Bryce Golden scored 10 of his 15 points in the second half Tuesday to pace host Butler to a 68-57 victory over Saginaw Valley State in Indianapolis.
Golden made 7 of 10 shots and added eight rebounds for the Bulldogs (5-3), who have defeated a pair of Division II programs on the heels of a three-game losing streak. Butler cruised to an 84-51 win over Chaminade on Wednesday in Las Vegas.
Jair Bolden scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half against Saginaw Valley State, Jayden Taylor finished with 11 and Aaron Thompson had eight points and six assists for the Bulldogs.
Delano Smith scored 12 points while Maurice Barnett and James Toohey each collected 11 points for the Cardinals (5-2), who were foiled in their bid to defeat their second Division I program this season. Saginaw Valley State posted an 80-63 victory over Western Michigan on Nov. 18.
Butler benefited from runs of 8-0 and 12-0 to secure a 23-11 lead with 9:01 remaining in the first half. Bolden drained a 3-pointer and Jayden Taylor converted twice from beyond the arc to highlight the latter surge.
But Saginaw Valley State went on a 16-3 run of its own to gain a 27-26 advantage with 1:29 remaining in the half. Tyler Witz put the finishing touches on that run with a layup and a short jumper as the shot clock expired.
Thompson regained the lead for Butler with a layup and a short jumper on the next two possessions to give the Bulldogs a 30-27 lead at halftime.
Smith opened the second half with an emphatic dunk that pulled the Cardinals to within 30-29 before Butler scored 26 of the next 37 points to pull away to a 56-40 lead. Taylor capped the run by scoring five straight points, including a three-point play.
Toohey, Freddie McIntosh and Barnett each sank a 3-pointer during an 11-0 run for Saginaw Valley State to trim the margin to five points (56-51) with 5:03 remaining.
Undaunted, Golden made a pair of layups, Chuck Harris drained a 3-pointer and Bolden sank a jumper to push Butler’s lead to 65-51 with 1:25 to play.
–Field Level Media
