias Harris gave the Zags a brief lead (59-58) with 1:26 left, but that didn't last long. On the ensuing possession, Rose Jones nailed a free throw line jumper for a 60-59 BU lead.
Harris provided a little more spark for Gonzaga with another two to go up 61-60.
Alex Barlow found a lane to the basket for a layup with 0:24 left and Butler in front 62-61. Barlow was the unlikely hero when then-unranked Butler upset then-#1 Indiana on December 15th.
The next trip down the floor for Gonzaga, Olynyk drove to the bucket, only to be fouled hard by Barlow. Olynyk sank two from the charity stripe to tie and then bump the Zags ahead 63-62 with just 4.6 seconds on the clock.
Near half court with 3.5 left, Barlow committed a traveling violation, giving the ball back to Gonzaga.
"I heard their coach saying to lob it to (Kelly) Olynyk, so I just played behind him, made the basketball play and got the steal," said Roosevelt Jones. " I looked at the clock and saw four seconds, so I knew I could get down court. I saw Olynyk come up to me and I floated over him."
Jones did just that. He saw the inbound from David Stockton and cushioned himself from Olynyk to steal the ball. Once Rose Jones stole the ball, there was no stopping him. He kept complete control, dribble-driving to the right side of the free throw line, pulling up from 13-feet. Floating a shot with 0.1 left, Jones' shot dropped through the net as time expired, giving #8 Butler its 13th consecutive win and third win over a top 10 team this season, 64-63 over #13 Gonzaga.
Three players dominated the scoring for Gonzaga (17-2). Sam Dower and Elias Harris each tallied team-highs of 20 points on a combined 16-25 from the floor. Kelly Olynyk also reached double-figures with 14.
Butler (16-2) limited Gonzaga to 29% from three (4-14) and shot 42% (8-19) themselves, Dunham and Chase Stigall got together to shoot 6-of-11 from outside-the-arc. The host Bulldogs shot 50% overall from the field (22-44) and outrebounded the Zags 28-26. It's probably a good thing that Butler was able to knock down shots when they needed to throughout the game, because they shot an uncharacteristic 12-for-23 from the free throw line.
Victorious Butler was led by Roosevelt Jones with 20 points, while also having five boards, four assists and his game-winning steal in the final seconds. Jones became Saturday's hero, despite the 7 turnovers he committed. Kellen Dunham dropped in 14 points, 12 from three-point land. Marshall finished with 8, Stigall and Andrew Smith with 7 each.
Butler continues their A-10 schedule with a trip to Philadelphia to face the LaSalle Explorers (12-5, 2-2 A-10) on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. The Temple Owls (12-5, 2-2 A-10) make the trip from Philadelphia on Saturday for a 6 p.m. tip at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Butler's Roosevelt Jones stole David Stockton's inbound pass with seconds left, drove down and sank a floater from 13-feet as time expired to lift his Bulldogs over the visiting Gonzaga Bulldogs, 64-63.
It was a tough task that many thought Butler might not be able to do, but senior guard Rotnei Clarke missed his second consecutive game with a sprained neck from last Saturday's win at Dayton. No need for Butler to worry, Clarke's teammates were more than happy to step up and take his place until he's able to be back in the lineup.
In a game that had six ties and 14 lead changes, it was pretty evident that it was going to be a game that came down to the wire.
Even with a capacity crowd (10,228) at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Gonzaga wasn't frazzled at all with the home crowd playing a big factor. The visiting Bulldogs from Spokane jumped out to an early 13-4 lead before Butler's offense was sparked by freshman Kellen Dunham. Dunham put the Dawgs on his shoulders on a run that brought Butler right back in the game with a 22-20 lead with 7:52 left in the first half. In that seven minute span, Dunham led an 18-7 run with three treys, the last of those from the deep right wing for the two-point edge.
Sam Dower was huge off the Zags' bench, lighting up the Hinkle nets for 16 of his 20 points, including a three-pointer with 49 ticks until intermission to give Gonzaga a 33-32 halftime advantage.
Roosevelt Jones knocked down a jumper just 15 seconds into the second half to give Butler a 34-33 edge that they would keep until things got knotted up at 50-50 with a Kelly Olynyk layup. Olynyk had a long haircut that resembled Bill Walton in the 1970's when he was playing for the Portland Trailblazers.
Jones and Khyle Marshall combined for eight straight for Butler, giving them a slim 58-55 margin with 2:13 remaining.
Elias Harris gave the Zags a brief lead (59-58) with 1:26 left, but that didn't last long. On the ensuing possession, Rose Jones nailed a free throw line jumper for a 60-59 BU lead.
Harris provided a little more spark for Gonzaga with another two to go up 61-60.
Alex Barlow found a lane to the basket for a layup with 0:24 left and Butler in front 62-61. Barlow was the unlikely hero when then-unranked Butler upset then-#1 Indiana on December 15th.
The next trip down the floor for Gonzaga, Olynyk drove to the bucket, only to be fouled hard by Barlow. Olynyk sank two from the charity stripe to tie and then bump the Zags ahead 63-62 with just 4.6 seconds on the clock.
