Nov. 19, 2015 Final Stats
Final Stats | Season Stats | Puerto Rico Tip-Off | Highlights
SAN JUAN, P.R. - No. 22 ranked Butler used precision passing and 60-percent shooting from the field to dispatch the Missouri State Bears here Thursday, 93-59, in the opening round of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.
The Bears (0-2) were led by Dequon Miller who posted 15 points in 29 minutes with just one turnover. Freshman Jarred Dixon added 11 points off the bench for MSU, which accounted for 34 of its points in the second half.
Kelan Martin and Andrew Chrabascz led three Butler players in double figures with 18 points apiece, while Kellen Dunham scored 11. Bulldog point guard Tyler Lewis dished out 10 assists with no turnovers, while Roosevelt Jones snagged a game-high 10 rebounds to help BU improve to 2-0.
In the first half, the Bears played even through the first six minutes with their nationally-ranked counterparts before a 10-0 outburst by the Bulldogs turned the tides for good. A 3-pointer by Lewis started the rally that pushed BU ahead 18-8 with 12 minutes left in the half, and later it was a trey by Jackson Davis that made it a 20-point game with four to go in the opening stanza.
The Bulldogs finished the opening half 17-of-28 (.607) from the field and took a 49-25 lead into the intermission.
For the game, Butler finished 8-of-17 (.471) from beyond the arc, with seven different players knocking down long-range buckets. The Bulldogs were also 33-for-55 (.600) overall from the field and committed just 8 turnovers.
"We got exposed in a lot of ways, but credit to Butler - they're really good," said MSU head coach Paul Lusk. "We're not going to beat many teams when they shoot 60 percent against us."
For their part, the young Bears kept the fight alive despite trailing by as many as 38 on the afternoon. Dixon got 10 of his points in a two-minute stint midway through the second half, and classmate Obediah Church threw down a pair of alley-oop dunks. Church finished with 9 points and team-high 6 rebounds.
Miller was a perfect 7-for-7 from the foul line for MSU with a pair of assists.
"I was pleased to see Dequon step up," Lusk said. "We did some things today that we're good - we had 14 offensive rebounds, we got to the line 30 times. We may get exposed in some areas, but I like my guys."
Missouri State finished the contest 20-for-59 (.339) from the field but just 2-of-15 (.133) from bonus distance and 17-for-30 (.567) at the charity stripe with 11 turnovers. The Bears were out-rebounded by a 40-32 margin but posted 14 offensive rebounds.
Missouri State now plays against Minnesota (2-1) in a consolation-round contest on ESPNU on Friday at 9:30 a.m. on ESPNU. The Golden Gophers of coach Richard Pitino lost 75-70 to Temple in the first round.
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