Indianapolis, IN (My Sportsbook) - Matt Howard paced the Bulldogs with 14 points behind 8-of-9 shooting from the free throw line, and No. 21 Butler rolled to a 64-48 win over Horizon League foe Wright State. Gordon Hayward recorded 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, while Willie Veasley chipped in 11 points in Butler's (13-1, 4-0 Horizon) fifth straight win. The Raiders (8-8, 2-3) had their six-game winning streak halted as the school shot just 33.3 percent from the floor. Todd Brown led the team in both points (13) and rebounds (seven). Butler's early five-point lead ballooned to 26-11 after three-pointers from Hayward and Shawn Vanzant sparked a 14-4 Bulldogs run midway through the half. Wright State, which shot just 6-for-22 from the field in the opening 20 minutes, trailed 34-21 at the intermission. Five minutes into the half, Cooper Land's make from downtown got the Raiders within 43-32 after being down as many as 18. It stayed a double-digit game until John David Gardner's layup cut the deficit to 50-42 with 7 1/2 minutes remaining. Nine straight Butler points -- four via the charity stripe -- following Gardner's bucket gave the Bulldogs some extra breathing room, and the hosts cruised to the win. Game Notes Butler has won 15 consecutive Horizon League regular-season games dating back to last year and owns a narrow 18-15 all-time series lead over Wright State... The Bulldogs excelled at getting easy points at the free throw line, hitting 19-of-26 at the stripe, while the Raiders managed to get to the line just 13 times, making 11. |
