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No. 18 Butler cruises past Vanderbilt

Dec 30, 2012 - 5:01 AM Nashville, TN (Sports Network) - Rotnei Clarke gave 22 points as No. 18 Butler used a strong second half to post a 68-49 win over Vanderbilt.

Kellen Dunham gave 12 points while Khyle Marshall had nine points and 11 rebounds for the Bulldogs (10-2), who have won seven straight.

Kyle Fuller scored 10 points for the Commodores (5-6), who have dropped their past two games.

"We have had trouble putting it in the goal at times," Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings admitted. "That's just who we are as a team so far."

Butler led by just three points coming into the second half, and got the first four points in the frame to gain some space.

A Roosevelt Jones tip-in gave the Bulldogs their first double-digit lead of the game at 36-25 and Clarke followed that with a 3-pointer on the next possession.

Clarke later hit another 3-pointer for a 17-point lead with nine minutes to play and the lead hit as high as 25 down the stretch as the Bulldogs cruised to the victory.

"The difference (in the second half) was that we got the ball moving," Butler coach Brad Stevens said. "We were not patient in the first half."

Vanderbilt held a 13-8 lead early in the first half, but Butler was able to keep it close and took the lead for good on a Kameron Woods dunk and Clarke later hit a 3-pointer to help the team take a 25-22 lead into the break.

Game Notes

Butler hosts Penn on Wednesday ... Vanderbilt also plays on Wednesday as it will host William & Mary ... Butler has won all four games against Vanderbilt ... Butler shot 47.1 percent while holding Vanderbilt to just 33.3 percent.