National Basketball Association
Butler 82, Central Arkansas 58
When: 4:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 3, 2016
Where: Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Officials:
# Anthony Franklin, # Brent Hampton, # Lamar Simpson
Attendance:
7117
By The Sports Xchange
INDIANAPOLIS -- Butler coach Chris Holtmann knew junior forward Kelan Martin was much better than a 30 percent 3-point shooter.
Prior to Saturday's game, Martin and Holtmann went over the 3-point shot selection he displayed in the first seven games.
"He said most were good shots but a couple were off-balanced," Martin said. "So I was only taking one or two bad 3-pointers a game. (Saturday) I just took open ones."
Martin scored 30 points, including five 3-pointers in the second half, to guide No. 18 Butler to an 82-58 rout of Central Arkansas Saturday at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs improved to 8-0, equaling their best start since the 2008-09 season.
After missing his only two 3-pointers in the first half, Martin made 5-of-9 3-pointers.
"They were backing off me at the 3-point line so I was wide open so I pulled up and shot it," Martin said. "My teammates did a good job finding me."
"It was really good to see him make some 3-pointers (Saturday)," Holtmann said.
Martin sank three consecutive 3-pointers in a second-half stretch to expand the Bulldogs' lead to 53-37 with 15:15 to go. The Bears (1-7) answered with a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to 53-43.
After Central Arkansas' Jordan Howard hit a 3-pointer to cut it to 57-49, the Bulldogs responded with a 12-0 run.
Martin, who finished with an 11-of-22 shooting effort, scored 13 points to help Butler take a 40-28 halftime lead. The Bulldogs finished the first half with an 8-0 run.
The Bulldogs scored the game's first seven points as the Bears missed their first five shots. Central Arkansas finally scored with 15:28 left on Mathieu Kamba's jumper. The Bulldogs expanded the lead to 18-7 on a 3-pointer by Avery Woodson. The Bears responded with a 14-5 spurt to cut the Bulldogs' lead to 23-21.
Central Arkansas did not hit a field goal for the final 4 1/2 minutes of the half. The Bears finished the half the way they started, making just one of seven shots.
Howard led the Bears with 20 points and Derreck Brooks added 15.
"I don't think we played very well in stretches," Holtmann said. "We didn't prepare very well. That concerned me the last couple of days. We didn't practice well. I think our older guys carried us when we needed to make some plays."
Mostly Holtmann wasn't satisfied with the defensive effort.
"I don't think we played nearly hard enough and we weren't disciplined enough," Holtmann said.
Tyler Wideman was the only Butler player aside from Martin to score in double figures, and he had 10 points.
"Our guys did do a good job of finding Tyler Wideman inside in the second half," Holtmann said. "We did a good job, sharing the ball with 22 assists."
Central Arkansas coach Russ Pennell said the team's goal is to get ready for Southland Conference play
"From our perspective we're trying to measure ourselves against really good teams and get better," Pennell said. "Our league is a one-bid league so we've got to be good Dec. 31. When we play teams like Butler, and we're going to be playing Michigan soon, it's a chance to measure ourselves. I thought our zone was pretty effective in the second half. They started pounding it inside pretty good in the second half and that led to some good looks form the outside. Martin killed us. I thought the first half (the zone) was pretty effective."
NOTES: Central Arkansas has not played a home game yet this season. The Bears play at Little Rock Dec. 10 and at Michigan Dec. 12 before finally coming home to play Arkansas State Dec. 16. ... Butler has won 33 consecutive home games against non-conference opponents. The last non-conference visitor to win was Pittsburgh in the 2012 College Basketball Invitational.
Top Game Performances
| Central Arkansas |
|
Butler |
|
Jordan Howard 20 |
Scoring |
Kelan Martin 30 |
|
Derreck Brooks 4 |
Assists |
Kethan Savage 6 |
|
Derreck Brooks 6 |
Rebounds |
Tyler Wideman 10 |
|
Jordan Howard 3 |
Free Throws Made |
Kelan Martin 3 |
|
Jeff Lowery 2 |
Steals |
Tyler Wideman 2 |
|
Mathieu Kamba 1 |
Blocks |
Henry Baddley 1 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Central Arkansas
|
58 |
42.9 |
7-22 |
9-14 |
12 |
24 |
2 |
4 |
16 |
| Butler
|
82 |
49.2 |
11-35 |
9-14 |
22 |
34 |
2 |
6 |
8 |
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