No. 21 Butler 68, Vanderbilt 49: Rotnei Clarke scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half as the visiting Bulldogs pulled away from the Commodores for their seventh straight win.
Butler (10-2) led 25-22 after a half in which the Bulldogs hit 2-of-12 3-pointers. Butler opened the second half on a 14-3 run fueled by Clarke, who finished 6-of-9 from beyond the arc.
Khyle Marshall added nine points and 11 rebounds for Butler, and Kellen Dunham scored 12.
Vanderbilt (5-6) lost its second straight mainly because it was unable to solve Butler’s halfcourt defense. The Commodores shot 33.3 percent (17-of-51).
Vanderbilt's leading scorer Kedren Johnson, who came in third in the SEC at 17.8 points per game, was held to nine points on 3-for-10 shooting. Kyle Fuller led Vanderbilt with 10 points.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Vanderbilt entered the game tied with Mississippi State for the SEC's second-lowest scoring average at 60.3. … Clarke has made 50 3-pointers this season. … Butler dominated the boards, 39-24.
Butler | Vanderbilt | |
Rotnei Clarke 22 | Scoring | Kyle Fuller 10 |
Alex Barlow 3 | Assists | Kedren Johnson 4 |
Khyle Marshall 11 | Rebounds | Shelby Moats 5 |
Alex Barlow 2 | Free Throws Made | Shelby Moats 3 |
Alex Barlow 2 | Steals | Kyle Fuller 1 |
Khyle Marshall 1 | Blocks | Rod Odom 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Butler | 68 | 47.1 | 8-20 | 12-17 | 13 | 39 | 2 | 5 | 12 |
Vanderbilt | 49 | 33.3 | 7-17 | 8-19 | 7 | 24 | 3 | 3 | 9 |