Pierre Brooks II had 20 points, hitting four 3-pointers, and Butler broke away from Western Michigan in the second half to claim an 85-65 victory on Monday in Indianapolis.
After a disappointing loss to Austin Peay their last time out, Bulldogs coach Thad Matta inserted Augusto Cassia into the starting line-up looking for a quick start, and he responded with a career high 16.
Butler was also looking to cut down on turnovers after committing 35 in their first two games. Butler only committed 11 on the night.
Donovan Williams led Western Michigan with 17 points and nine rebounds, while teammate JaVaughn Hannah chipped in 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 fall-away jumper and a 3-pointer from the wing. That would be the Broncos biggest lead of the night.
Still, the first half saw the teams trading baskets. The game was tied 11 times in the first half and saw seven lead changes. Butler led 39-37 at halftime.
The Bulldogs opened the second half hot. Cassia started things with a dunk on an alley-oop. Finley Bizjack added a driving basket and the Bulldogs went on a 16-2 run over a four-minute span to make it 55-39.
Western Michigan responded with a 15-2 burst capped by a jumper from the elbow by Strickland with 11:11 to pull to 57-54, but Butler dominated the final minutes. Western Michigan scored only four points in the final 7:02 as the Bulldogs closed out with the game’s final ten points.
Butler went 10-21 from 3-point range and had 21 assists to the Broncos’ seven.
–Field Level Media
