Walk-on Barlow energizes Butler in 67-53 win over Ball State
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent
INDIANAPOLIS – With every defensive stop, Ball State appeared closer to beating Butler for a second straight year.
There was an unexpected twist. A sophomore walk-on helped the Bulldogs avenge last December’s loss, and then some.
Alex Barlow played 18 minutes in the second half and sparked a 26-4 run that powered Butler to a 67-53 victory Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs struggled most of the game before turning to the seldom-used point guard. Barlow scored all five of his points and added two rebounds and two steals in Butler’s long, dominant spurt.
“He changed the game,” Butler coach Brad Stevens said. “That’s the story. We didn’t do much differently. The biggest change was personnel and Barlow.”
Barlow finished with three assists and three steals and made 2 of 3 shots in a season-high 19 minutes. The scrappy reserve forced a shot-clock violation and a travel with tight man-to-man defense and also dove on the floor to secure a loose ball, signaling for a timeout that gave Butler an extra possession.
“I was feeling good out there,” Barlow said. “It wasn’t just me. The rest of the team had a lot more energy, too.”
Rotnei Clarke scored a game-high 15 points and led Butler with five assists. Andrew Smith scored 12, including eight in the second half, and Khyle Marshall added 10, his fifth game in double figures.
Ball State (2-4) lost its fourth straight. Jesse Berry had 12 points. Majok Majok scored nine and had 10 rebounds. The Cardinals managed to tie the game at 33 at halftime despite missing seven free throws and turning the ball over seven times in the first half.
But a promising start unraveled after the break. As Barlow fueled a Butler uprising, Ball State committed four consecutive turnovers and five in six possessions over a 3-minute stretch. The Cardinals finished with a season-high 19 giveaways.
“We were active, Stevens said. “Loose balls we came up with. That was the most ball pressure we’ve had all year in the last 18 minutes.”
Ball state coach Billy Taylor credited the Bulldogs for forcing so many mistakes.
“That’s a very good defensive team we just played against,” he said. “We have got to improve at making the extra pass.”
Butler (5-2) won on a day its starting backcourt combined for 6-of-25 shooting. Prized freshman Kellen Dunham had just five points and missed 6 of 7 shots. Clarke shot 5 for 18.
“We’re getting good looks,” Stevens said. “Rotnei got 12 3-point (attempts). We’ll take that every day of the week. Our offense is fine.”
For a half, it looked anything but.
After Kameron Woods made a jumper to put Butler ahead 19-11 with 13:41 remaining, the Bulldogs endured a 5-minute scoring drought. Ball State closed the half on a 13-4 run to tie the game, capped by a short jumper at the buzzer by Majok. Butler was 13-of-35 (.371) in the opening 20 minutes.
“We did a lot of positive things,” Taylor said. “We wore down in the second half. The ball didn’t move as sharply. They tried to close down the paint on us.”
Butler won for the eighth time in nine tries against Ball State and leads the series 66-38. The Cardinals, whose Muncie, Ind. campus sits a little more than an hour north of here, have faced Butler annually since 1950.
Roosevelt Jones scored nine points and Woods added seven for Butler, which was outrebounded 39-34.
The Bulldogs received perhaps more than they bargained for in a game in which Butler was heavily favored. The home team shot 41 percent, including a miserable 4-of-23 on 3-pointers, but won by gaining extra possessions. Butler grabbed 15 offensive rebounds. It also limited its turnovers to five, three of which came in the final 3 minutes after the outcome had already been decided.
Marshall muffed a handoff for Butler’s first turnover. Chris Bond stole the ball and raced unopposed for a layup that drew Ball State within 33-29. Marshall then missed in the paint before fouling Matt Kamieniecki, whose two free throws set up Majok’s heroics at the end of the first half.
Barlow said Stevens didn’t say anything special in the locker room. Instead, the players themselves realized that they needed to play with more intensity and purpose.
“A lot of us took responsibility for not playing up to our standards,” Barlow said.
The 5-foot-11 guard went out and exceeded his, becoming the man of the hour in the process.
After Ball State had taken a 36-33 lead, Butler unleashed a torrent that began with Barlow’s layup. Midway through the half, Barlow drove from the right wing and made a leaning jumper in the paint while being hit by Bo Calhoun. The three-point play put Butler ahead 47-38 with 10:17 remaining. A minute later, Jones scored, and Butler’s lead remained in double digits the rest of the way. Marshall capped the 26-4 run with a turnaround jumper that made it 59-40 as the crowd fell into a standing ovation.
