No. 17 Butler overcomes offensive struggles to beat New Orleans

admin January 5, 2013 0

By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent

INDIANAPOLIS – Four dunks by Khyle Marshall made the day seem prettier than it was.

A sluggish Butler didn’t need to be at its best to beat New Orleans 57-44 on Saturday afternoon. Marshall had 13 points and eight rebounds as the 17^th-ranked Bulldogs pulled off their ninth consecutive win, this time in workmanlike fashion. Kellen Dunham scored a game-high 15 and Roosevelt Jones added 11 in the victory.

Butler (12-2) turned the ball over six times in the first eight minutes and scored a season-low 24 points in the first half.

Bulldogs coach Brad Stevens made the unusual decision to substitute for all five starters at once with not even 4 minutes gone. Butler had scored just two points and committed three turnovers when Stevens made wholesale changes to the lineup.

We weren’t playing with pace, Stevens said. We weren’t very good. You’re going to have games like this.

Once the starters returned, Alex Barlow created a spark by grabbing a loose ball and, in nearly the same motion, tossing a one-handed lob to Marshall at the rim. The dunk tied the game at 9 with 9:02 remaining in the half, and New Orleans never led again.

I don’t have many thoughts other than I’m glad we won, Stevens said. He (Barlow) is a big reason we started moving it. New Orleans won’t be on my mind at all tomorrow morning.

The Privateers (3-10) fell to 0-6 on the road and lost their fifth straight overall. Their 44 points were a season low. Lovell Cook led the team with 11 points, but Traddarius McPhearson was the only other player in double figures with 10.

This was a big game for us when you play a team the caliber of Butler, New Orleans coach Mark Slessinger said. They’re the epitome of college basketball. Our kids bought into our game plan. We’re a little bit small, a little slow. I’m proud of us to put in a good effort.

Thanks to the early struggles, the Bulldogs only led by six at intermission. The undersized Privateers grabbed only one offensive rebound and missed 15 of 23 attempts in the opening 20 minutes, but Butler didn’t shoot much better and missed a number of short shots in the paint.

Leading scorer Rotnei Clarke, who entered the day averaging 17.2 points per game, was a big reason Butler looked out of sorts. After scoring just six points on 2-for-11 shooting Wednesday, Clarke was even worse against New Orleans, posting a season-worst four points and missing 6 of 7 field-goal attempts, including 5 of 6 3s.

If anybody’s worried about Rotnei’s shooting, I suggest they find something else to worry about, said Stevens of his typically sweet-shooting point guard.

While improving to 7-0 this season Hinkle Fieldhouse, Butler shot 41 percent from the field and 31 percent (5-of-16) from 3-point range.

It was frustrating, Dunham said. We missed shots we should make. You immediately want to make up for it. Coach does a good job encouraging us to take the open ones.

Barlow made a 3 on the first possession of the second half to open an 8-2 run that drove Butler to its largest lead at 32-20.

Off ball rotation by Barlow and Clarke, Dunham hit a 3 from the left wing, his third of the day, while being fouled with 13 minutes remaining. He completed the four-point play to make it 38-25.

Dunham, a freshman who adds offensive punch off the bench, scored in double figures for a fourth consecutive game. Both of his assists went for dunks, one by Marshall and one by Andrew Smith.

Smith contributed nine points. Jones had six rebounds and four assists.

New Orleans was outrebounded 33-22 and shot 40 percent. The Privateers went 6-of-11 from the free-throw line.

Defense helped fuel Butler once more, as the Bulldogs allowed a season-best point total. When holding its opponent under 60, Butler has won 16 straight.

Butler knocked off New Orleans in the first meeting between the schools. The game was arranged partly because of a lifelong friendship between Slessinger and Bulldogs associate head coach Matthew Graves. Graves contacted Slessinger after Butler left the Horizon League in May, which caused a need for scheduling changes.

Now Stevens can turn his full attention to his school’s first season of Atlantic 10 conference play. Butler opens the 16-game league slate Wednesday at preseason favorite Saint Joseph’s.

It wasn’t our best game today, Marshall said. We have to get better. We’ve got two days to prepare for St. Joe’s.