Butler Basketball: Takeaways from home victory over Morehead State

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 02: Phil Booth #5 of the Villanova Wildcats drives to the basket against Henry Baddley #20 of the Butler Bulldogs in the second half at the Wells Fargo Center on March 2, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Villanova defeated Butler 75-54. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

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DETROIT, MI – MARCH 18: Coach Jordan of the Bulldogs reacts. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Butler basketball posted a somewhat lackluster performance against Morehead State but came away victorious. What were some major takeaways?

It wasn’t easy, but Butler basketball moved to 5-0 on Friday night by pulling away from Morehead State in the second half. Despite being heavy favorites, the Dawgs struggled out of the gates offensively while also allowing the Eagles to hit some open threes. That resulted in a tied halftime score but Butler took control over the final 20 minutes. Behind standout performers from star players Kamar Baldwin and Bryce Nze, the Dawgs wound up taking this one by an 18-point advantage.

Baldwin, who shot just 3-for-9 from the floor in the first half, chipped in a far-more-efficient 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting after the break to lead the Dawgs. He finished with 17 total points to lead the team while chipping in eight rebounds and three assists as well. Nze, though, was the team’s most efficient scorer in the game as he consistently dominated his 1-on-1 matchup in the post. The 6-foot-7 junior ended the night with 16 points (8-for-10 FG), six rebounds, three assists, a block, and a steal.

On the other side of the contest, Morehead State was led by a few key contributors. Justin Thomas was perhaps the most active of anyone on the roster as he chipped in 8 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals. He was held to just 3-for-12 shooting, though. Alongside him, James Baker (3-for-8 FG) and Djimon Henson (4-for-8 FG) both chipped in 11 points.

In the end, this will go down as yet another double-digit victory for Butler basketball. The team might have struggled a bit out of the gates, but it is hard to be too upset about an 18-point win. The Dawgs have performed quite well to begin this season and there is no reason to overreact to the team’s play in the first half because of the way they responded over the final 20 minutes.

Now, without any further ado, let’s dive into my major takeaways from Butler’s home victory over Morehead State in preparation for bracket play at the Hall of Fame Classic.