Butler tipped off the 2018-19 season with a strong performance, topping Miami (Ohio) 90-68 Saturday night in front of a sold-out Hinkle Fieldhouse crowd. The Bulldogs shot 60 percent in the contest as four players scored in double figures.

Junior guard Kamar Baldwin led the Bulldogs with 21 points and six assists, making nine of his 14 attempts from the field. Joey Brunk came off the bench for a career-high 17 points on a perfect 7-of-7 night from the field. He added six rebounds.

"That was a great environment," said Butler head coach LaVall Jordan. "The guys were excited; I was excited. We knew Miami would be more than formidable. We worked on their pressure a lot in practice, and that allowed us to get up and down. Our bench was great tonight and it led to a solid team effort."

Paul Jorgensen also had 17 points for the Bulldogs. He and Nate Fowler each had a team-best seven rebounds. Aaron Thompson was the fourth Bulldog in double figures with 11 points to go along with four assists.

Butler shot 35-of-58 from the field. The Bulldogs started out hot, taking a 9-0 lead less than four minutes into the contest. The lead grew to 15 on a Thompson make in the paint at the 10:22 mark of the first half.

Miami cut the lead to seven on a Jalen Adaway three-pointer with 4:43 to play in the first half before Butler took a 45-33 halftime advantage. Fifteen of Brunk's points came in the first 20 minutes.

A Jorgensen three-pointer with 15:30 to play gave the Bulldogs their first 20-point lead of the game. The RedHawks never got closer than 17 after that.

Butler enjoyed large advantages in both bench points (26-12) and points in the paint (48-22). The Bulldogs had 18 assists against 11 turnovers. Miami only turned the ball over eight times, but Butler turned those miscues into 15 points.

Miami shot 40 percent for the game. Thirty-three of the team's 63 attempts were from behind the arc, as the RedHawks made 12 three-pointers (36 percent). Nike Sibande led Miami with 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting.

Butler has now won 20 consecutive home openers, and runs its streak of consecutive non-conference home wins to 44.

The Bulldogs return to action Monday night, hosting former conference foe Detroit Mercy at 6:30 p.m. at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The game will air on FS1.