National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Butler 67, Belmont 56
When: 6:00 PM ET, Sunday, December 28, 2014
Where: Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Officials: # Jim Burr, # Don Daily, # Michael Stephens
Attendance: 7752

Butler 67, Belmont 56:
Roosevelt Jones had 20 points and seven rebounds as Butler remained undefeated at home this season.

Kellen Dunham added 15 points and four 3-pointers for Butler (10-3), which improved to 7-0 at home this season after trailing by double digits in the first half. Freshman Tyler Wideman had seven points and nine rebounds and came up big during the deciding spurt as the Bulldogs won their 20th straight non-conference home game.

Craig Bradshaw, who came in averaging 20.6 points, had 11 points on 3-of-9 shooting for the Bruins (8-5), who stayed in the game by draining 10-of-26 3-pointers. Evan Bradds had 10 points for Belmont.

Shots from the arc by Dunham and Alex Barlow sparked a 14-3 run and Wideman chipped in five points, six rebounds and two blocks during the deciding spurt that provided Butler a 57-46 lead with 6:26 left. Belmont had a chance to move within four but Bradshaw missed a wide-open back-door layup with 1:44 on the clock and Butler scored the final five points to secure the victory.

In a well-played first half in which both teams shot better than 50 percent, Dunham and Jones combined for 23 points to offset six 3-pointers by Belmont and eight points from Bradshaw as Butler overcame an 11-point deficit for a 39-38 lead. Butler's defense took over after a 3-pointer by Nick Smith gave Belmont a 43-42 edge with 17:12 left, holding the Bruins to one field goal over the next 11:43.

GAME NOTEBOOK: All six of the Bruins' first-half 3-pointers came in the first 9 1/2 minutes that provided a 25-14 lead. … Butler opens Big East play on the road against No. 7 Villanova and No. 19 St. John's. … Barlow left the court with eight minutes left after banging his head on the court after a collision, but returned for the stretch drive.
Top Game Performances
 
Belmont   Butler
Craig Bradshaw 11 Scoring Roosevelt Jones 20
Craig Bradshaw 5 Assists Andrew Chrabascz 4
Craig Bradshaw 6 Rebounds Tyler Wideman 9
Craig Bradshaw 3 Free Throws Made Roosevelt Jones 4
Craig Bradshaw 3 Steals Alex Barlow 3
Craig Bradshaw 1 Blocks Tyler Wideman 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Belmont 56 40.4 10-26 4-6 14 19 2 7 15
Butler 67 48.1 5-16 12-21 13 35 3 7 15