Andrew Smith's 24 lifts Butler to road victory at Northwestern

Butler notched its fourth consecutive victory on Saturday night and it was a tough one at times, but they held off a feisty Big 10 opponent on the road, 74-65. Senior center Andrew Smith led four Bulldogs in double-figures with a 24-point, 10 rebound outing.

Welsh-Ryan Arena is much smaller than Hinkle Fieldhouse and has the feel of a small high school gym. It puts the fans close to the floor and creates a much tougher environment for opponents, but that didn’t rattle Butler in the least bit.
Saturday’s trip to Evanston, Illinois was just the second true road game for the Bulldogs. Their first was a 15-point loss at the hands of the Xavier Musketeers and they also went 2-1 on a neutral court at the Maui Invitational.

Leading early on, Butler clung to a 6-4 advantage before Northwestern sharp-shooter Dave Sobolewski nailed a three for a 7-6 Wildcat edge. The Dawgs jumped back out in front with an Erik Fromm layup. The lead changed on the next possession with two from NU’s Alex Olah. The Wildcats kept the lead for just about the next five minutes of the first half. Andrew Smith snuck out beyond the three-point arc and tied things at 20-20 with 8:05 left until intermission.
A Roosevelt Jones layup with 6:07 gave Butler a 25-24 lead which they wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the game. The closest Northwestern got was 31-29 just before trailing 34-31 at halftime.
An Alex Barlow layup and Rotnei Clarke three bumped Butler out to a 39-31 margin at the start of the second half. The Wildcats were forced to play from behind for the rest of the game, which proved to be something of a very good thing for the Bulldogs.
The second half belonged to Andrew Smith though. Scoring 18 of his game-high 24, Smith was simply in a zone. He also snagged seven of his 10 rebounds in the second and became a catalyst on both ends of the court as Butler outlasted Northwestern 40-34 in the second half for a 74-65 win.

Northwestern got three into double-digits, led by Dave Sobelewski with 21 (6-for-11 FG's), Tre Demps with 15 and Reggie Hearn with 13 in 39 minutes.
Smith was joined by three other Bulldogs in double-figures by Clarke with 13 (4-of-6 on 3’s), 11 from Kellen Dunham (6-of-6 free throws) off the bench and 10 from Roosevelt Jones.
Butler (7-2) proved it could win on the road for sure by dominating the second half at Northwestern (7-3). The road gets tougher as December rolls on for the Bulldogs. This Saturday, December 15th, they’ll make the short trip to downtown Indianapolis as a part of the Close the Gap: Crossroads Classic in a matchup with #1 Indiana at 2 p.m. It will be their toughest test of the season yet.

Butler dominates IUPUI, 87-55

It didn’t take much doing, but the Butler Bulldogs made quick, easy work of the IUPUI Jaguars on Wednesday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse and ran away, literally, with an 87-55 domination of their intra-city foe.

It’s probably a good thing that IUPUI’s campus is just on the west side of downtown Indianapolis. After losing by 32 points to Butler, they were reluctant to have just a short bus ride back to campus.
In the first nine-plus minutes, the Bulldogs stormed out to a commanding 20-2 lead that would grow even bigger throughout the remaining 30 minutes of play. That run that only began Butler’s mission to completely bury the Jags and it was highlighted by 6 points from Khyle Marshall; five from Kellen Dunham and Kameron Woods had four during that span.

IUPUI got a couple layups from Donovan Gibbs and Sean Esposito to trail just 23-6, but Butler made another run that was aided by eight from Erik Fromm (off the bench) and seven from Rotnei Clarke to push the Dawgs up 35-8.
Clark and center Andrew Smith combined for 10 to spark a 17-13 run to close out the first half, 52-21.
Already up 75-44 with 7:21 left, freshman guard Devontae Morgan did his part in reviving the Bulldog faithful and Hinkle. An alley-oop from Erik Fromm and Morgan flew through the air for an electrifying slam dunk. It wound up as the #1 play of the day on ESPN’s SportsCenter Top 10.

