The Sports Xchange
Nov 18, 2017
Butler shot better than 60 percent in the second half and pulled away for an 82-65 victory over Furman on Saturday at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The Bulldogs (3-1) shot 57.4 percent for the game, including making 16 of 25 attempts in the second half.
The Bulldogs started the second half by making 5 of 7 3-point shots to take a 65-46 lead with 12:05 to go.
Kamar Baldwin completed a 3-point play to make it 78-58 with 4:03 left.
Tyler Wideman scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Bulldogs. Kamar Baldwin had 18 points and three steals, and Sean McDermott added 17 points.
Daniel Fowler led Furman (2-1) with 19 points.
Butler closed the first half with a 16-3 run, as Wideman scored nine of his 17 first-half points during that stretch.
After a hot start, the Paladins cooled off, making two of their final 17 shots in the first half as the Bulldogs took a 41-29 lead at the break.
Furman made nine of its first 11 shots and led 20-16 with 8:37 to go in the first half. The Paladins' lead might have been bigger had they not committed seven turnovers in the first eight minutes.
It was the first-ever meeting between the teams.
The Paladins will be in Durham, N.C., on Monday to face No. 1 Duke. Butler faces Texas in the first round of the PK80 tournament in Portland, Ore., on Thanksgiving Day.