Butler 80, Loyola Maryland 39: Freshman Kelan Martin poured in 23 points off the bench as the Bulldogs cruised to their 16th consecutive non-conference win at home.
Kellen Dunham scored 13 points and Roosevelt Jones contributed 10 points, six assists and four steals for Butler (3-0), which has won its first three games by an average of 35 points. The Bulldogs shot 53.6 percent from the floor and were 9-of-16 from 3-point range.
Eric Laster scored 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting to lead Loyola (2-2), which had won two straight. Franz Rassman collected 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Greyhounds.
The Greyhounds scored the game's first five points and were up by one as late as eight minutes into the contest when Butler reeled off a 20-1 run to take control. Martin scored 11 points during the decisive stretch, while Loyola went 0-for-4 from the floor and committed three turnovers during the spurt.
Laster hit back-to-back shots to stop the bleeding, but the Bulldogs closed the half with a 13-2 run to lead 42-18 at the break and Loyola never recovered. The closest the Greyhounds got after the break was 21, and any hope of a comeback was crushed when they were held scoreless over the six-minute span in which Butler rattled off a 17-0 run to extend the lead to 73-30.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Bulldogs now head to the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, where they will face No. 6 North Carolina on Wednesday. … Freshman G Andre Walker, Loyola's leading scorer through three games, was held scoreless on 0-for-7 shooting. … Butler's bench outscored Loyola's reserves 39-0.
Loyola-Maryland | Butler | |
Eric Laster 24 | Scoring | Kelan Martin 23 |
Denzel Brito 4 | Assists | Roosevelt Jones 6 |
Franz Rassman 10 | Rebounds | Kelan Martin 7 |
Eric Laster 2 | Free Throws Made | Roosevelt Jones 4 |
Andre Walker 2 | Steals | Roosevelt Jones 4 |
Cam Gregory 2 | Blocks | Tyler Wideman 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Loyola-Maryland | 39 | 29.4 | 4-16 | 5-11 | 5 | 27 | 3 | 6 | 20 |
Butler | 80 | 53.6 | 9-16 | 11-17 | 17 | 33 | 6 | 11 | 10 |