National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Butler 68, Bucknell 56
When: 12:40 PM ET, Thursday, March 21, 2013
Where: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
Officials: # Jeff Anderson, # Les Jones, # Bill McCarthy
Attendance: N/A

Butler 68, Bucknell 56:
Andrew Smith had 14 points and a career-best 16 rebounds to help the Bulldogs sidestep the Bison in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Lexington, Ky.

Rotnei Clarke scored 17 points and Roosevelt Jones added 14 for sixth-seeded Butler (27-8), which will face Marquette in Saturday's third round.

Joe Willman scored 20 points for 11th-seeded Bucknell (28-6), but star player Mike Muscala was 4-of-17 shooting while contributing nine points and 10 rebounds in the East Regional contest.

The Bulldogs trailed by six before controlling the final 10 minutes and outscoring the Bison 22-5 over a stretch of more than seven minutes. Smith and Clarke hit back-to-back 3-pointers – Butler’s first two of the game – to kick the spurt into high gear and Alex Barlow finished the run with two free throws to make it 53-42 with 2:38 remaining.

Butler led 21-14 at halftime and boosted the lead to 29-18 on a basket by Khyle Marshall with 16:35 to play. The Bison ripped off the next eight as part of a 19-2 burst that led to them holding a 37-31 midway through the half.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Butler has won its first game in six of its last seven NCAA Tournament appearances. … The Bison drop to 2-6 in NCAA Tournament play with the wins coming against Kansas (2005) and Arkansas (2006). … Bucknell was 7-for-27 from the field in the first half and Butler was slightly better at 9-for-28.
Top Game Performances
 
Bucknell   Butler
Joe Willman 20 Scoring Rotnei Clarke 17
Steven Kaspar 6 Assists Roosevelt Jones 4
Mike Muscala 10 Rebounds Andrew Smith 16
Bryson Johnson 3 Free Throws Made Andrew Smith 7
N/A Steals Alex Barlow 4
Joe Willman 3 Blocks Kameron Woods 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Bucknell 56 37.1 5-16 5-8 13 30 4 0 9
Butler 68 36.4 3-17 25-28 8 36 3 6 5