Rotnei Clarke scored 23 points, Roosevelt Jones had 18, and Khyle Marshall added 13 as Butler held off a furious charge late in the second half by Rhode Island to win 75-68. Andrew Smith scored his 1,000th point in a Butler uniform, which was the only bright spot for him during a game in which he struggled to score and rebound the basketball. Smith and Marshall combined for only 6 rebounds, which concerns me, as the Rams were able to get way too many second chances, especially in the first half. Smith and Kam Woods saw extended minutes during this game with Erik Fromm out, which I will touch on more later. The team turnover count was down to 15 from 23 on Thursday, but that is still too many against a team that the Bulldogs should have beaten by 15 to 20 points at home. I am also concerned that Kellen Dunham is hitting a late season wall that many freshman run into at some point, but he should keep shooting, even if his shots aren't falling. The Bulldogs have historically been quite successful in the month of February, so I hope they can keep it going this year.
Condolences go out to Erik Fromm and his family. Erik's father died today after a long battle of cancer, which is why he missed the game. While this will certainly be tough for Erik to cope with, he should know that he has two families, his actual family and his Bulldog family, that are there to support him.
Butler hosts St. Bonaventure on Wednesday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Bonnies are 3-4 in conference despite losing current NBA player Andrew Nicholson from last year's squad.
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