Butler is feeling good about its shooting touch through two games, especially from 3-point range, and will be out to continue the trend in a visit to Boise State on Sunday afternoon.
The Bulldogs (2-0) are shooting 50.7% from the field and have made 36 of their 87 attempts (41.4%) from long range so far this season.
The team’s long-range shooters were on fire from beyond the arc in their 99-65 win over Fairleigh Dickinson on Wednesday, matching a program record for 3-pointers made with 20. They also matched a program record with 31 assists.
Asim Djulovic was 4 of 5 from distance on his way to 25 points. He has averaged a team-best 22 points per game while going 8 of 11 (72.7%) from distance.
Eduardo Klafke, who is scoring 14.5 points per contest, went 4 of 6 from 3-point range in the victory Wednesday and is not surprised by the Bulldogs’ shooting success.
“That’s just part of the chemistry we have been building since the summer. I’m really happy for my teammates,” Klafke said. “Everybody did a good job shooting the ball, and that’s part of how everybody is coming in here late and shooting together. We’ve been putting up a lot of shots and the work is showing.”
Boise State (1-0) is coming off a big performance as well, winning 132-53 over West Coast Baptist on Wednesday. The Broncos set a program record for points, field goals (51), rebounds (67) and margin of victory (79 points).
Dovydas Butka led Boise State with 18 points and added nine rebounds. Damari Wheeler-Thomas scored 17 points, Bhan Buom finished with 16 and Jerquarius Stanback finished with 15 points and 16 rebounds for his third career double-double.
Boise State head coach Leon Rice believes his team gained something from the lopsided victory, despite the considerable talent gap between the teams.
“Every day we are together we want to get better,” Rice said. “We know what is coming (against Butler), but this was a great tuneup. It was a mature approach from our guys. Now, are there a ton of things we can get better at? Absolutely. And these guys know it. But I think we are seeing some growth.”
