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The Butler Bulldogs hosted Loyola on Tuesday night and held a comfortable lead at halftime. The Bulldogs needed to hold on at the end of the game to seal the win, however.
The Butler Bulldogs held a 36-29 lead at halftime over Loyola and looked like they might run away with the victory over the Ramblers, but the Bulldogs offense bogged down a bit in the second half while Loyola's Ben Averkamp put down 23 points, picking up nearly half of the Ramblers offense. Averkamp also picked up six rebounds, four assists, and two steals on the night. Wait Gibler and Jordan Hicks scored eight points each for Loyola in the loss.
The Bulldogs offense bogged down early in the second half, but it picked up enough to seal the 63-57 victory as Butler improved to 10-6 in the Horizon conference. The Bulldogs had four players reach double digit scoring, with Chrishawn Hopkins leading the way with 13 points and 6 rebounds. Center Andrew Smith picked up 12 points while Khyle Marshall also added 12 points off the bench. Erik Fromm was the other Butler Bulldog to pick up double digit points, scoring 10 on the night.
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The Butler Bulldogs and the Loyola of Chicago Ramblers probably won't put together the best game on the offensive end when they meet on Tuesday night, but there are certainly still fans of basketball out there that like a good ol' defensive struggle. For them, it'd be wise to tune into ESPN 3 at 7 p.m.
The Bulldogs are 15-12 on the season and 9-6 in the Horizon league, while Loyola has won just one of their 14 conference outings. That doesn't mean Tuesday night's game will be a cakewalk, however, as the Indy Star's previewdoesn't see either team running away with a victory.
It would be charitable to say Butler and Loyola struggle on offense. Out of 344 teams in NCAA Division I, Loyola ranks 339th in scoring (55.5), according to ESPN.com. Butler is 337th in 3-point percentage (.277), but if the game against Oakland City, a Division II opponent, is omitted, Butler would be dead last (.266). Butler is 312th in field goal percentage (.400). Butler beat Cleveland State 52-49 Saturday without a 3-pointer. The Bulldogs had not won without making a 3-pointer in 426 games.
Alright, so that doesn't sound pretty, but crazy things happen in basketball so it might just be worth tuning in on Tuesday night.
You can catch up on all of SB Nation's college basketball news at SBNation.com/NCAA-Basketball.
Horizon League Update: Butler, Valparaiso Are Big Tuesday Winners
Tuesday was a very good day for both Valparaiso and Butler in the Horizon League. Both teams took a major step forward in with home victories, while a loss by Cleveland State to Wisconsin-Milwaukee leaves the Crusaders just a win away from wrapping up the Horizon League regular season title.
Winning the regular season title assures that Valparaiso would play in the postseason somewhere, as the regular season league champion is assured an NIT berth if they do not reach the NCAA Tournament. After beating Illinois-Chicago 74-65 on Tuesday, the Crusaders can lock up the Horizon League crown and home court advantage in the Horizon League Tournament by beating Loyola (IL) at home next Tuesday night. Loyola will enter that game with a 1-13 mark in the Horizon League.
As for Butler, the Bulldogs moved into third place and they trailed Cleveland State by half a game. A second place finish would give Butler a bye to the conference tournament semifinals with Valparaiso, and home court advantage in the conference championship game if they play anyone other than Valpo.
Feb 14 10:35p by Travis Miller