Offense brought Hinkle Fieldhouse to life early in the opening game of the men’s basketball season. Butler scored 20 points in the first five minutes en route to a wire-to-wire 96-60 victory over Lafayette to start the season on the right foot.
While baskets did not come quite that easy for the entire game, the Dawgs were humming right along, powered by a pair of breakout scorers.
Junior guard Eduardo Klafke stuffed his statline with 13 points, seven rebounds and a game-high eight assists, always appearing in the center of the action.
Meanwhile, junior forward Asim Djulovic started a perfect 3-3 from long range en route to 19 points, leading all scorers in a much-needed performance after a rocky preseason.
“The coaches encouraged me to take more shots,” Djulovic said. “I feel like they’re really confident in me shooting, so I appreciate that. I think that has an impact.”
A scoring spark from Djulovic adds a major layer to Butler’s offense, giving a compliment to its most consistent offensive producer, Jalen Jackson.
Jackson — the Bulldogs’ always-reliable graduate point guard — was his usual self as well, adding 18 points to five rebounds, five assists and three steals. The Dawgs appear as though they will go as Jackson goes, so his consistent production will be key night-in and night-out.
The bigs played well — including a four-block performance from senior center Drayton Jones — but did not need to stand out because of Butler’s barrage of three-pointers. The Bulldogs were relentless from beyond the arc, pouring in 16 triples. Their 44 three-point attempts were the most in program history.
Despite the sharpshooting performance, head coach Ronald Nored was more pleased by what his team did on the other end of the floor.
“A big part of the game-plan was getting [Lafayette] off the three-point line,” Nored said. “For them to make four threes in a game is really what we’re about.”
For the rookie head coach, the victory was his career-first in the regular season.
“I’m thankful to be a small part of the success that Coach is going to have, especially this year,” Jackson said. “I’m super grateful to be coached by a guy like Ron, who believes in us no matter what … I couldn’t ask for anything else for my last year of college basketball.”
Nored and company do not need to wait long for a chance at a second win. FDU comes to Hinkle on Nov. 4 for the Bulldogs’ second game in three days.