Near half court with 3.5 left, Barlow committed a traveling violation, giving the ball back to Gonzaga.
"I heard their coach saying to lob it to (Kelly) Olynyk, so I just played behind him, made the basketball play and got the steal," said Roosevelt Jones. " I looked at the clock and saw four seconds, so I knew I could get down court. I saw Olynyk come up to me and I floated over him."
Jones did just that. He saw the inbound from David Stockton and cushioned himself from Olynyk to steal the ball. Once Rose Jones stole the ball, there was no stopping him. He kept complete control, dribble-driving to the right side of the free throw line, pulling up from 13-feet. Floating a shot with 0.1 left, Jones' shot dropped through the net as time expired, giving #8 Butler its 13th consecutive win and third win over a top 10 team this season, 64-63 over #13 Gonzaga.
Three players dominated the scoring for Gonzaga (17-2). Sam Dower and Elias Harris each tallied team-highs of 20 points on a combined 16-25 from the floor. Kelly Olynyk also reached double-figures with 14.
Butler (16-2) limited Gonzaga to 29% from three (4-14) and shot 42% (8-19) themselves, Dunham and Chase Stigall got together to shoot 6-of-11 from outside-the-arc. The host Bulldogs shot 50% overall from the field (22-44) and outrebounded the Zags 28-26. It's probably a good thing that Butler was able to knock down shots when they needed to throughout the game, because they shot an uncharacteristic 12-for-23 from the free throw line.
Victorious Butler was led by Roosevelt Jones with 20 points, while also having five boards, four assists and his game-winning steal in the final seconds. Jones became Saturday's hero, despite the 7 turnovers he committed. Kellen Dunham dropped in 14 points, 12 from three-point land. Marshall finished with 8, Stigall and Andrew Smith with 7 each.
Butler continues their A-10 schedule with a trip to Philadelphia to face the LaSalle Explorers (12-5, 2-2 A-10) on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. The Temple Owls (12-5, 2-2 A-10) make the trip from Philadelphia on Saturday for a 6 p.m. tip at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Friday, January 18, 2013
#13 Butler overpowers Richmond in A-10 home opener
The Butler Bulldog defense set the tone early and never really let the visiting Richmond Spiders back into the game. In front of around 7,000 at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Wednesday, January 16, Butler ran away with their first Atlantic 10 conference home game and 12th straight win, 62-47.
Richmond was able to snag a very early 2-0 edge just 15 seconds into the contest, but Kellen Dunham knocked down a three-pointer to put the Bulldogs up 3-2 and they never looked back. Dunham got the nod to start at guard with Alex Barlow because of the injury to Rotnei Clarke on Saturday at Dayton. Clarke sat out against Richmond and will again on Saturday, January 19 when Butler hosts #8 Gonzaga at 9 p.m. on ESPN. ESPN's College Gameday is making historic Hinkle Fieldhouse its first destination of college basketball season.
Balanced scoring and rebounding was exactly what Butler needed to do and did, in order to makeup for the absence of Clarke (16.3 ppg.). Just as it happened following Clarke exiting Saturday's game at Dayton, the Bulldogs found a way to make it happen, no matter who put points on the scoreboard.
One of the biggest things that helped Butler absolutely dominate the Spiders for a full 40 minutes was how they took Richmond right out of the rebounding equation by the large margin of 53-20.
Outrebounding an opponent by an astounding 33 rebounds is a remarkable feat in, not just Division I basketball, but any level of basketball for that matter. Richmond was without 6'6 power forward Derrick Williams, who weighs in at a beefy 275 pounds. Williams recently sprained his ankle and did not dress for the Spiders.
Five consecutive points by Roosevelt Jones broke a 6-6 tie that would springboard he and his Bulldog teammates to cushion their lead to at least eight and as much as 20 (46-26) with 12:41 left.
After a decent start, the Spiders hit a cold streak by shooting 4-of-23 and found itself trailing 23-11 on Alex Barlow's jump shot with 5:27 left until halftime.
Spiders guard Deion Taylor helped get some of Richmond's sanity back by sticking with Butler during the final 4:33 of the first half with two three's, tying Butler 10-10 during that span, to trail 33-21.
Richmond fought back a little in the second half and made things a little interesting, getting things under 10 with 8:23 left, 50-41. Darien Brothers scored 10 of his team-high 12 points, but it wasn't enough to bring the Spiders back.
Butler was able to count on whoever stepped up on the hardwood to get the job done and produce a win. Finding depth might be one big key that the Bulldogs figured out in their first outing without starting guard Rotnei Clarke. Quality minutes were had by more than just the starting five, but off the bench by Kameron Woods, Erik Fromm, Chase Stigall, Jackson Aldridge and Andy Smeathers.
Skeptics across the country that might have thought Butler would struggle in the offensive department without sharp-shooting Rotnei Clarke. Some probably assumed that Butler was getting pretty anxious and looking ahead to Saturday's matchup with matchup with #8 Gonzaga on primetime television. Not at all.
