Jahmyl Telfort finished with 18 points to lead six scorers in double figures as Butler ran away from Eastern Michigan to earn a 94-55 victory in Indianapolis on Monday in the season opener for both teams.
Pierre Brooks II supplied 16 points, while DJ Davis, Posh Alexander, Connor Turnbull and Andre Screen chipped in 13 points apiece for Butler, which has won its past 25 home openers. The Bulldogs shot 57.1 percent from the floor and owned a 48-18 advantage in points in the paint.
Alexander led Butler with eight assists, while Jalen Thomas paced the Bulldogs with seven rebounds.
Tyson Acuff and Arne Osojnik each tallied 13 points to lead the Eagles.
Eastern Michigan kept within five points in the early stages of the second half until Alexander and Telfort helped Butler build a comfortable cushion. The duo supplied 14 straight points for the Bulldogs, who boosted their lead to 50-37 with 14:10 to play.
Screen overwhelmed the Eagles near the rim to help put the game out of reach. The 7-foot-1 Bucknell transfer converted an and-one before slamming home back-to-back dunks ahead of another jumper from Telfort that pushed Butler’s advantage to 21 with 9:36 remaining.
The Bulldogs shot 61.1 percent in the second half and led by as many as 40.
Both teams lacked rhythm early in the first half. Butler and Eastern Michigan combined for as many made field goals (12) as turnovers in the game’s first 10 minutes as the Bulldogs stumbled ahead 16-15.
Butler used its physicality to impose itself near the rim and quickly seized control of the first half. The Bulldogs put together an 18-2 run that widened their lead to 34-19 with 3:34 to play until halftime. Butler went 12-for-16 from 2-point range in the opening half.
The Eagles’ offense sputtered after John McGriff’s jumper slid the visitors ahead 14-13 with 11:10 to play in the first half. Eastern Michigan made one field goal over the game’s next nine minutes as its deficit widened.
Connor Serven and Acuff sparked a late Eagles surge with consecutive triples that pulled Eastern Michigan to within 34-26 at the half despite being outshot 51.9 percent to 31 percent.
–Field Level Media