3 reasons Butler basketball beat Furman, 82-65

INDIANAPOLIS – Butler earned high marks on offense and defense Saturday.

The Bulldogs shot 57 percent, held Furman without a basket for the closing 5 ½ minutes of the first half and scored an 82-65 victory before a crowd of 7,827 at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

On his 22nd birthday, Tyler Wideman led Butler with 19 points, one off his career high. Kamar Baldwin added 18. Sean McDermott (17) and Paul Jorgensen (16) each equaled a career high.

The Bulldogs shot 64 percent in the second half and led by as many as 20 points. They shot 68 percent on 2-pointers (21-of-31) and 44 percent on 3s (10-of-23). McDermott was 5-of-7 on 3s.

Butler won despite an uncharacteristic eight points by Kelan Martin, who shot 2-of-9.

►BOX SCORE: Butler 82, Furman 65

It was the Bulldogs’ 38th consecutive nonleague home victory, fourth-longest active streak in the nation. In all three wins, Butler (3-1) has exceeded 80 points.

Daniel Fowler led Furman (2-1) with 19 points. Devin Sibley, last season’s Southern Conference player of the year, was limited to 11.

Three reasons Butler won:

Streak of stout defense

Remember when Brad Stevens used to talk about the law of averages?

Maybe that’s what afflicted Furman. The Paladins began by shooting 10-of-13 but were 1-of-15 for the remainder of the first half. Butler limited them to one field goal over the closing eight minutes, contesting most shots.

A 16-2 spree allowed the Bulldogs to build a 41-28 lead just before halftime, and that effectively settled the outcome.

Granted, Furman is not a Big East power nor a Top 25 opponent, but it is a team that will contend in the Southern Conference and be in the mix for an NCAA tournament berth.

If there is such a thing as hot streak on defense, as there is on offense, that is what Butler achieved. Butler’s best teams have been capable of that.

Paint points

It is never easy passing the ball to a post player in scoring position, and that does not always have to do with size of opponents.

But the Bulldogs did not have to contend with the height and length they confronted at Maryland, and they repeatedly located Wideman inside. He responded with 17 first-half points, showing patience when surrounded and resilience when he missed. On one sequence, he missed twice before tapping in the ball on his third attempt.

Butler led 34-10 in points in the paint. Those paint touches also allowed Butler more open looks from the 3-point line.

Passing, patience and balance

OK, maybe cheating here by including three reasons in one. They are a package.

During a period when neither Baldwin nor Martin could score, the Bulldogs got contributions from Wideman, Jorgensen and McDermott. Jorgensen was replaced in the starting lineup by freshman Aaron Thompson, and perhaps that move benefited both. Jorgensen scored nine first-half points, including three field goals in one 63-second span.

Butler finished with 19 assists on 31 field goals. Thompson, Martin and McDermott had four assists each.

Point is, the Bulldogs were patient when the Kelan/Kamar duo was not producing points. Others compensated, and the defense took over.

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