Chuck Harris scored seven of his 23 points during a decisive second half run as Butler fended off a tough challenge from visiting Troy and pulled away for a 70-59 victory Saturday night in Indianapolis.

The Bulldogs (3-0) struggled most of the night to get into a rhythm until shortly after the midpoint of the second half. They took the lead for good at 33-32 on two free throws by Jayden Taylor with 14:58 remaining and built a 46-37 lead on a 3-pointer by Ty Groce nearly five minutes later.

After Troy was within 46-44 on a layup by Duke Deen off a turnover by Groce with 8:45 remaining, Harris converted two layups and a 3-pointer in a 9-0 run that gave Butler a 55-44 lead with 6:44 remaining.

Harris then finished it off by hitting his fourth 3-pointer for a 61-49 edge with 3:17 remaining.

Harris posted his seventh career game of at least 20 points and scored 15 of his points in the second half. He shot 9 of 14 and made six of seven shots after halftime.

Reserve Jair Bolden added 21 to match his highest point total with Butler. Taylor contributed 10 points as the Bulldogs shot a blistering 69.2 percent in the second half and 53.2 percent overall while getting 29 points from their reserves.

Efe Odigie scored 13 points for Troy (1-1) which shot 42.9 percent and missed 15 of 19 3-pointers in its first game against a Big East opponent since a nine-point loss at Seton Hall in Newark, N.J. on Dec. 10, 2015. Deen added 10 as Troy forced 21 turnovers but only scored 17 points off the giveaways.

Troy raced out to a 17-7 lead after Desmond Williams stripped Groce and coasted in for a layup with 8:59 remaining. Butler gradually chipped away and outscored Troy the rest of the half 16-6 and forged a 23-23 tie when Bryce Nze heaved in a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer from near the foul line after getting a defensive rebound.

--Field Level Media