Butler improves to 2-0 in Australia with 82-76 victory
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent
Rookie coach Brandon Miller says the main goal of Butler’s visit to Australia is a simple one: have fun.
Winning games only adds to the enjoyment.
The Bulldogs pulled out a tight battle with the National Basketball League’s Sydney Kings on Thursday and improved to 2-0 on their four-game summer exhibition slate with an 82-76 win at Newington College. Erik Fromm was the starting center once again and scored a team-high 18 points. Khyle Marshall added 14 points and seven rebounds, while Kameron Woods chipped in a double-double with 11 points and 15 boards.
“Our older guys stayed with what we do down the stretch,” Miller said during a postgame interview on the Sydney Kings’ radio network. The Bulldogs’ next opponent is the Australian national team on Saturday.
“I’m sure we’re going to have a lot of challenges in this next game,” Miller said. “Each game we have the same goal: to get better. We’re going to continue to learn our system. We’re going to try to have fun, which is the point.”
Kellen Dunham didn’t have as much of it on Thursday, going 5-of-22 from the field and 0-of-11 on 3-pointers. Butler was 6-of-27 as a team from beyond the arc. Dunham appeared to force several long, off-balance jumpers and never got to the foul line but did set up Fromm for a layup off a drive-and-dish in the second half. Butler defeated the Norths Bears Invitational Team 77-65 on Tuesday. Dunham looked much better in that one, clicking for 22 points and going 5-for-11 from 3-point territory.
In the win over the Kings, Jackson Aldridge (11 points) and Devontae Morgan (seven points, three steals) played well and were very active off the bench. Aldridge, a Sydney native, started the opener but had just two points. On Thursday, he looked much more comfortable, even nailing a 3 just before the halftime buzzer.
Roosevelt Jones missed the contest with a sore wrist. Woods started in his place at small forward, and Butler got off to a slow start, trailing 43-37 at halftime. The Bulldogs wound up shooting 42 percent for the game and overcame 11 turnovers. Alex Barlow started at point guard and went scoreless. Woods’ performance, which included seven of Butler’s 17 offensive rebounds, was perhaps the most eye-opening.
Thanks in large part to Woods, the Bulldogs constantly won battles for position inside or used their leaping ability to tip rebounds for control. They outscored the Kings 46-26 in the paint and dominated the glass 46-29. Fittingly, it was an offensive rebound and putback by Marshall — which stretched Butler’s lead to 79-76 with 1:02 remaining — and an offensive rebound and subsequent free throw by Woods — which made it a four-point game with 20 seconds left — that sealed the deal. The contest had been tied at 75 before Woods connected to give Butler the lead for good with 1:48 to play.
One lone complaint of Miller’s afterward was that needless gambles and over-aggression on Butler’s part helped Sydney shoot 46 percent in the first half.
“We got away from what we do on the defensive end early in the game,” Miller said. “We took some chances that opened up the floor, and against a good team like the Kings, they’ll make you pay.”
Butler found a way to seize control at the end, though, despite trailing by 10 in the first half. Dunham posted 10 points and six rebounds when it was all said and done.
Steven Bennett was the only Bulldog who did not play on Tuesday, and he, Michael Volovic and Elliott Kampen were the only healthy Bulldogs to sit out Thursday. Twelve players saw at least six minutes of action against the Bears, and it would’ve been 13 had Jones not suffered a wrist injury that knocked him out of the game early. Freshman big man Nolan Berry was productive in his first playing time in a Butler uniform. He had nine points and made a 3. Fellow freshman Elijah Brown didn’t fare so well, missing all five shots in 13 scoreless minutes. Andrew Smeathers added eight points. Rene Castro, a freshman vying to start at point guard, had two points, two assists and one steal in eight minutes.
Many of those players contributed on Thursday. Berry was solid inside, Brown scored six points and helped break the Kings’ relentless backcourt pressure, and Castro ran the offense for seven minutes without committing a turnover.
“If I had one word to describe those freshmen, it’s ‘mature,'” Miller said. “They’ve blended in. Outside of the basketball floor, they’ve been terrific. They fit in well with Butler University.”
So far, the Bulldogs have toured Sydney, visited the zoo and played cricket, in addition to some practice work. Of course, simply being in one another’s company for so many hours at a time can only be considered a win for team chemistry.
“Our guys have been terrific,” said Miller, who took over as head coach on July 6 after Brad Stevens left for the Boston Celtics. “What makes Butler a great program are the players. The players are high-character guys, really good teammates. It’s what made this trip special. Playing the games is a small part of what we’re doing here in Australia. What’s made my transition easier is the way they’ve come together. It’s been a really fun last month.”
