Henry Baddley hit a go-ahead jumper with 14:49 to go, and Butler gradually pulled away from stubborn Presbyterian for a 76-67 nonconference victory on Tuesday night in Indianapolis.
Aaron Thompson had a game-high 18 points and Kamar Baldwin 15 for the Bulldogs (8-3). Butler trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half and was down 50-47 in the fourth minute of the second period.
JC Younger had a team-high 16 points and Adam Flagler 13 for the Blue Hose (6-6), who had a two-game winning streak snapped.
Presbyterian, a 21-game loser last season, stunned Butler with a 25-11, game-opening run before the Bulldogs began a comeback.
Baddley and Jordan Tucker hit a pair of 3-pointers apiece and Thompson added a three-point play in a 30-15 run that allowed the Bulldogs to erase all of the 14-point deficit en route to a 41-40 lead just before halftime.
After a 3-pointer by Younger had pushed the Blue Hose back on top 50-47 at the 16:43 mark of the second half, the Bulldogs made another run, this one producing as much as a 12-point lead down the stretch.
Baddley's go-ahead hoop highlighted the burst.
Thompson had a team-high seven assists, Joey Brunk gathered a game-high eight rebounds to complement 10 points, and Tucker also totaled 10 points for Butler, which was coming off a 71-68 loss to Indiana on Saturday.
The Bulldogs shot 54.5 percent in the win.
Davon Bell matched Thompson's game-high assist total with seven to go with six points and four steals for the Blue Hose, who were playing their first of four straight on the road.
Francois Lewis added 10 points for Presbyterian, which shot 44.4 percent.
--Field Level Media
Presbyterian | Butler | |
JC Younger 16 | Scoring | Aaron Thompson 18 |
Davon Bell 7 | Assists | Aaron Thompson 7 |
Adam Flagler 5 | Rebounds | Joey Brunk 8 |
Cory Hightower 3 | Free Throws Made | Jordan Tucker 4 |
Davon Bell 4 | Steals | Kamar Baldwin 3 |
Adam Flagler 1 | Blocks | Nate Fowler 1 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Presbyterian | 67 | 44.4 | 9-24 | 10-13 | 14 | 25 | 1 | 6 | 13 |
Butler | 76 | 54.5 | 7-18 | 9-14 | 17 | 28 | 2 | 7 | 13 |