INDIANAPOLIS, IND. – Butler used a rock-solid defensive effort in the second half to break open a tight game a pull away to a 67-56 victory over visiting Belmont on Sunday (Dec. 28).  The win lifted the Bulldogs to 10-3 in the non-conference portion of the season, with BIG EAST play just around the corner.

Junior Roosevelt Jones led the Bulldogs with a season-high 20 points, while junior Kellen Dunham added 15.  But it was the Bulldogs' effort at the defensive end of the floor over the final 20 minutes that drew praise from Butler coach Chris Holtmann.

"Our guys second half defensively were outstanding and it was the difference in the game," stated Holtmann.

"(Belmont) makes you guard a lot of the floor in the halfcourt.  They put you in difficult situations because you have to guard their post players with your smaller guys if you switch too much," noted Holtmann.  "We did change our ball screen coverage at halftime, and I think that really helped us.  That was key for us, because it prevented them from getting too many mismatches like they were getting in the first half."

The Bulldogs limited Belmont (8-5) to just 18 points in the second half, including just eight points in the first 15 minutes of the final period.  The Bruins, who shots 53.8% from the floor and scored 38 points in the opening half, managed to hit just seven of 26 (26.9%) shots in the final 20 minutes.

"Our guys dug in in the second half," said the Butler coach.  "To hold that team to 27% (shooting) in the second half, that's an outstanding effort."

Butler needed that extra effort, after trailing by as many as 11 points in the first half.  The Bruins, behind an impressive long-range assault, used a 16-4 run early in the opening period to grab a 25-14 lead.  Five different players contributed to the Belmont run, which included a trio of three-point field goals.

The Bulldogs spent the rest of the first half battling back.  Paced by Jones and Dunham, Butler went on an 18-6 run to eventually grab a lead at 32-31 on a lay-up by sophomore Andrew Chrabascz.  Jones and Dunham each had six points in the run, while Chrabascz added four.  Senior Kameron Woods scored the other two.

The two teams then traded leads, until the Bulldogs went on top, 39-36, on a three-point field goal by Dunham with 1:44 left in the period.  Two free throws by Belmont's Craig Bradshaw cut Butler's lead at halftime to a single point.

The contest remained tight through the first seven minutes of the second half, before Butler put together another offensive run to take control.  Sparked by freshman Tyler Wideman, the Bulldogs rattled off eight unanswered points to take a 57-46 lead with six-and-a-half minutes remaining.  Wideman scored five points during the stretch, while Jones added three.

Belmont never got closer than six points the rest of the game.

Wideman finished the game with seven points and a career-high nine rebounds in 13 minutes of action.  He helped Butler to a 38-21 rebounding advantage.  The Bulldogs pulled down 15 offensive rebounds and out-scored Belmont, 19-6 on second chance points.

Belmont was led by Bradshaw with 11 points, while Evan Bradds added 10.

The Belmont game was Butler's final non-conference test.  Conference action will start on Dec. 31 as the Bulldogs travel to #7 Villanova for a 2:30 p.m. (ET) tip. The game between Butler and the unbeaten Wildcats is part of the BIG EAST and FOX Sports New Year's Eve Tip-Off Marathon. From noon until midnight, the BIG EAST Conference will ring in the new year with games featuring all ten conference schools live on FOX Sports 1.