Howard leads Butler past Northwestern

Posted November 26, 2008 10:00 pm

Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS _ Matt Howard scored 17 points, and Butler defeated Northwestern 57-53 on Wednesday night.

Gordon Hayward scored 13 points and Willie Veasley added 10 for the Bulldogs (4-0).

Michael Thompson scored 12 points and Craig Moore and Ivan Peljusic added 11 for Northwestern (3-1).

Northwestern shot 48 percent from the field and made 8 of 17 3-pointers, but Butler outscored the Wildcats 17-3 from the free-throw line and forced 17 turnovers.

Northwestern led 36-27 at halftime, then extended its lead to 11 points in the opening minute of the second half.

Butler got back into the game with a 9-0 run. The Bulldogs took their first lead of the second half on a 3-pointer by Hayward with 7:10 to play.

Butler led 52-51 in the final minute before Howard made a layup with 30 seconds left, then Hayward made two free throws with 14 seconds left to make it 56-51.

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