"Our whole team was focused," said Stevens. "You can tell by the way we came out. These guys were ready for Richmond."
Spreading out the scoring was another thing that really threw Richmond right out of their defensive game plan. Andrew Smith led Butler and all scorers with a game-high 15 points and also snagged seven rebounds and dished out three assists. Smith was last week's A-10 conference Player of the Week and he proved enough that he deserved the accolade. Jones filled out his stat sheet pretty well, scoring 10 and ripping down 12 boards and had four assists.
Dunham finally got himself back into double-figure scoring with 11 points. Woods had another solid game with eight points and seven rebounds. Alex Barlow keeps proving why he starts at guard for Brad Stevens' squad. Barlow might have only scored five, but also had five rebounds and four assists in 33 minutes of action. Fromm and Smeathers each also pitched in five points. Khyle Marshall scored just three points and had five boards, but that allowed for the Bulldog bench to get minutes and show how they can provide depth.
Saturday's much-anticipated meeting with #8 Gonzaga (17-1) is one that basketball junkies have looked forward to. #13 Butler (15-2) and the visiting Bulldogs from Spokane, Washington, have both been known since the mid-1990's as "mid-majors" in the eyes of the media. They've both ditched that particular label in recent seasons. Gonzaga has been to 15 NCAA Tournaments, reaching the Sweet 16 five times. Butler, on the other hand, has upped the ante to their foes from the West Coast Conference. Butler almost won the National Championship in two consecutive seasons (2010 and 2011), shocking the college basketball world. Hinkle Fieldhouse will be packed to the gills Saturday!
Richmond was able to snag a very early 2-0 edge just 15 seconds into the contest, but Kellen Dunham knocked down a three-pointer to put the Bulldogs up 3-2 and they never looked back. Dunham got the nod to start at guard with Alex Barlow because of the injury to Rotnei Clarke on Saturday at Dayton. Clarke sat out against Richmond and will again on Saturday, January 19 when Butler hosts #8 Gonzaga at 9 p.m. on ESPN. ESPN's College Gameday is making historic Hinkle Fieldhouse its first destination of college basketball season.
Balanced scoring and rebounding was exactly what Butler needed to do and did, in order to makeup for the absence of Clarke (16.3 ppg.). Just as it happened following Clarke exiting Saturday's game at Dayton, the Bulldogs found a way to make it happen, no matter who put points on the scoreboard.
One of the biggest things that helped Butler absolutely dominate the Spiders for a full 40 minutes was how they took Richmond right out of the rebounding equation by the large margin of 53-20.
Outrebounding an opponent by an astounding 33 rebounds is a remarkable feat in, not just Division I basketball, but any level of basketball for that matter. Richmond was without 6'6 power forward Derrick Williams, who weighs in at a beefy 275 pounds. Williams recently sprained his ankle and did not dress for the Spiders.
Five consecutive points by Roosevelt Jones broke a 6-6 tie that would springboard he and his Bulldog teammates to cushion their lead to at least eight and as much as 20 (46-26) with 12:41 left.
After a decent start, the Spiders hit a cold streak by shooting 4-of-23 and found itself trailing 23-11 on Alex Barlow's jump shot with 5:27 left until halftime.
Spiders guard Deion Taylor helped get some of Richmond's sanity back by sticking with Butler during the final 4:33 of the first half with two three's, tying Butler 10-10 during that span, to trail 33-21.
Richmond fought back a little in the second half and made things a little interesting, getting things under 10 with 8:23 left, 50-41. Darien Brothers scored 10 of his team-high 12 points, but it wasn't enough to bring the Spiders back.
Butler was able to count on whoever stepped up on the hardwood to get the job done and produce a win. Finding depth might be one big key that the Bulldogs figured out in their first outing without starting guard Rotnei Clarke. Quality minutes were had by more than just the starting five, but off the bench by Kameron Woods, Erik Fromm, Chase Stigall, Jackson Aldridge and Andy Smeathers.
Skeptics across the country that might have thought Butler would struggle in the offensive department without sharp-shooting Rotnei Clarke. Some probably assumed that Butler was getting pretty anxious and looking ahead to Saturday's matchup with matchup with #8 Gonzaga on primetime television. Not at all.
"Our whole team was focused," said Stevens. "You can tell by the way we came out. These guys were ready for Richmond."
Spreading out the scoring was another thing that really threw Richmond right out of their defensive game plan. Andrew Smith led Butler and all scorers with a game-high 15 points and also snagged seven rebounds and dished out three assists. Smith was last week's A-10 conference Player of the Week and he proved enough that he deserved the accolade. Jones filled out his stat sheet pretty well, scoring 10 and ripping down 12 boards and had four assists.
Dunham finally got himself back into double-figure scoring with 11 points. Woods had another solid game with eight points and seven rebounds. Alex Barlow keeps proving why he starts at guard for Brad Stevens' squad. Barlow might have only scored five, but also had five rebounds and four assists in 33 minutes of action. Fromm and Smeathers each also pitched in five points. Khyle Marshall scored just three points and had five boards, but that allowed for the Bulldog bench to get minutes and show how they can provide depth.