The Jaguars might have stuck right with Butler in the second half (35-34), but Brad Stevens’ squad did all the little things that will help them throughout the season. Their assist-to-turnover ratio was 2-1 (21 assists to 9 turnovers). IUPUI committed 19 turnovers, 14 of which were steals by the Bulldog D, five via the hands of Roosevelt Jones. Shooting 52% from three-point range (11-21) and 56% overall (30-54) were a couple big factors that helped quickly separate the Bulldogs from the Jaguars.
Spreading out the scoring and playing completely unselfish is exactly what Butler did for 40 minutes of basketball. Fourteen Bulldogs played and 11 provided scoring. Rotnei Clarke and Kellen Dunham led the way each with a game-high 17. Andrew Smith had 11, while Khyle Marshall and Erik Fromm both added 10 to round out the five Butler players in double-figures. Butler’s bench scored 46 points, including Dunham with 17 in 21 minutes, Kameron Woods with six and five rebounds and Jackson Aldridge with five points and five assists.

Wednesday night’s game at home against IUPUI was a game to figure out what different players were capable of doing and what they could be counted to do. One big example is that sophomore guard Alex Barlow got his first career start, grabbing four boards and three assists while showing the coaching staff how much more depth they can expect in the backcourt as the season progresses.
Butler has quite the challenging remaining schedule during the rest of the month of December. This Saturday, the Dawgs head to Welsh-Ryan Arena to meet up with Northwestern at 8 p.m. Next Saturday, will be their biggest test of the season. Banker’s Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis will pair up Butler with #1 Indiana in the Close the Gap Crossroads Classic. The final two Saturdays in December, the Bulldogs will host the Evansville Purple Aces (Dec. 22) and take a trip to Nashville, Tennessee and get a little taste of the SEC at Vanderbilt (Dec. 29).

Noblesville girls finding groove at right time

The outlook for this 2012-13 season gives this year’s batch of Noblesville Millers girl’s basketball players much to play for. They have a lot of experience and it’s all youth. The present and future are both looking very bright in head coach Donna Keck’s 5^th season at the helm.

The two juniors on Donna Keck's roster (Jessica Kiser and Brookelyn Barton) are the most experienced, followed by eight sophomores and three freshmen to make up the all-underclass Noblesville Millers.

Kiser, Barton, Becca Bergman and Erin Wood bring back four starters from last year's squad and with that kind of experience back, it should be a great year for Noblesville Miller basketball. With no seniors, some would think that this team would possibly lack the leadership it takes to come together and produce. It's become quite the opposite and only eight games into the season, which could prove to be a real eye-opener for all Noblesville basketball fans!

Noblesville 62, Indianapolis Tech 34 (at Tech: Nov. 6)
The Millers opened up their season jumping out to a 14-4 first quarter lead at Tech and led 22-12 at halftime. To make their presence even more felt at Arsenal Tech, Noblesville outscored the Titans 28-5 in the third quarter to extend the blowout to 50-17 after three. With everything on cruise control in the fourth, Keck's crew finished things off for a 62-34 season-opening victory. Sophomore Becca Bergman led all scorers with quite a game, netting 17 points, three rebounds, three assists and an remarkable eight steals to her credit. Jessica Kiser knotched herself a double-double to get her junior season going with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore forward Erin Wood almost joined the double-double parade, but chipped in a great game with eight points, 11 rebounds and three steals.

Noblesville 55, 3A#4 Hamilton Heights 46 (The Mill: Nov.10)
It was a game between two old county rivals that went back-and-forth and completely lived up to its billing. The two haven't played since the 2004-05 season, which Noblesville won at Hamilton Heights that year, 35-25. It was a tight one throughout, to say the least. The Millers and Huskies battled for 32 minutes and they had the crowd at The Mill on the edge of their seats. The two tied 9 times and there were 18 lead changes before Noblesville finally closed out the then-3A#4 Huskies.

Heights led 11-10 after one quarter, thanks to eight Miller fouls that led to the Huskies going 8-for-10 from the charity stripe. Three ties and six lead changes gave the crowd something to keep compelled in the first.

The second quarter became like a chess match on both ends of the floor. What it really came down to in the second frame was the turnover battle. Noblesville committed 7 turnovers to Hamilton Heights' 6 and that gave the Huskies a slight edge for a 19-18 halftime lead.

Noblesville took the third quarter 13-12 with Becca Bergman providing six of her game-high 15, but it didn’t happen without the lead shifting four times. After three, things were knotted up at 31-31.

