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Butler downs New Orleans

Jan 5, 2013 - 9:30 PM Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - Kellen Dunham scored 15 points as No. 17 Butler pulled away in the second half for a 57-44 win over New Orleans.

Khyle Marshall posted 13 points and eight rebounds while Roosevelt Jones gave 11 points and six boards for the Bulldogs (12-2), who closed out non- conference play with their ninth straight win.

Lovell Cook scored 11 points while Tradarrius McPhearson added 10 points for the Privateers (3-10), who have dropped five straight.

Butler held a 24-18 lead to start the second half, but an 8-2 run to begin the frame gave the team a 32-20 lead after Rotnei Clarke buried a 3-pointer 2 1/2 minutes in.

McPhearson hit a 3-pointer with just over 10 minutes to play to get New Orleans within eight, 40-32, but Jones followed with a three-point play to get it back to double-digits.

The Bulldogs led by double-digits the rest of the way.

Much of the first half was tightly played until Andrew Smith's three-point play gave Butler a lead it never gave back before Marshall hit two free throws and followed that with a slam for a 22-15 lead with just over two minutes to play.

McPhearson stopped the run with a 3-pointer, but Smith put in a layup just before the buzzer as the Bulldogs took a 24-18 lead into the locker room.

Game Notes

This was the first meeting between these two schools ... Butler begins Atlantic 10 play on Tuesday when it will play at Saint Joseph's ... Butler shot just 40.5 percent, but held a 33-22 edge in rebounds.