SIUE forces several turnovers, but Butler pulls away for win

INDIANAPOLIS – SIUE men's basketball team forced seven first-half turnovers and trailed 39-38 at the break, but Butler pulled away in the second half to score an 89-73 win in front of 7,026 at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

"Our team played aggressive and they believed we had a chance to compete and we did that in the first half," SIUE Head Coach Jon Harris said. "I thought we competed in the second half, but we had a three to five minute stretch in there where we turned the ball over and (Butler) got the separation. After that it was hard to bounce back."

After turning the ball over themselves just three times over the first 20 minutes, the Cougars turned the ball over 10 times in the second half including six over the first six-plus minutes of the period.

"It's unfortunate because it was us," Harris said. "Butler is obviously a phenomenal team, they are a well-coached, great program, but our turnovers were unforced. They were mental lapses. We have to grow. We have to learn and we have to find a way to put a 40-minute game together."

Grant Fiorentinos led SIUE with a 17 points, including 14 in the first half. He was 5 for 6 from the field and 5 for 6 from the free throw line.

"Grant is doing some really good things for us," Harris said. "He's playing at a pretty high level now on both ends. We have to get him to rebound a little better, but he's playing great. He's doing what we need him to do off the bench."

Fiorentinos was joined in double figures by Burak Eslik, who equaled his career high with 16 points, C.J. Carr (13) and Carlos Anderson (12).  

The Cougars put together a strong offensive game, connecting on 52.4 percent (11-21) second-half shots and shooting a season-high 46.2 percent (24-52) for the game.

"Outside of that stretch with the turnovers, we did some good things," Harris added. "It's unfortunate because we're making strides."

Butler had five players finish in double figures in scoring. The Bulldogs got 32 points from Kellen Dunham who knocked down five three-pointers. Tyler Wideman scored 13 points, Andrew Chrabascz and Tyler Lewis each scored 12 points and Roosevelt Jones chipped in 11 points and six rebounds.

The Bulldogs were 30-53 (56.6 percent) from the field.

Harris believes his players know they played a strong game.

"I think they'll feel that and we'll show it to them," Harris said. "We'll break it down. They'll be disappointed but understand we did some positive things. We have to continue to take steps one day at a time."

The Cougars return home to face Green Bay Monday at Vadalabene Center.

"The nice thing about our sport is you don't have to wait until Saturday or Sunday to revamp it and go again," Harris said. "It's a quick turnaround and Green Bay is a really solid program. They're playing good basketball. We have to have a short memory and find a way to bounce back on Monday."

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