The 4^th is where Noblesville forced Hamilton Heights into panic mode. The in-your-face defense of the Millers forced seven turnovers and 12 fouls, resulting in Noblesville going 15-of-19 from the free throw line en route to NHS upsetting the then-3A#4 ranked Huskies, 55-46. Junior forward Jessica Kiser was very pivotal with her leadership and her 8-for-10 free throw shooting in the fourth to give her 13 points on the night.

4A#8 Westfield 46, Noblesville 41 (at Westfield: Nov. 13)
It’s always a tough battle no matter where these two Hoosier Crossroads Conference rivals play. The Millers headed down SR 32 and came up short to the Rocks, 46-41.

Noblesville held leads of 22-21 at halftime and 32-29 through three quarters. Unfortunately, it was the second week of the season and the Millers weren’t able to fully put together a fourth quarter like they had four days before against Hamilton Heights. They were outscored 17-9 by Westfield.

Westfield was led in scoring by guard Kayla Brown with 22 points and center Jenn Anderson ended up with 15 points and 11 rebounds.  

3A#5 Lebanon 69, Noblesville 53 (The Mill: Nov. 16)

The Millers faced their third ranked opponent in a row and it was a tough, pesky test as the Lebanon Tigers came to The Mill.

Lebanon had experience and poise under pressure on their side on that Friday night. The Tigers scorched the nets early and often, getting Katie Curtis (game-high 18), Kristen Spolyar (16) and Carly Greene (11) in double-figures, while Whitney Cosgray (9) and Aspen Davis (8) chipped in their share.

Noblesville was led in scoring by freshman forward Alexis Shannon with 18 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Jessica Kiser joined her in double digits with 10. While Becca Bergman only scored 4 points, she did dish out 6 assists and picked Lebanon’s pockets for four steals. Kayleigh Herron knocked down three treys for 9 points.

The Millers just couldn’t keep up with Lebanon. Losing the game 69-53, NHS was down five after the 1^st, 14 at halftime and 11 after three, before bowing out to the 3A ranked Tigers by 16.

Carmel 67, Noblesville 57 (at Carmel: Nov. 20)

Keck’s Millers started figuring out a better mix and chemistry was building, despite this becoming their third loss in a row. This became another game where Noblesville couldn’t figure out a way to finish the game and keep their lead. Tied 16-16 after one, they trailed 29-28 at halftime, but took a 50-49 lead after three and were outscored by the Greyhounds 18-7 in the final quarter to drop the road game to Hamilton county rival Carmel, 67-57.

Forward Jessica Kiser led the Millers in scoring with 17, while Erin Wood contributed 14 points and 9 rebounds, freshman Rachel Shipman was 3-for-8 from outside-the-arc for 9 points and Becca Bergman had 8 points and 6 assists.

Shooting just 38% (23-61), Noblesville wasn’t able to match the hot three-point shooting of Carmel’s 56% (10-of-18) accuracy. That was one of the big differences in the final outcome. One other big factor is that Noblesville shot a dismal 5-for-14 at the foul line for 36%.

TIPPECANOE VALLEY HOLIDAY TOURNMENT (Saturday, November 24)

Noblesville 69, Knox 35

This holiday tournament was just what Noblesville needed after three losses in a row heading into Thanksgiving. They were one point shy of doubling up Knox (69-35) in game one of the day. Noblesville was led in scoring by Erin Wood and Audrey DeFoe both with 14 and Jessica Kiser also had 12.

This time it was the Millers shooting 10-of-18 from three-point land (56%) and 45% overall from the field.

Noblesville 78, Tippecanoe Valley 42 (championship game)

Evidently the Miller girls don’t mind playing two games in the same day! They poured it on even more against host Tippecanoe Valley in the championship, 78-42.

Noblesville spread the scoring out for sure in this one. Alexis Shannon is now completely out of her shell and showed that she can be a bruiser and a scorer in the paint, finishing with a game-high 20 points and 13 rebounds. Becca Bergman also had a stellar night with 19 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. Jessica Kiser netted 11 points to go along with her 6 rebounds. Erin Wood was quiet with it, but she wound up with 7 points and 10 rebounds.

