Evansville is only a 2-hour drive north of my house. So, I made the trip up with my family to see the Bulldogs play the Purple Aces last Saturday. It was an exciting game, and UE challenged us in the first half. But, Butler has a deep well of talent to draw from this year along with great senior leadership, shown by A.J. Graves and Drew Streicher in this game, and solid defense.
The team left the river city with a hard-fought 60-47 win.
The Purple Aces sprinted out of the gates opening a 10-3 lead in the first three minutes and maintaining the advantage until the 10-minute mark, when the Dawgs finally pulled even at 17 points. Both teams grappled for the lead through halftime before BU went up 31-28 on a Graves three pointer with six seconds left.
The Aces were able to run with the Dawgs in the first half by exposing their post defense. UE scored all of its points in the paint, outside of two threes and four free throws. BU struggled from behind the arc making five of 17 three-point attempts. Graves kept his team in the game by scoring 14 of his 22 points, while the team netted 13 points off turnovers. Streicher scored five of his eight in the first 20 minutes.
The Bulldogs shut down UE's post offense in the second half and held the lead for the rest of the game. They opened up a 10-point advantage at 44-34 with 14 minutes left. Then, the Dawgs widened the spread to 15 at 58-43 with two minutes remaining.
Butler continued to shoot badly from behind the arc making five of 13, but held the Purple Aces to less than 28 percent from the field with just six points in the paint. The Dawgs defense shut the Aces down until their offense found a way to score.
Senior Mike Green and freshman Matt Howard played the entire game in foul trouble, but contributed a much-needed 11 points combined. The freshman provided the biggest lift on defense, blocking two shots and guarding 6'11'' Pieter van Tongeren who netted four points in the second half.
The Bulldogs have played two tough games on the road in this young season. Both contests were in very unwelcome environments, and the team didn't shoot well from the field. The players have found a way to win, however, and Graves has led them in all three games while the defense has provided the rallying point.
They should be prepared to battle Michigan (on ESPN 2), in Anchorage, at 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday in the Great Alaska Shootout. Even if their shooting matches the normal temperature of that climate, Graves and the Dawgs should be able to find a way to win.
Picture: The Bulldogs (3-0) won their second road game of the season 60-47 last Saturday. The team will play Michigan in the Great Alaska Shootout at 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday... on ESPN 2. Photo by Barney Arntz
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