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Butler takes down nemesis Wright State

Jan 9, 2009 - 7:26 AM INDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) -- Matt Howard led the way with 14 points and Gordon Hayward added 12 and 11 rebounds to lead No. 20 Butler past Wright State, 64-48, on Thursday.

Willie Veasley chipped in 11 points for the Bulldogs (13-1, 4-0 Horizon), who have won five straight.

Butler also gained some revenge for last season, when the Raiders (8-8, 2-3) handed the then-13th ranked Bulldogs their first loss of the campaign. The teams have split meetings each of the past three seasons.

This time, Butler used some tight defense to snap Wright State's six-game winning streak. Todd Brown scored 13 points to lead the Raiders, who shot just 33 percent (16-of-48) - including 5-of-19 from beyond the arc.

The Bulldogs were on fire at the start, opening a 34-14 lead after Hayward's 3-pointer with 3:29 left in the first half. Hayward scored nine points during the spurt, while Howard added seven and Veasley chipped in six.

Wright State closed out the half with a 7-0 run to make it 34-21 at the break. The Raiders shot 6-of-22 from the field in the first half.

"At the same time, we're not scoring. (Their) lead is building and (they're) playing with a lot of confidence," Wright State coach Brad Brownell told the Indianapolis Star. "That's a recipe for disaster against these guys."

Brown made a pair of 3-pointers during a 10-3 run that pulled the Raiders within 50-42 with 7:27 left. But Butler responded with a 9-0 burst over the next four minutes to put away the game.

The Bulldogs improved to 7-0 at Hinkle Fieldhouse, where they have won 27 of 28 against Horizon League opponents.

"We all knew they'd be good," Brownell said. "We didn't know they'd be able to adjust quite this quickly. That's starting to happen more and more with certain freshmen."