Pierre Brooks II had 20 points, hitting a 3-pointer, and Butler rallied from Western Michigan in the second half for an 85-65 victory Monday in Indianapolis.
After a disappointing loss to Austin Peay last time out, Bulldogs coach Thad Matta inserted Augusto Cassia into the starting lineup looking for a quick start, and he responded with a career-high 16 points.
Butler was also looking to reduce the number of substitutions after making 35 appearances in their first two games. Butler made only 11 of the night.
Donovan Williams led Western Michigan with 17 points and nine rebounds, while teammate JaVaughn Hannah scored 15 points. The Broncos shot 4-for-22 from 3-point range.
Western Michigan opened with five straight points to start the contest with Hannah hitting a long-distance jumper and a 3-pointer from the wing. That would be the Broncos’ biggest lead of the night.
However, in the first half the teams traded baskets. The game was tied 11 times in the first half with seven lead changes. Butler led 39-37 at halftime.
The Bulldogs opened the second half hot. Cassia started things off with a dunk on an alley-oop. Finley Bizjack added a driving basket and the Bulldogs went on a 16-2 run within four minutes to make it 55-39.
Western Michigan responded with a 15-2 run capped by a jumper from the elbow by Strickland at 11:11 to pull within 57-54, but Butler prevailed in the final minutes. Western Michigan scored just four points in the final 7:02 as the Bulldogs closed out the game’s final ten points.
Butler went 10-21 from three-point range and had 21 assists to seven for the Broncos.
–Field Level Media
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