The Millers shot 45% overall (31-69), but mainly improved at the free throw line, going 13-for-17 (76%).

Noblesville 59, McCutcheon 36 (at McCutcheon: Dec. 1)

Noblesville has quickly turned itself into a good road team. They headed to Lafayette on a mission and came back to Noblesville still on that mission. Just a matinee` affair on a Saturday and the Millers made it into a business trip, beating the host Mavericks, 59-36.

Erin Wood had what was probably her best game of her young high school career with 16 points and 5 boards. Cori Cain also had a career game with 11 points for Noblesville. Kiser herself had a great ballgame, scoring 10 and grabbing 8 rebounds. Alexis Shannon, Kayleigh Herron and Audrey DeFoe all scored 6 in helping NHS to 39% shooting.

McCutcheon thought it was a good idea to fling up 3-for-21 from three-point range and shot 30% overall on field goals, while turning the ball over 19 times to Noblesville’s 10 giveaways.

Noblesville (5-3) hits the hardwood again this Friday night as they’ll be the front end of the girls-boys doubleheader. At 6 p.m. they’ll take on 4A#1 Hamilton Southeastern (8-0) for a chance to keep this three-game winning streak going.  

Bulldogs cruise in second half over Ball State

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.

Butler cruises to win over Hanover

The Butler Bulldogs took on Division III in-state foe Hanover College at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Tuesday night and produced a crowd-pleasing blowout over the Panthers, 97-73, which was just what the Bulldog faithful needed.

In front of a crowd of 5,547 at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Tuesday night, the Butler Bulldogs got themselves back on track after a somewhat disappointing second half during the Maui Invitational title bout against Illinois. They shot 59% (35-59 overall) and 9-of-18- from outside-the-arc.
The host Bulldogs quickly jumped out to a 15-2 lead before Hanover (3-1) was forced to call a timeout. The closest that the Panthers could get was 27-18 with (9:00 left) and 41-32 (1:00) in the first half.

Butler led 45-35 at halftime, but there was still room to improve and make more things happen. With eight minutes left, the margin grew to 30 at 80-50 and BU still wasn't done. Hanover might have outscored Butler 23-17 in the final eight, but it a majority of that was done against Bulldog reserves.

The Dawgs’Atlantic 10 conference Player of the Week, Rotnei Clarke, had no trouble erupting for 5-for-6 from three-point land to knock down his 19 points. Khyle Marshall joined Clarke with 19, along with six rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. Andrew Smith dropped in 13 points and seven boards, Kellen Dunham had 12, while Roosevelt Jones added 10 points and eight rebounds.
Hanover was led by Ryan Nowicki and Michael Van Kleunen with 15 points each. The Panthers did force 16 Butler turnovers to only turning the ball over 11 times themselves. Hanover did have 20 assists on their 27 field goals made, including 10 by Tim Bass.

Brad Stevens and his Bulldogs stay home this Saturday, December 1st, as they host the Ball State Cardinals (2-2) at 2 p.m. They'll conclude this three-game home stand with the IUPUI Jaguars (3-4) coming to Hinkle Fieldhouse on Wednesday, December 5th at 7 p.m.

Illinois holds off pesky Butler for Maui Invitational title

The Maui Invitational has become the premier pre-season tournament in college basketball in recent years. Butler got its first invitation to play in Maui this year and made a great showing and better than most thought they would. They stunned Marquette on Monday afternoon with Rotnei Clarke's 25-foot three-pointer as time expired to win by one, 72-71. With 17 points each from Clarke and freshman Kellen Dunham, the Bulldogs completely shocked North Carolina in the semifinals, 82-71.

With the way the Butler Bulldogs (3-2) came alive against Marquette and North Carolina, they are quickly turning into a team with nerves of steel and really playing like they've got ice water in their veins. They gave it their best in the three-day Maui Invitational, but met their match in the Illinois Fighting Illini (6-0) on Wednesday night. Butler dropped the Maui Championship to Illinois, 78-61.

Brad Stevens' crew seemed a little behind than normal, which allowed Illinois to take advantage of Butler's somewhat late start in getting their style of game going. Senior Brandon Paul led Illinois with 20 points on the night and was named the MVP of the Maui Invitational.