Saturday's much-anticipated meeting with #8 Gonzaga (17-1) is one that basketball junkies have looked forward to. #13 Butler (15-2) and the visiting Bulldogs from Spokane, Washington, have both been known since the mid-1990's as "mid-majors" in the eyes of the media. They've both ditched that particular label in recent seasons. Gonzaga has been to 15 NCAA Tournaments, reaching the Sweet 16 five times. Butler, on the other hand, has upped the ante to their foes from the West Coast Conference. Butler almost won the National Championship in two consecutive seasons (2010 and 2011), shocking the college basketball world. Hinkle Fieldhouse will be packed to the gills Saturday!
Sunday, January 13, 2013
#14 Butler wins 11th straight, loses Clarke to injury
It seemed like a typical college basketball Saturday and #14 Butler would extend its winning streak to 11 games without blinking an eye at the Dayton Flyers. In a perfect world, it would be just that simple.
Four ties and three lead changes took the Bulldogs and host Flyers back-and-forth through the first 11:30 of the first half. Khyle Marshall received a pass from Rotnei Clarke that Marshall slam dunked, giving the Bulldogs an 18-16 lead that they wouldn't give up the rest of the game.
Dayton's Matt Derenbecker turned the ball back over to Butler on a steal by Clarke on the ensuing possession. In frustration, Derenbecker chased down Clarke on his drive to the basket at the other end and was charged with an intentional foul on Clarke's layup attempt. Play was stopped at the 8:13 mark of the first half for nearly eight minutes because Rotnei Clarke was fouled hard enough by Derenbecker that he landed awkwardly on his head and left shoulder against the backboard support padding. It was a good sign that Rotnei was able to move his arms and legs before leaving the University of Dayton Arena. Clarke was taken off the court on a flat board and stretcher, then taken to a local hospital in Dayton.
Clarke was cleared hours later to make the trip back to Indianapolis with his teammates.
Then, it was gut check time for Butler. Who was going to step up in Clarke's place in the scoring column? That would be the biggest question that the Butler coaching staff would get the answer too rather shortly.
Butler wasn't phased in the least bit without their leading scorer on the floor. After Clarke went down, the Bulldogs took off on a 13-4 run for a 31-20 lead when Dayton was forced to take a :30 timeout with 4:56 left in the half.
The average fan was probably real curious who would take the shots that Clarke normally would take. Not to worry.
The Bulldogs took an eight-point lead at 35-27 into the half.
Kellen Dunham opened up the second half with a three to extend Butler to a 38-30 advantage. The visiting Bulldogs would push away the Flyers the rest of the way. Their lead would never get bigger than 44-30, but it was enough to keep a comfortable enough cushion. Dayton cut the deficit to five at 61-56, but despite outscoring Butler in the second half 46-44, Butler managed to hold off UD just enough over the final 6:37 en route to a 79-73 road victory.
It was the three-headed monster of a frontcourt of trio Andrew Smith, Roosevelt Jones and Khyle Marshall that held off Dayton. There was a void to be filled in the scoring offense of Butler and it didn't matter how it happened, but Butler was going to make up for Rotnei Clarke's 17 points per game.
Resembling his take-over in the Indiana game, Jones led all scorers with a game-high 16 points and seven rebounds on 4-8 shooting, including 8-12 from the free throw line. Smith had a well-balanced game with 13 points, four boards and also dished out four assists to tie for the team lead with Jones. Marshall wound up with 12 points on 4-6 field goals and shockingly was without a rebound, who averages 5.6 per outing.
A total team effort following Rotnei Clarke's injury, Butler showed complete poise. With Jones, Smith and Marshall combining for just over half of the Bulldogs' 79 points (41), Butler got eight from Dunham and seven from Erik Fromm off the bench. Prior to his injury, Clarke had scored five, along with two assists and a pair of steals. Alex Barlow and Chase Stigall did their part with six points a piece.
Dayton did manage to get four players in double-figures. Vee Sanford and Dyshawn Pierre led the Flyers with 14 each. Kevin Dillard had 13 and Khari Price with 10.
Dayton was held to 39% field goals (25-63) and just 37% on 3's (7-19). Butler burned the nets for 58% (25-43) shooting and 54% on 3's (7-13). UD won the rebound battle 40-26, but with Butler's stellar shooting, it didn't matter.
Butler (14-2, 2-0 A-10) returns home this week for two home games. Wednesday, January 16, the Bulldogs host the Richmond Spiders (11-6, 1-1 A-10) at 7 p.m. ESPN's College Gameday comes to Hinkle Fieldhouse on Saturday, January 19 for a 9 p.m. tip against #9 Gonzaga (15-1).
Four ties and three lead changes took the Bulldogs and host Flyers back-and-forth through the first 11:30 of the first half. Khyle Marshall received a pass from Rotnei Clarke that Marshall slam dunked, giving the Bulldogs an 18-16 lead that they wouldn't give up the rest of the game.
