YOUNGSTOWN - When the Butler Bulldogs rolled into Beeghly Center on Thursday night, coach Brad Stevens already knew how he was going to shut down Youngstown?State.
"Get out on the 3-point shooters," he said. "You got to guard those guys as hard as possible."
The Penguins shot 17.6 percent beyond the line. Blake Allen, Kendrick Perry and Ashen Ward each hit one 3-pointer.
"They're the best shooting team in the league," Stevens said. "You can play smaller if you can really stroke it, and they can. They also have the ability to break you down one-on-one."
The Penguins fell to the Bulldogs, 68-59, in the game and two places in the conference standings.
The Penguins (13-11, 8-6 Horizon League) were third heading into Thursday and now rank fifth. The Bulldogs improved to third and hold the tiebreaker over YSU. They also defeated the Penguins, 71-55, on Jan. 15.
Stevens said the biggest moment of the game was when his team led, 57-47, with less than five minutes remaining in the game.
The Bulldogs (14-12, 8-6) led by the same score in last year's contest at YSU on Feb. 3, 2011, with 5:27 left.
The Penguins went on a 15-3 run and won, 62-60, on Perry's game-winning 3-point field goal.
Stevens remembers that moment vividly.
Thursday was a different story.
"We just ran a little action," Stevens said. "I wanted our guys to play really free. I thought we really attacked the ball."
Chrishawn Hopkins led the Bulldogs with 19 points. Jackson Aldridge scored 15 points and Ronald Nored collected 11 rebounds.
"Today we just sort of let loosed a little bit, and we're playing a little bit freer," Aldridge said.
Hopkins said he did a good job of creating plays off the dribble for the team and himself.
"My teammates did a good job of hitting me when I was open," Hopkins said.
YSU coach Jerry Slocum said the Penguins are better playing a faster tempo style of offense.
"We're much better when we're in transition and pushing it and going," Slocum said. "We're not getting very good point guard play right now."
One of the guards that struggled Thursday was Allen. He scored six points and played six second-half minutes. He was also in foul trouble throughout.
Freshman DJ Cole played 14 minutes in the second half and scored two points. Slocum said he wanted a faster tempo on the floor.
"I thought DJ did a very good job. I thought he did a great job defensively," Slocum said. "When DJ and Josh Chojnacki went in is when we cut that lead to four."
The Penguins trailed by as many as 14 in the second half before cutting the deficit to four (40-36) with less than 13 minutes remaining.
Stevens said Cole playing changed the Penguins' outlook.
"Obviously it changes a little bit because he's not shooting the same percentage as Allen, and so you close out differently," Stevens said. "I thought he gave them a good lift. I think he obviously has a chance to be a good player."
Perry, recently named Horizon League Player of the Week, led all scorers with 23 points. Damian Eargle finished with 11 points, and Ward scored 10.
Slocum said the two main factors in the game were rebounding and a slow first half.
"It was as bad of first half basketball as we played all year, and it's very disappointing," Slocum said. "They really did a great job in terms of getting second shots and put backs, and we did not do a very good job rebounding the ball tonight."
The Bulldogs out-rebounded the Penguins, 42-29, and led by 10 at halftime, 35-25.
"I thought our defensive effort in the first half was very good, kind of kept us there as we were struggling to score early," Stevens said.
