LaVall Jordan discusses Butler's 107-46 victory over Western Illinois. David Woods/IndyStar
INDIANAPOLIS – With 18 3-pointers, 23 assists and 107 points, Butler’s offense was as sharp as it has been this college basketball season.
For Butler, though, all those points are not the point. The Bulldogs won’t be shooting 58 percent from the arc in the Big East.
“On the defensive end of the floor, we executed as good as we have all year,” coach LaVall Jordan said. “We’ll see how consistent we can be.”
Butler’s 3-pointers consistently swished through the net. So much so that the Bulldogs crushed Western Illinois 107-46 on a Thursday night featuring career highs all around.
The Bulldogs (10-3) raised their Hinkle Fieldhouse record to 8-0 and extended their streak of nonleague home wins to 43, third-longest in the nation. They open Big East play Wednesday at Georgetown.
If ever there were a night for stat-stuffing, this was it. They did all of it despite the absence of senior center Tyler Wideman, who was sidelined after having wisdom teeth extracted Wednesday.
Henry Baddley – who was 0-of-8 on 3-pointers as a freshman – was 4-of-4 in the closing 5 ½ minutes. He scored 14 of his career-high 20 points in that short span. In 12 previous games, he had totaled 24.
Also with career highs were Paul Jorgensen (18 points), Nate Fowler (12 rebounds), Kelan Martin (seven assists), Kamar Baldwin (five assists) Joey Brunk (eight rebounds), Jerald Gillens-Butler (six points) and Christian David (four assists).
Martin moved into 11th on the all-time Butler scoring list with 1,537 points. He passed Roosevelt Jones (1,533), Wayne Burris (1,531) and Shelvin Mack (1,527).
In the first half, Martin accounted for 25 points (to Western Illinois’ 22) by scoring 18 points and assisting on three other field goals. After passing to Fowler for Butler’s first three baskets of the second half, the ledger was:
Martin 32, Western Illinois 24.
The 18 3s represented a Hinkle Fieldhouse record.
The Bulldogs were 4-of-4 on 3s in an early 14-0 run that built their lead to 16-2. The outbreak was astounding, considering Butler went into the game ranked among the nation’s worst and ninth in the Big East with a .317 percentage from the arc.
The 18 3s tied the No. 2 mark in school history, set at Detroit on Feb. 25, 2006, and were two less than the record of 20 set at Cleveland State on Feb. 8, 2007. The 61-point margin was the Bulldogs’ largest since they opened the 2015-16 season by beating The Citadel 144-71.
Baddley holds a school record for one of Butler’s 3-point drills, and Jordan said he made 13 in a row in a recent practice.
“I was able to get in a little extra,” Baddley said of his week’s 3-point practice. “We did a good job of moving the ball today. I had open shots.”
'3-pointers were falling faster than snowflakes in a Buffalo blizzard.' David Woods discusses Butler's 107-46 win over Western Illinois. David Woods/IndyStar
The Leathernecks (7-4) did not. They came into the game shooting 52 percent to rank No. 7 in the NCAA, and were limited to 32 percent.
Jordan chided himself for his game plan before Saturday’s 82-67 loss to Purdue. He said the Bulldogs became “sidetracked” by their 21 percent first half against Purdue, and he spent the week reminding them of their identity: Defense.
“This group is extremely coachable,” Jordan said. “You give them a job description, role definition, and they try to everything I ask them to do.”
Western Illinois was an 18.5-point underdog, but Butler’s defense never relented. The Bulldogs had a 31-5 edge in points off turnovers.
Western Illinois point guard Kobe Webster was one of four freshmen in the nation averaging 15 points and five assists. Webster, of Park Tudor, was limited to eight points on 3-of-11 shooting and committed five turnovers.
“I thought their defense really got them going,” said Leathernecks coach Billy Wright, a former Pike High School coach. “That sparked a lot of their offense.”
The Bulldogs will enjoy a short respite, reconvening on Christmas night. Fowler said their formula for Big East play will remain what it has been:
“Getting back to what we’re known for as far as Butler basketball.”
Call IndyStar reporter David Woods at (317) 444-6195. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.