Butler dials long distance to drop Loyola

Loyola's Terrance Hill and Geoff McCammon entered Wednesday night's Horizon League opener shooting 56 percent on 3-pointers.

Butler entered the Gentile Center determined not to let those senior guards shoot anywhere near that efficiently.

McCammon and Hill hit just 3 of 11 from long range a handful of them hurried attempts that had no chance to go through the rim and Butler's guards hit crucial 3-pointers just when the visitors needed them.

That made the difference in the Bulldogs' 65-63 victory before 3,758 in Rogers Park.

Loyola (7-1, 0-1), which trailed for the final 36 minutes and by 10 points at halftime, began the game one of 28 Division I teams without a loss.

“A fun game for the fans to watch, but a tough one to lose,” Loyola coach Jim Whitesell said. “I think you have to give Butler a lot of credit. They really executed down the stretch and they made some timely 3s.”

Butler, last year's NCAA Tournament runners-up, tied the Horizon League record with its 21st consecutive league win.

“It's 1 for this team,” declared Butler coach Brad Stevens, who had just two starters available from last year's squad.

Senior center Matt Howard, minus the Larry Bird “trash 'stache” he wore throughout the NCAA tourney, produced 15 points and 7 rebounds for Butler (4-2, 1-0).

Lefty shooter Zach Hahn added 15 points, including back-to-back long 3-pointers after Loyola pulled within 51-49 with 10:02 to go.

The Ramblers never had the ball again with a chance to tie until 1:30 to play when McCammon came up well short of the rim on a rushed 3-point try with Butler leading 63-60.

McCammon led the Ramblers with 14 points but hit 2 of 7 from 3-point range. Hill, who entered the night shooting 70 percent on 3-pointers, made just 1 of 4.

“We just didn't feel like Hill or McCammon could become comfortable,” Stevens said. “That was the deal for us. That was going to be our focus and intent. That hasn't changed in two years.

“We needed to be there on the catch every time.”

Eventually, Loyola caught on and compensated by pounding the ball into the paint.

Senior forward Andy Polka contributed 12 points and 9 rebounds overall, while sophomore Ben Averkamp produced all 9 of his points and 4 blocks in the second half.

Usual starting forward Walt Gibler suffered a high ankle sprain Saturday at San Francisco and wasn't expected to play, but he gutted out 14 minutes off the bench and added 6 points.

“When I saw the (injury) on tape, it was nasty,” Stevens said. “So he's a tough kid.”

Now it's up to Loyola to stay tough and not fall apart after its first loss. Valpo visits Gentile Center on Saturday.

“Don't give up on these guys yet,” Whitesell said. “It's only 1 loss. Everyone's going to lose. I don't think anyone's going to go undefeated.

“Take the hit and see if we can come on back and see if we can play with a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of heart.”