Dayton's Matt Derenbecker turned the ball back over to Butler on a steal by Clarke on the ensuing possession. In frustration, Derenbecker chased down Clarke on his drive to the basket at the other end and was charged with an intentional foul on Clarke's layup attempt. Play was stopped at the 8:13 mark of the first half for nearly eight minutes because Rotnei Clarke was fouled hard enough by Derenbecker that he landed awkwardly on his head and left shoulder against the backboard support padding. It was a good sign that Rotnei was able to move his arms and legs before leaving the University of Dayton Arena. Clarke was taken off the court on a flat board and stretcher, then taken to a local hospital in Dayton.
Clarke was cleared hours later to make the trip back to Indianapolis with his teammates.
Then, it was gut check time for Butler. Who was going to step up in Clarke's place in the scoring column? That would be the biggest question that the Butler coaching staff would get the answer too rather shortly.
Butler wasn't phased in the least bit without their leading scorer on the floor. After Clarke went down, the Bulldogs took off on a 13-4 run for a 31-20 lead when Dayton was forced to take a :30 timeout with 4:56 left in the half.
The average fan was probably real curious who would take the shots that Clarke normally would take. Not to worry.
The Bulldogs took an eight-point lead at 35-27 into the half.
Kellen Dunham opened up the second half with a three to extend Butler to a 38-30 advantage. The visiting Bulldogs would push away the Flyers the rest of the way. Their lead would never get bigger than 44-30, but it was enough to keep a comfortable enough cushion. Dayton cut the deficit to five at 61-56, but despite outscoring Butler in the second half 46-44, Butler managed to hold off UD just enough over the final 6:37 en route to a 79-73 road victory.
It was the three-headed monster of a frontcourt of trio Andrew Smith, Roosevelt Jones and Khyle Marshall that held off Dayton. There was a void to be filled in the scoring offense of Butler and it didn't matter how it happened, but Butler was going to make up for Rotnei Clarke's 17 points per game.
Resembling his take-over in the Indiana game, Jones led all scorers with a game-high 16 points and seven rebounds on 4-8 shooting, including 8-12 from the free throw line. Smith had a well-balanced game with 13 points, four boards and also dished out four assists to tie for the team lead with Jones. Marshall wound up with 12 points on 4-6 field goals and shockingly was without a rebound, who averages 5.6 per outing.
A total team effort following Rotnei Clarke's injury, Butler showed complete poise. With Jones, Smith and Marshall combining for just over half of the Bulldogs' 79 points (41), Butler got eight from Dunham and seven from Erik Fromm off the bench. Prior to his injury, Clarke had scored five, along with two assists and a pair of steals. Alex Barlow and Chase Stigall did their part with six points a piece.
Dayton did manage to get four players in double-figures. Vee Sanford and Dyshawn Pierre led the Flyers with 14 each. Kevin Dillard had 13 and Khari Price with 10.
Dayton was held to 39% field goals (25-63) and just 37% on 3's (7-19). Butler burned the nets for 58% (25-43) shooting and 54% on 3's (7-13). UD won the rebound battle 40-26, but with Butler's stellar shooting, it didn't matter.
Butler (14-2, 2-0 A-10) returns home this week for two home games. Wednesday, January 16, the Bulldogs host the Richmond Spiders (11-6, 1-1 A-10) at 7 p.m. ESPN's College Gameday comes to Hinkle Fieldhouse on Saturday, January 19 for a 9 p.m. tip against #9 Gonzaga (15-1).
Saturday, January 12, 2013
#14 Butler wins A-10 opener at St. Joe's
Just when it was needed the most, Butler's senior leadership came shining through at the right time. They hit the road Wednesday night (January 9) to Saint Joseph's in Philadelphia for their first conference game as members of the Atlantic 10. That senior leadership showed up bright in guard Rotnei Clarke and center Andrew Smith, who combined for 52 points as a huge part of the Bulldogs' 72-66 come-from-behind victory over the Owls.
Clarke had only combined to score 10 points in Butler's two tune-up games at home against Penn and New Orleans. He for sure got away from the shooting woes that haunted his offensive game by knocking down 6-of-10 from three-point range and 10-for-22 on his overall field goal attempts to lead all scorers with a game-high 28 points.
Smith got back to what he's capable of putting out. The 6'11 senior center poured in 24 points and 10 rebounds on 8-for-15 shooting, while nailing 7-of-7 from the free throw line.
St. Joe's had control of the game for a good part of the first half, defending their home floor well. Four straight Khyle Marshall points and a three by Clark and Butler found itself in the lead for the first time in the game, 25-22, with 8:20 left in the first half.
The Owls kept ahold the rest of the first half, outscoring Butler 18-10 to take a 40-35 lead at halftime. Ronald Roberts scored nine of his 12 points in the first half to get St. Joe's to that five-point lead at the break.
The second half started out as a back-and-forth affair. With 7:42 left in the game, Rotnei Clarke drilled a three to put Butler up 57-56, a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
From that point on, the Bulldogs showed why they're ranked 14th in the country and ran off kept St. Joe's at just enough distance on a 13-10 run over the final seven minutes to hold on for a 72-66 road win.
