While it wasn’t a sellout crowd on a Saturday night, the atmosphere inside the ARC sure made it seem that way. A packed student section and a screaming crowd of over 4000 fans made sure the Bulldogs did not have an easy game this time around. Butler has lost its last four meetings with the Crusaders, including a loss at Hinkle earlier this year and three straight at the ARC.
Down by as much as five just over three minutes into the opening half, Valpo would claw back to tie the game at eight before taking the lead for good. The next nine minutes saw a 23-four run by Valpo. The Crusaders lead 25-11 with just under eight minutes to play in the first half. The Bulldogs cut into the deficit heading into the break, however, out-scoring Valpo 13-five over the last portion of the opening stanza to make it a 31-24 Crusader lead at the half.
The bulldogs tried to rally in the second half, but could not get any momentum going. An 18-six run by Valpo for most of the second half saw Butler down 49-30. Unable to get any closer than 15 points, the Crusaders continued to put the lead out of reach. A final 16-12 run prevented any hope of Butler advancing to the championship game.
Valpo will now play Detroit Tuesday night at 8 pm for the right to go to the NCAA tournament. Fans can catch the game on ESPN and ESPN3.com. Let’s show our support as the Crusaders look to go back to the Big Dance for the first time since 2004.
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