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Butler drubs Cleveland State to stay unbeaten

Dec 3, 2006 - 3:42 AM INDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) -- Butler didn't let up in its conference opener.

Mike Green scored 16 points to lead the 18th-ranked Bulldogs to a 70-45 rout of Horizon League foe Cleveland State.

A.J. Graves added 14 for Butler (9-0, 1-0 Horizon), which entered the rankings for the first time this season after winning the NIT Season Tip-Off last week.

The Bulldogs used two spurts to break the game open and end the Vikings' four-game winning streak.

Leading, 22-20, Butler scored eight straight points and closed the first half with a 13-2 run to take a 35-22 lead at halftime.

Pete Campbell and Graves hit back-to-back 3-pointers and Mike Green scored on a layup to extend the advantage to 30-20.

J'Nathan Bullock stopped the 8-0 run with a layup, but Drew Streicher scored for Butler and Campbell connected again from the arc to make it a 13-point lead at the break.

The Vikings closed within 39-30 on another layup by Bullock, but the Bulldogs answered with an 18-2 run built mostly on layups and follow shots for a 57-32 cushion with 6:45 to play.

Butler shot 52 percent (25-of-48) from the floor and converted 15-of-17 free throws.

Bullock and Kevin Francis scored 11 points apiece for Cleveland State (5-4, 0-1), which shot 33 percent (18-of-54) and outrebounded Butler, 30-29.

Neither team shot well from 3-point range. The Bulldogs were just 5-of-20 while the Vikings were 4-of-19.