The St. Joe's frontcourt of CJ Aiken and Ronald Roberts got together for 25 points, 16 rebounds and 7 blocked shots. The Owls' backcourt of Langston Galloway, Chris Wilson and Carl Jones tallied 33 points as a unit, but none of this was enough to hold off the offensive firepower that Butler brought.
Despite his production lately and his normally consistent shooting, Kellen Dunham saw just 17 minutes off the bench and had just one three-pointer to his credit. Sometimes, its just instinct that players know exactly what role to play in particular games.
Aside from Clarke and Smith's stellar combination, spreading out the rest of the offense worked out perfectly in the Butler Bulldogs' first Atlantic 10 conference game.
Khyle Marshall was his usually gritty defender and aggressive on the offensive end with eight points and eight rebounds. Roosevelt Jones chipped right in with four points, five boards and six assists. Starting point guard Alex Barlow filled up his part of the box score as well with three points, three rebounds, four assists and a few steals to his line.
Shooting 9-of-19 (47%) from outside the three-point arc and 75% from the charity stripe were the biggest factors that got Butler going down-the-stretch. It also helped that they only turned the ball over five times.
St. Joe's kept itself within striking distance with 10-25 three-point shooting and 14-18 (78%).
An epic opening to Butler's Atlantic 10 conference play is just the beginning of how this season will go. Before last night's game at St. Joe's, nine A-10 teams had reached the 10-win plateau. Only time will tell, but the A-10 might get as many as seven bids to the NCAA Tournament in March.
Butler (13-2, 1-0) continues this short conference road trip this Saturday as they head to Dayton (10-5, 0-1), who lost their A-10 opener last night at VCU (13-3, 1-0), 74-62.
Clarke had only combined to score 10 points in Butler's two tune-up games at home against Penn and New Orleans. He for sure got away from the shooting woes that haunted his offensive game by knocking down 6-of-10 from three-point range and 10-for-22 on his overall field goal attempts to lead all scorers with a game-high 28 points.
Smith got back to what he's capable of putting out. The 6'11 senior center poured in 24 points and 10 rebounds on 8-for-15 shooting, while nailing 7-of-7 from the free throw line.
St. Joe's had control of the game for a good part of the first half, defending their home floor well. Four straight Khyle Marshall points and a three by Clark and Butler found itself in the lead for the first time in the game, 25-22, with 8:20 left in the first half.
The Owls kept ahold the rest of the first half, outscoring Butler 18-10 to take a 40-35 lead at halftime. Ronald Roberts scored nine of his 12 points in the first half to get St. Joe's to that five-point lead at the break.
The second half started out as a back-and-forth affair. With 7:42 left in the game, Rotnei Clarke drilled a three to put Butler up 57-56, a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
From that point on, the Bulldogs showed why they're ranked 14th in the country and ran off kept St. Joe's at just enough distance on a 13-10 run over the final seven minutes to hold on for a 72-66 road win.
The St. Joe's frontcourt of CJ Aiken and Ronald Roberts got together for 25 points, 16 rebounds and 7 blocked shots. The Owls' backcourt of Langston Galloway, Chris Wilson and Carl Jones tallied 33 points as a unit, but none of this was enough to hold off the offensive firepower that Butler brought.
Despite his production lately and his normally consistent shooting, Kellen Dunham saw just 17 minutes off the bench and had just one three-pointer to his credit. Sometimes, its just instinct that players know exactly what role to play in particular games.
Aside from Clarke and Smith's stellar combination, spreading out the rest of the offense worked out perfectly in the Butler Bulldogs' first Atlantic 10 conference game.
Khyle Marshall was his usually gritty defender and aggressive on the offensive end with eight points and eight rebounds. Roosevelt Jones chipped right in with four points, five boards and six assists. Starting point guard Alex Barlow filled up his part of the box score as well with three points, three rebounds, four assists and a few steals to his line.
Shooting 9-of-19 (47%) from outside the three-point arc and 75% from the charity stripe were the biggest factors that got Butler going down-the-stretch. It also helped that they only turned the ball over five times.
St. Joe's kept itself within striking distance with 10-25 three-point shooting and 14-18 (78%).
An epic opening to Butler's Atlantic 10 conference play is just the beginning of how this season will go. Before last night's game at St. Joe's, nine A-10 teams had reached the 10-win plateau. Only time will tell, but the A-10 might get as many as seven bids to the NCAA Tournament in March.
Butler (13-2, 1-0) continues this short conference road trip this Saturday as they head to Dayton (10-5, 0-1), who lost their A-10 opener last night at VCU (13-3, 1-0), 74-62.
#14 Butler heads into A-10 play winning nine straight
Jones nets 24 as #17 Butler wins 8th in a row
Just as he did against then-#1 ranked Indiana in mid-December, Roosevelt Jones took a great opportunity and ran with it for an entire game. He put his Bulldog teammates on his back and led them to a victory. Jones led all scorers with 24 points, 15 coming in the first half, en route to a 70-57 Butler Bulldog win over the Pennsylvania Quakers to ring in the new year on Wednesday, January 2.
