Siena leads Butler at halftime
February, 20, 2010
2/20/10
12:08
PM ET
By Pat Forde | ESPN.com
INDIANAPOLIS -- Halftime notes from Siena 31, Butler 28:
- After being on the ropes a bit early, Siena regrouped and used its pressure defense to shut down the Bulldogs in the final 10 minutes of the half. Butler scored five points in the final 10 minutes as a nine-point lead turned into a three-point deficit. Siena's three-quarter-court trap forced the Butler guards out of their comfort zone, and center Matt Howard (two points, no rebounds, three turnovers) was unable to get anything done against interior double teams.
- While Butler was lighting it up from the outside with four early 3-pointers, the guy who kept Siena in the game early was guard Clarence Jackson. The Saints' fourth-leading scorer had 14 of Siena's first 18 points.
- Butler clearly is missing the versatile contributions of swingman Willie Veasley, who is missing Senior Day with a sprained knee suffered earlier in the week. Veasley is a double-figure scorer, the team's third-leading rebounder, a capable 3-point shooter and a good defender -- the Bulldogs will need him at full speed come March.
- Butler sophomore Gordon Hayward showed some flashes of the game that brought a few curious NBA scouts to Hinkle. The smooth forward had eight points, four rebounds and three assists in the first half. He handled the ball fluidly with both hands, made a pair of 3s and gave Butler its only real strength on the defensive glass.
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