First Thoughts: Butler 67, Xavier 62
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent
Let’s take a quick look at how the Butler Bulldogs earned a hard-fought 67-62 win over the Xavier Musketeers on Saturday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
WHY IT HAPPENED: Butler continued a recent resurgence heading into postseason play, winning its second straight over a feisty Xavier team. Rotnei Clarke scored 21 points. Andrew Smith added seven points and five rebounds. Butler’s other seniors, Chase Stigall and Emerson Kampen, didn’t score but were honored with a start in their final home game. The teams combined to miss 35 shots in the first half, incredible in that only 54 were attempted. But play picked up in the second half. Butler made seven of its first 10 shots, and Clarke exploded for 17 points after the break. Semaj Christon led the Musketeers with 20 points and five assists. Isaiah Philmore had 16 points and 11 rebounds. Philmore scored six points in the final 6 1/2 minutes. Kellen Dunham made what proved to be the game-winning free throws with 43 seconds remaining.
WHAT WE LEARNED: Xavier repeatedly answered Butler’s runs and refused to go quietly on a day that belonged to fan favorites Smith and Clarke. Kameron Woods had 17 points, five rebounds and three blocks to spark the Bulldogs. The sophomore big man has 32 points in his last two games after scoring just 15 in the previous five. If Woods performs at that level, he should continue to eat into the minutes of Khyle Marshall as the games get more important. Xavier is 4-7 on the road, so the victory doesn’t cause any drastic change in how Butler is viewed, but the fog that had enveloped the Bulldogs since the Jan. 19 win over Gonzaga appears to be lifting. Christon gave Butler all kinds of problems, scoring eight points in a 15-2 second half run that put the Muskeeters ahead 52-49 with 6:14 remaining. Yet Xavier coach Chris Mack oddly ran his offense through Travis Taylor down the stretch. Taylor missed 3 of 4 shots in the final 4:15 and finished 3-of-13 overall. Butler took control — fittingly — by placing the ball in the hands of Clarke. For the Bulldogs to win in spite of subpar outings from Roosevelt Jones, Marshall and Dunham speaks to improved on-court chemistry since the VCU debacle.
KEY NUMBER: Butler shot 46.7 percent from the field against an opponent that had allowed the country to shoot just 40.3 percent against it. Xavier came in leading the Atlantic 10 in field-goal percentage defense.
TURNING POINT: After Philmore’s free throws put Butler on the ropes, down 54-50 with 5:26 remaining, the Bulldogs answered with an 8-2 run, including six points by Clarke and a tap-in by Woods. That re-established Butler’s footing in crunch time.
NEXT: That’s a wrap on Butler’s 31-game regular season. Now come the Atlantic 10 and NCAA tournaments. Hold on tight.