The visiting Quakers from the Ivy League stayed at just a slight distance, making the Bulldogs work for the win, even though they were double-digit winners. With a team in Penn that came into the game with just two wins, it was assumed that Butler would dominate this game pretty handedly. That obviously wasn't the case.
Leading just 35-29 at halftime, the Bulldogs knew they had their work cut out for them in the final 20 minutes. This biggest thing that Pennsylvania can say they accomplished in their trip to Butler was that they were able to hold high-scoring guard Rotnei Clark in-check and well below his season average (18.1) with just six points in his 29 minutes of action.
Penn stayed close and trailed by just a 52-49 margin with just under nine left in the contest. The Bulldogs forced a chunk of the Quakers' 19 turnovers down the stretch to help propel them on an 18-8 run to close out visiting Pennsylvania (2-10) and win their eight game in a row, 70-57.
Butler found itself shooting an uncharacteristic 4-of-19 from three-point range and allowed Penn to knock down 8-of-15, which obviously kept the Quakers within striking distance throughout most of the game. The Bulldogs controlled the boards by outrebounding Pennsylvania 36-21, which helped Butler keep control of the game.
Pennsylvania spread out their scoring, but the Quakers were only able to get two in double-figures, Miles Cartwright with 15 and Tony Hicks 10.
The Bulldogs (11-2) got a trio into double-digit scoring, but with their offense so spread out, but really didn't matter. Jones had a game-high 24, Khyle Marshall with 14 and freshman Kellen Dunham added 10.
#17 Bulldogs roll to ninth straight with win over New Orleans
Whenever the Butler Bulldogs play an opponent that they're expected to blow out, they've tended to make it more of a challenge to win. The New Orleans Privateers gave Butler more of a game on Saturday, January 5 at Hinkle Fieldhouse than the 7,000-plus in attendance really hoped.
New Orleans made their trip to Indianapolis to face Butler with just three wins to their credit on the season.
The game started with neither squad shooting well at all. Very little scoring and a whole lot of turnovers provided fans with just a 9-9 tie with just 7:40 left until halftime.
A Kellen Dunham trey and Andrew Smith layup gave Butler 13-11 and 15-13 leads, respectively. Smith and Khyle Marshall combined for nine points, igniting a 9-3 Bulldog run to end the first half and give Butler a 24-18 lead at the break.
The Bulldogs opened the second half on a 14-7 run in the first seven minutes. Lovell Cook made the mistake of fouling Dunham on a three-point attempt, which he sank, and the freshman then completed the four-point play with a free throw, putting Butler up 38-25 with 12:59 left.
There were a few instances in the second half that the Privateers closed the gap to eight or nine points. But, that's the closest that New Orleans would get, as Butler would pull away enough for a second straight 13-point victory for their ninth consecutive win overall.
Lovell Cook led New Orleans (3-10) with 11 points and Traddarius McPherson added 10 for the Privateers.
Dunham led all scorers and the Butler Bulldogs (12-2) with a game-high 15 points, while Marshall had 13 and Roosevelt Jones finished with 11.
January schedule...and a pre-conference look at the Atlantic 10
The #14 ranked Butler Bulldogs enter the second week of January ready for their first Atlantic 10 matchups with a 12-2 overall record. Winning nine straight games, a newcomer to the A-10, Butler will look to make its impression right away.
They'll have quite the challenge, as they are one of nine with 10-plus wins before A-10 play starts, which will make things extremely exciting for the next couple months of the regular season.
Butler opens play on Wednesday, January 9 on the road at Saint Joseph's (8-4) at 7 p.m. Continuing their short road trip to start conference play, the Bulldogs come back through Ohio and play the Dayton Flyers (9-4) on Saturday, January 12 at 2 p.m. Hinkle Fieldhouse will get its first taste of Atlantic 10 basketball when the Richmond Spiders (10-5) visit next Wednesday, January 16 for a 7 p.m. tip. ESPN's College Gameday will set up shop at Hinkle on Saturday, January 19 for a 9 p.m. showdown with highly ranked Gonzaga (14-1). Butler takes a midweek trip to Philadelphia to meet up with the LaSalle Explorers (10-3) on Wednesday, January 23 at 7 p.m. The Temple Owls (10-2) will bring their high-speed attack to Indianapolis on Saturday, January 23 at 6 p.m. January's schedule doesn't really wind down, but escalates with a trip to St. Louis to face the Billikens (11-3) on Thursday, January 31 at 9 p.m.
How the Atlantic 10 looks prior to conference play...
Butler 12-2
Charlotte 12-2
VCU 12-3
Saint Louis 11-3
LaSalle 10-3
UMass 10-3
Temple 10-3
Dayton 10-4
Richmond 10-5
St. Joe's 8-4
Xavier 7-6
St. Bonaventure 7-6
Duquesne 7-7
George Washington 6-7
Rhode Island 5-8
Fordham 4-11
Just as he did against then-#1 ranked Indiana in mid-December, Roosevelt Jones took a great opportunity and ran with it for an entire game. He put his Bulldog teammates on his back and led them to a victory. Jones led all scorers with 24 points, 15 coming in the first half, en route to a 70-57 Butler Bulldog win over the Pennsylvania Quakers to ring in the new year on Wednesday, January 2.
