Butler Keeps Winning

Butler turned to its defense to win its first game as a ranked team in 53 years.

The 23rd-ranked Bulldogs got 20 points from Rylan Hainje and used a stifling defense to thwart Samford’s upset bid with a 45-37 victory Friday night in the first round of the Hoosier Classic at Indianapolis.

“That was a real test and I knew it would be,” Butler Coach Todd Lickliter said. “We’ve seen that style before and it’s very effective.”

Butler (12-0) wasn’t as effective offensively as it usually is, but it did stay unbeaten and protected--temporarily--its first Top 25 ranking since 1948-49.

The victory also sets up a showdown tonight with Indiana in the championship of a tournament in which the Hoosiers are 39-0 and have won all 19 titles.

“They were a good team,” Hainje said of Samford (7-4). “We knew they could come out and beat us.”

In a game that was dictated by defense and patient offenses, Hainje was the game’s only consistent scoring threat. He was six of 12 from the field and seven of 10 from the free-throw line.

Hainje’s teammates were nine of 31 from the field and four of six from the free-throw line.

“It may not have been the prettiest game to watch, but from a coach’s standpoint, it reaffirms my belief that these players are very strong mentally,” he said.

No. 3 Florida 94, Stetson 66--Udonis Haslem had 23 points and 10 rebounds at Gainesville, Fla., to lead the Gators to their ninth consecutive victory.

Florida (10-1) turned the ball over 23 times, and outscored Stetson only 41-39 in the second half.

Brett Nelson scored 17 points for Florida, which has won 10 of its first 11 games for the second time in three years.

The Gators had five players in double figures as they matched the second-longest winning streak in school history. Florida won 10 consecutive games in the 1951-52 season.

Florida opened the game with a 16-0 run, holding Stetson (4-5) without a basket for almost five minutes. Haslem, who recorded his fifth double-double of the season, had six points in that run.

No. 9 Iowa 77, Mercer 43--Ryan Hogan scored 18 points and Reggie Evans had 12 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Hawkeyes (11-3) at Iowa City, Iowa.

Luke Recker, who leads Iowa in scoring with a 20.0 average, was held to a season-low five points. He had nine rebounds and four assists.

Bobby Hansen had 16 points for Mercer (3-8), which trailed, 29-18, at halftime.