The Illini sprang out to a 16-7 lead, thanks to a three-pointer right out of a timeout by D.J. Richardson. Butler closed the gap to a five (26-21) and six (28-22) points before Illinois extended their margin to 15 (37-22) before the first half came to a close, leading Butler 39-28.

With 12:26 left, Butler cut the deficit to five (49-44) with a Rotnei Clarke three, giving the Dawgs a big boost of confidence. Two three-pointers by Tyler Griffey and jumpers by Richardson and Brandon Paul deflated that Butler confidence and Illinois was back up on the Bulldogs by 15.
Butler twice brought it back to a nine point game before Illinois made its final push to put it out of reach for good, winning going away, 78-61.

Illinois had four players in double-figures, including Brandon Paul with 20, Tracy Abrams had 17 while D.J. Richardson and Tyler Griffey scored 14 each.

Butler's lone scorer in double-figures was sharp-shooting Rotnei Clarke with a game-high 27 points. The transfer from Arkansas was 10-for-19 from the floor and 6-of-13 from three-point land, playing 39 of the 40 minutes. The rest of the Bulldogs were pretty much shutdown from their normal outputs. Khyle Marshall finished with 8 points, Roosevelt Jones had 7 and Kameron Woods grabbed 8 rebounds.

Coach Stevens will look to regroup his Bulldogs back at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Tuesday, November 27 at 7 p.m. when Hanover makes the trip up from southern Indiana. Butler stays home and hosts the Ball State Cardinals at 2 p.m. on Saturday, December 1st.

Butler dominates #9 North Carolina in Maui Invitational semis, 82-71

The Butler Bulldogs keep finding ways to get it done in the Maui Invitational. It didn't matter that their opponent, the North Carolina Tar Heels, are ranked #9 in the country. An obvious underdog against highly touted UNC, the Bulldogs were out to keep the nation talking. First, a buzzer-beater to stun Marquette, 72-71. Now, total domination in an upset of #9 North Carolina in the semifinals, 82-71.

Brad Stevens and his coaching staff always seem to revert back to doing things The Butler Way. "The Butler Way demands commitment, denies selfishness, accepts reality yet seeks improvement every day. We aspire to improve ourselves and those around us. This applies to our excellent academics, supportive environment, vibrant campus and the contributions we make to our community and world."

This is exactly what Butler basketball exemplifies and they made this statement true, during last night's win over Marquette and again tonight against North Carolina.

The Bulldogs jumped out to a 21-7 lead just over halfway through the first half, thanks in part to Rotnei Clarke and Khyle Marshall for combining for 13 of those first 21. Clarke netted 14 of his game-high 17 points in the first half and that helped Butler storm out to a commanding 35-18 halftime advantage.

North Carolina just couldn't get out of the funk they started the night in. Anything the Tar Heels brought, Butler always had something to counter right back.

Freshman guard Kellen Dunham made a better showing in his second start in a Butler uniform by pouring in 14 of his game-high 17 in the second half. He was counted upon to provide scoring in the second half when Clarke was heavily guarded and he rose up to the challenge.

Butler extended its lead to over 20 points numerous times and had its largest margin of 29 (60-31) with an Erik Fromm basket with 11:56 left. But, North Carolina was at the point where they'd had enough of being dominated. UNC outscored the Bulldogs 40-22 down the final 11:33, but still wound up losing by 11, 82-71.

North Carolina was led in scoring by P.J. Hairston off the bench with 15 points, while Marcus Paige and Reggie Bullock each scored 13 and James Michael McAdoo added 10.

Dunham and Clarke combined for 34 points 10 rebounds (17 points and 5 rebounds each), 9-of-15 on three-point attempts and 5-5 from the foul line. Center Andrew Smith dropped in 13 points, including 7-8 on free throws. Khyle Marshall added a double-double with 10 points and 11 boards. Chase Stigall contributed 9, while Erik Fromm had 7 and Roosevelt Jones 6.

Butler (3-1) is a completely different squad than when they were put in their place one week ago at Xavier, 62-47. The Bulldogs will play for a title against Illinois (5-0) in Wednesday night's Maui Invitational championship game at 10 p.m. ET. Illinois beat Chaminade, 84-61, in the second semifinal.