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Green helps Butler to rout of Ball State

Dec 7, 2006 - 2:10 AM INDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) -- Mike Green is having little trouble fitting in at his new school.

Green scored a career-high 21 points as No. 14 Butler put the clamps on Ball State en route to a 65-41 rout.

Forced to sit out last season after transferring from Towson, Green has been one of the best players for the Bulldogs (10-0), who continued to show they may be the top team in the state of Indiana.

Butler improved to 4-0 against teams from the Hoosier State, with games on deck against Indiana State, Purdue and Evansville.

Green surpassed his previous career high of 19 points set earlier this season against Notre Dame by making three 3-pointers, 5-of-9 shots and 8-of-9 free throws. The junior guard is second on the team in scoring, averaging 14.3 points through 10 games.

Julian Betko scored all 11 of his points in the first half for Butler, which opened a double-digit lead midway through opening half and held a 35-17 cushion at the break.

A.J. Graves also scored 11 points for the the Bulldogs, who opened the second half with a 7-0 run and led by as many as 33 points.

Known for their deliberate style, the Bulldogs nearly held an opponent below 40 points for a second time this season. They opened the campaign with a 77-37 rout of Tulane.

Butler shot 41 percent (18-of-44) and made 21-of-23 free throws.

Anthony Newell scored 11 points to lead the Cardinals (3-5), who shot just 30 percent (14-of-47) in losing for the fifth time in six games. Ball State also made just 2-of-14 attempts from 3-point range.