Butler Bulldogs forward Patrick McCaffery (22) passes the ball to Butler Bulldogs forward Boden Kapke (33) during a game at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. Pierre Brooks II scored 20 points, hitting four 3-pointers, and Butler pulled away from Western Michigan in the second half to win 85-65 in Indianapolis on Monday.
After a disappointing loss to Austin Peay last game, Bulldogs coach Thad Matta inserted Augusto Cassia into the starting lineup to get off to a fast start and he finished with a career-high 16 shots.
Butler also looked to cut down on turnovers after committing 35 in the first two games. Butler only committed 11 on the night.
Donovan Williams led Western Michigan with 17 points and nine rebounds, while teammate JaVaughn Hannah had 15 points. The Broncos shot 4-for-22 on 3-pointers.
Western Michigan opened the contest with five straight points, including a fallaway jumper by Hannah and a 3-pointer from the wing. That would be the Broncos’ biggest lead of the night.
Despite this, the first half saw the teams trading baskets. The first half was tied 11 times and there were 7 lead changes. Butler led 39-37 at halftime.
The Bulldogs opened the second half hot. Cassia started things off with a dunk on an alley-oop. Finley Bizjack added a driving basket and the Bulldogs went on a 16-2 run over four minutes to make it 55-39.
Western Michigan responded with a 15-2 burst, capped by Strickland’s elbow jumper with 11:11 left, to pull within 57-54, but Butler dominated the final minutes. Western Michigan had just four points in the final 7:02 as the Bulldogs scored the final 10 points of the game.
Butler was 10-21 on 3-pointers and had 21 assists to the Broncos’ seven assists.
–Field level media
