Manny Bates had 22 points as Butler defeated Kansas State 76-64 Wednesday night at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., as part of the BIG East-Big 12 Battle.
Butler handed Kansas State its first loss of the season in a game that was a rematch of the 2010 Elite Eight matchup that sent Butler to its first Final Four appearance.
The Bulldogs (5-3) saw all five starters reach double figures, led by Bates, who also had a team-high 10 rebounds. Chuck Harris had 15 points, Eric Hunter Jr. scored 12, Jayden Taylor added 12 and Simas Lukosius had 11 along with seven assists.
Kansas State (6-1) suffered its first setback under new head coach Jerome Tang, despite 20 points and 12 rebounds from Keyontae Johnson. He was joined by double-figure scorers Desi Sills (17 points, all in the second half) and Markquis Nowell (13 points, eight assists).
The Wildcats, who came into the game tied for 319th in Division I with 16.0 turnovers per game, committed only 13 miscues in the loss. But shooting was the difference, as Butler was 54.9 percent from the floor compared to Kansas State (46.0).
Both teams took 20 shots from 3-point range, with Butler (eight) making twice as many as Kansas State (four).
The lead reached 14 points at 44-30 early in the second half before K-State used a 13-4 run to make it a game. But Butler responded with a 17-2 spurt to stretch it to 65-45. Bates had six points on three dunks in the Butler run.
Once again, K-State went on a 15-3 run to trim a 20-point deficit to just eight. But the Wildcats could get no closer.
Johnson scored 10 of the first 12 points for K-State, keeping the Wildcats within reach of the Bulldogs. Butler scored eight in a row to open a 23-12 lead at the second media timeout. The run reached 10 points before David N’Guessan threw down a dunk.
The Bulldogs’ lead reached as many as 13 points and Butler held a 37-25 lead at halftime. Bates led the Bulldogs with 10 points and six rebounds at the break.
Johnson led the Wildcats with 14 points on 6-for-6 shooting. K-State committed nine turnovers in the first half. The Wildcats also connected on just 2 of 12 shots from behind the arc.
–Field Level Media
