Saturday, January 31, 2009
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Gordon Hayward scored 18 points, Willie Veasley had 13 and No. 13 Butler needed a spurt in the final six minutes to hold off Valparaiso 59-51 on Friday night.
Butler (19-1, 10-0 Horizon League) won its 11th in a row and matched the conference record with its 21st consecutive victory against a league foe. The Bulldogs will try to break the record Sunday at Green Bay, which holds the mark.
Valparaiso (6-16, 3-8) was led by Urule Igbavboa with 15 points and Logan Jones with 10 but couldn’t avoid losing its seventh straight to Butler. The Crusaders have lost seven of nine overall.
It was a strange game for the Bulldogs, who committed more turnovers in the first half (12) than they average per game (11.7) and finished with 18 — just one off their season-high.
They also struggled with shooting, making only 17-of-45 shots, and two of their top scorers — Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack spent much of the second half in foul trouble.
Yet Butler still found a way win its 15th straight at Hinkle Fieldhouse.