The visiting Quakers from the Ivy League stayed at just a slight distance, making the Bulldogs work for the win, even though they were double-digit winners. With a team in Penn that came into the game with just two wins, it was assumed that Butler would dominate this game pretty handedly. That obviously wasn't the case.
Leading just 35-29 at halftime, the Bulldogs knew they had their work cut out for them in the final 20 minutes. This biggest thing that Pennsylvania can say they accomplished in their trip to Butler was that they were able to hold high-scoring guard Rotnei Clark in-check and well below his season average (18.1) with just six points in his 29 minutes of action.
Penn stayed close and trailed by just a 52-49 margin with just under nine left in the contest. The Bulldogs forced a chunk of the Quakers' 19 turnovers down the stretch to help propel them on an 18-8 run to close out visiting Pennsylvania (2-10) and win their eight game in a row, 70-57.
Butler found itself shooting an uncharacteristic 4-of-19 from three-point range and allowed Penn to knock down 8-of-15, which obviously kept the Quakers within striking distance throughout most of the game. The Bulldogs controlled the boards by outrebounding Pennsylvania 36-21, which helped Butler keep control of the game.
Pennsylvania spread out their scoring, but the Quakers were only able to get two in double-figures, Miles Cartwright with 15 and Tony Hicks 10.
The Bulldogs (11-2) got a trio into double-digit scoring, but with their offense so spread out, but really didn't matter. Jones had a game-high 24, Khyle Marshall with 14 and freshman Kellen Dunham added 10.
#17 Bulldogs roll to ninth straight with win over New Orleans
Whenever the Butler Bulldogs play an opponent that they're expected to blow out, they've tended to make it more of a challenge to win. The New Orleans Privateers gave Butler more of a game on Saturday, January 5 at Hinkle Fieldhouse than the 7,000-plus in attendance really hoped.
New Orleans made their trip to Indianapolis to face Butler with just three wins to their credit on the season.
The game started with neither squad shooting well at all. Very little scoring and a whole lot of turnovers provided fans with just a 9-9 tie with just 7:40 left until halftime.
A Kellen Dunham trey and Andrew Smith layup gave Butler 13-11 and 15-13 leads, respectively. Smith and Khyle Marshall combined for nine points, igniting a 9-3 Bulldog run to end the first half and give Butler a 24-18 lead at the break.
The Bulldogs opened the second half on a 14-7 run in the first seven minutes. Lovell Cook made the mistake of fouling Dunham on a three-point attempt, which he sank, and the freshman then completed the four-point play with a free throw, putting Butler up 38-25 with 12:59 left.
There were a few instances in the second half that the Privateers closed the gap to eight or nine points. But, that's the closest that New Orleans would get, as Butler would pull away enough for a second straight 13-point victory for their ninth consecutive win overall.
Lovell Cook led New Orleans (3-10) with 11 points and Traddarius McPherson added 10 for the Privateers.
Dunham led all scorers and the Butler Bulldogs (12-2) with a game-high 15 points, while Marshall had 13 and Roosevelt Jones finished with 11.
January schedule...and a pre-conference look at the Atlantic 10
The #14 ranked Butler Bulldogs enter the second week of January ready for their first Atlantic 10 matchups with a 12-2 overall record. Winning nine straight games, a newcomer to the A-10, Butler will look to make its impression right away.
They'll have quite the challenge, as they are one of nine with 10-plus wins before A-10 play starts, which will make things extremely exciting for the next couple months of the regular season.
Butler opens play on Wednesday, January 9 on the road at Saint Joseph's (8-4) at 7 p.m. Continuing their short road trip to start conference play, the Bulldogs come back through Ohio and play the Dayton Flyers (9-4) on Saturday, January 12 at 2 p.m. Hinkle Fieldhouse will get its first taste of Atlantic 10 basketball when the Richmond Spiders (10-5) visit next Wednesday, January 16 for a 7 p.m. tip. ESPN's College Gameday will set up shop at Hinkle on Saturday, January 19 for a 9 p.m. showdown with highly ranked Gonzaga (14-1). Butler takes a midweek trip to Philadelphia to meet up with the LaSalle Explorers (10-3) on Wednesday, January 23 at 7 p.m. The Temple Owls (10-2) will bring their high-speed attack to Indianapolis on Saturday, January 23 at 6 p.m. January's schedule doesn't really wind down, but escalates with a trip to St. Louis to face the Billikens (11-3) on Thursday, January 31 at 9 p.m.
How the Atlantic 10 looks prior to conference play...
Butler 12-2
Charlotte 12-2
VCU 12-3
Saint Louis 11-3
LaSalle 10-3
UMass 10-3
Temple 10-3
Dayton 10-4
Richmond 10-5
St. Joe's 8-4
Xavier 7-6
St. Bonaventure 7-6
Duquesne 7-7
George Washington 6-7
Rhode Island 5-8
Fordham 4-11
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