Insider: Lose and learn — that's what Butler did to beat Furman

INDIANAPOLIS – If there was one sentence encapsulating what this meant to the Butler Bulldogs, it belonged to coach LaVall Jordan:

“In terms of how we play, it was closer today.”

It might be tempting to dismiss Butler’s 82-65 victory over Furman as an inevitable Saturday outcome of a small program’s visit to a Power Six campus. Don’t.

All a coach, and a fan base, can ask of a team is to apply lessons learned and try to improve. If this was indicative of how Butler responds to a downturn — Wednesday’s 79-65 loss at Maryland — then there is more than hope for this college basketball season. There can be expectancy.

Butler (3-1) shot 57 percent and collected 19 assists on 31 field goals, featuring three or more assists by five players. On his 22nd birthday, Tyler Wideman scored 19 points, one off his career high.

Things that the Bulldogs did poorly at Maryland — defend all over the floor, move the ball on offense — were strengths against Furman. The Paladins (2-1) are not a Big Ten or Big East team, but they tied for first in the Southern Conference last season and are at least co-favorites to win it again. This is the kind of opponent, like Winthrop last March, that shows up in the first round of an NCAA tournament bracket.

Furman shot 77 percent early (10-of-13) and led 20-16 midway through the first half. The Paladins were 1-of-15 for the rest of the half, limited to one basket over eight minutes and none in the closing 5 ½ minutes. They shot 40 percent for the game.

If there is such a thing as hot streak on defense, as there is on offense, that is what Butler achieved. Jordan said the Bulldogs, during a timeout, spoke about getting to shooters quicker.

“We had to close the distance. There wasn’t the urgency that we needed,” he said.

Message received. If there is a recurring theme at Jordan news conferences, it is that players listen to coaches and turn talk into action.

First-year Furman coach Bob Richey had a logical game plan, too: stop Kelan Martin. He was held to eight points on 2-of-9 shooting.

“We had to commit multiple guys to him,” Richey said. “Other guys came in and beat us.”

Those guys included:

>> Wideman. He scored 17 points in the first half and had a game-high seven rebounds.

>> Kamar Baldwin. He had 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting and added three assists and three steals. Richey said he had tried to recruit him out of high school. “Kamar was a very good player in high school, and Kamar has gotten a lot better,” the Furman coach said. “He really came out with an edge. He was really persistent to the paint.”

>> Sean McDermott and Paul Jorgensen. McDermott scored 17 points and Jorgensen 16, both equaling career highs. Jorgensen, replaced by Aaron Thompson in the starting lineup, hadn’t scored that many since he was at George Washington (he had 16 at South Florida on Nov. 19, 2015). McDermott was 5-of-7 on 3s after shooting 3-of-7 at Maryland. “Their teammates have full confidence in them,” Jordan said. “They’ve got great confidence taking those shots.”

>> Joey Brunk. Butler’s late-half surge coincided with insertion of the former Southport center. He supplied energy and rebounds (five in 11 minutes). He missed virtually all of last season while devoting himself to his late father, and now Brunk can “contribute with a free mind,” as Jordan said. “He did the same thing on the foreign tour in Spain. He was all over the place and on the floor. It’s part of who he is.”

Richey attributed some of Furman’s decline to fouls. Devin Sibley, the Southern Conference player of the year, picked up his second with nearly nine minutes left in the first half. He was limited to 11 points in 24 minutes, and he was charged with four turnovers.

The Bulldogs came into the game ranked 342nd in 3-point defense, and that did not improve much — Furman was 10-of-27. Moreover, the Bulldogs allowed 12 offensive rebounds and committed 18 turnovers.

That will give them new points of emphasis heading into Thursday’s PK Invitational game against Texas at Portland, Ore. Better to be educated in victory at Hinkle Fieldhouse than defeat at Maryland.

“There were a lot of lessons in that loss, we took it, and got better from it,” Jordan said.

Call IndyStar reporter David Woods at (317) 444-6195. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.

BUTLER 82, FURMAN 65

FURMAN (2-1) — Rafferty 5-9 0-1 11, Brown 1-3 2-2 5, Sibley 4-8 1-2 11, D.Fowler 6-12 4-4 19, Davis 4-10 0-0 9, Beans 1-2 0-0 3, Mounce 0-6 0-0 0, Williams 0-0 0-0 0, Hunter 2-3 0-0 5, Lyons 0-4 2-4 2. Totals 23-57 9-13 65.

BUTLER (3-1) — Martin 2-9 4-5 8, Wideman 7-12 5-5 19, Thompson 0-1 0-1 0, Baldwin 7-11 1-1 18, McDermott 6-8 0-0 17, Brunk 1-1 0-0 2, N.Fowler 1-1 0-0 2, Jorgensen 7-10 0-0 16, Baddley 0-1 0-0 0, David 0-0 0-0 0, Gillens-Butler 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 31-54 10-12 82.

Halftime—Butler 41-29. 3-Point Goals—Furman 10-27 (D.Fowler 3-3, Sibley 2-4, Rafferty 1-1, Beans 1-2, Hunter 1-2, Brown 1-3, Davis 1-5, Mounce 0-3, Lyons 0-4), Butler 10-23 (McDermott 5-7, Baldwin 3-5, Jorgensen 2-4, Baddley 0-1, Wideman 0-1, Martin 0-5). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Furman 25 (Mounce, Rafferty 5), Butler 27 (Wideman 7). Assists—Furman 11 (D.Fowler 4), Butler 19 (McDermott, Martin, Thompson 4). Total Fouls—Furman 18, Butler 17.