Woodson shoots Butler past Winthrop
MILWAUKEE -- Avery Woodson knocked down six 3-pointers and finished with 18 points to lead No. 4 seed Butler to a 76-64 victory over No. 13 Winthrop in an NCAA Tournament South Regional first-round contest at the Bradley Center.
Woodson's shooting touch helped Butler make eight on the day. The Bulldogs shot 49.0 percent overall while going 20-for-30 from the free throw line, while Winthrop made just five free throws on 10 attempts.
Inside the first round of March Madness, 2017
Andrew Chrabascz added 12 and Sean McDermott chipped in 10 for the Bulldogs (24-8).
Xavier Crooks and Keon Johnson sank three 3-pointers a piece and finished with 23 and 17 points, respectively, for Winthrop (26-7). Roderick Perkins added points for the Eagles, who shot 40.3 percent from the field and made 9 of 25 3-point attempts.
Winthrop got off to a cold start, hitting four of 12 3-pointers and shooting 34.5 percent overall in the first half.
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The long ball fell early for Butler, which hit seven of 13 3-pointers in the first half. Woodson hit five and had 15 points in the half as the Bulldogs shot off a 16-2 run shot 52.2 percent from the floor to take a 41-27 lead into halftime.
Winthrop's Johnson heated up early in the second half, scoring seven straight points to make it a 48-41 game with 13:19 to play but Butler responded with a 14-2 run to push the lead back to 17 with 7:17 remaining.
Butler advances to face either Minnesota or Middle Tennessee on Saturday afternoon in Milwaukee.
NOTES: Butler came into the Tournament as a No. 4 seed, the highest seed in program history. ... The Bulldogs are 10-1 in their last 11 first round contests. They haven't lost in the first round since 2009. ... Winthrop is 1-10 all time in NCAA Tournament play. The Eagles only victory came in 2007, when as an 11-seed, they upset No. 6 seed Notre Dame, 74-64, in the first round before falling to Oregon in the round of 32.
