Mar 9th, 9:11pm
Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack had 14 points each and Howard had nine rebounds Tuesday as No. 22 Butler routed Wright State 70-45 to earn an NCAA Tournament spot.
The win in the Horizon League Tournament Championship Game gave the Bulldogs (28-4) their sixth Horizon League title and preserved their 15-0 record at Hinkle Fieldhouse this season -- their first unbeaten home season since 2002-03.
Zach Hahn came off the bench to score 11 points for the Bulldogs.
N'Gai Evans scored 13 points for the Raiders (20-12), who had beaten Detroit in the semifinals, while Cory Cooperwood and Vaughn Duggins contributed nine points each.
After Butler took an early lead, Howard made a 3-pointer and Ronald Nored hit two free throws to make it 32-21 with 4 1/2 minutes left in the first half. The lead grew to 42-28 by halftime and Butler scored 11 straight to open the second half and had a 55-30 lead with 14 minutes left.
