Box Score
The Bulldogs opened the 2016-17 campaign by running away from visiting Wabash, 100-53, Saturday afternoon at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Four Bulldogs – including three new faces – scored in double figures. The Bulldogs shot 62 percent from the field in the victory.
Kelan Martin, the BIG EAST's leading returning scorer, led the Bulldogs on the afternoon with 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting. He was joined in double figures by
Kethan Savage (16),
Avery Woodson (14), and
Kamar Baldwin (13). All 13 Butler players scored in the contest.
The Bulldogs got out to a 21-5 advantage that became a 48-29 halftime lead. Butler's shooting improved to 67 percent in the second half. Butler forced Wabash, a Division III team from nearby Crawfordsville, Ind., into 22 turnovers and limited the visitors to 33-percent shooting.
"We have a long way to go in a lot of areas, but we're excited to go back and look at this game and how we can improve," said Butler head coach
Chris Holtmann. "It was important for us to get in front of our great fans because we have a lot of guys wearing a Butler jersey for the first time and we tried a lot of new combinations today. It was good for them to get a game at Hinkle under their belt."
Tyler Wideman and
Sean McDermott led Butler with five rebounds apiece. The Bulldogs had a 37-23 advantage on the glass.
Tyler Lewis had a game-high six assists as Butler had 12 assists against only nine turnovers.
McDermott played in the team's two exhibition games last season before redshirting, but the new faces include Savage (transfer from George Washington), Woodson (graduate transfer from Memphis), and freshmen Baldwin,
Joey Brunk, and
Henry Baddley.
Woodson went 6-of-8 from the field, including 2-of-3 from three-point range. Baldwin made all four of his attempts from the field and all five free throws. He added four rebounds.
No Butler player saw more than 20 minutes of action.
Butler returns to action Saturday (Nov. 5) with its second and final exhibition, hosting Saginaw Valley State at 7 p.m. The game is part of Butler Family Weekend with tickets still available.
