INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. ? The Indiana State men's basketball team traveled to historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in hopes of earning its fourth-straight win over Butler. However, the No. 25 ranked Bulldogs (2-0) were not willing to give the Sycamores (1-1) the satisfaction and posted a convincing 76-48 win in front of 3,555 fans on Wednesday night.
The first half was a slow one, as the two teams combined for just 41 points in 20 minutes of play. The Bulldogs jumped out to an early 7-1 lead, thanks to five quick points from guard A.J. Graves. But, the Sycamores battled back and eventually cut the lead to three points at 11-8 with 10:51 left in the first half on a three-pointer by Adam Arnold. Butler then went on an 8-0 run over the next three minutes to stretch the lead to 19-8, before a lay-up by Gabe Moore cut the lead to nine at 19-10 with 6:48 left on the clock. Butler eventually widened its advantage to 27-12 on a three-pointer by Julian Betko before Marico Stinson's lay-up with 1:29 left in the half cut the lead to 27-14 heading into the break at halftime.
Both teams traded baskets early in the second half and the Sycamores cut the lead back to nine points at 32-23 on a lay-up by Jay Tunnell at the 16:19 mark. Butler then took over the game and two free throws by Mike Green gave the Bulldogs a 44-31 lead with 11:26 left in the half. After a three-pointer from Cole Holmstrom cut the lead to 44-34 with 11:05 left, Butler went on a 10-0 run to widen the lead to 54-34. The Sycamores scored the next four points, capped by a Moore three-pointer to make the score 54-38 with 8:10 left on the clock, but then failed to score another point until the 3:03 mark as the Bulldogs went on a 16-0 run to balloon the lead to 70-38
ISU outscored the Bulldogs 9-6 over the last three minutes, thanks to five points from Moore, but the Bulldogs were too much and earned the 76-48 victory. Tunnel led the way for the Sycamores with 10 points and six rebounds, with nine of those points coming in the second half. Moore also added 10 points to go along with three assists in the loss for ISU. Butler was led by Graves's game-high 26 points, including a 6-for-9 performance from beyond the arch. Green and Pete Campbell also scored in double figures for the Bulldogs, with 15 and 11 points respectively.
The Sycamores return to action on Saturday, when they travel to Denton, Texas, to take on North Texas. Tip off is set for 3 p.m. ET.
