Box Score

It took Butler a few minutes to heat up in the season opener, but then the Bulldogs got rolling with a strong second half, running away with an 89-52 win over Northern Colorado Saturday night (Nov. 12) at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs shot 56 percent in the second half, out-scoring the visitors, 48-21.
 
Kelan Martin led Butler with 21 points in only 26 minutes of play. He went 6-of-14 from the field and made all eight of his free throw attempts. His six rebounds were a game-high. Seventeen of his points came in the first half.
 
The game was closely contested over the first 13 minutes as Butler clung to just a 26-25 lead before a 14-2 run opened up the game. The Bulldogs led 41-31 at the half.
 
"We did some good things tonight, but we obviously have a long way to go," said coach Chris Holtmann. "That sounds like a broken record because you've heard it before. We are very much a work in progress, but there were good moments on both ends of the court, especially in the second half tonight. It's a long process, but we have to remain committed to getting better each day."
 
The lead steadily increased in the second half as Butler shot at a 70-percent clip for a majority of the second 20 minutes. Seven of Butler's nine three-pointers came after the intermission. Butler's defense limited Northern Colorado to just 28-percent shooting in the second half, including a 0-of-7 mark from behind the arc. After scoring 20 points in the first half, Butler held UNC's Jordan Davis to five points on two shot attempts after the break.
 
Tyler Lewis went a perfect 7-of-7 from the field en route to 16 points. It was just one point shy of his career-high. He added five assists and three steals. Freshman Kamar Baldwin was the third Bulldog in double figures with 11 points in his official Butler debut.
 
Butler forced UNC into 19 turnovers, while the Bears had only three assists. They shot 35 percent for the contest.
 
The Bulldogs shot 53 percent for the game, while out-rebounding UNC, 35-24. Butler made an impressive 16 of 21 free throw attempts.
 
Butler returns to action Wednesday (Nov. 16), hosting Northwestern at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The 7 p.m. tip is part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games series, which is an annual match-up of BIG EAST and Big Ten teams. Tickets are still available for the contest that will air nationally on FS1.