Bryce Nze had 18 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double in as many games as the host Butler Bulldogs beat the New Orleans Privateers 79-53 for their 51st straight nonconference home victory Saturday in Indianapolis.
Aaron Thompson had a double-double with 12 points and 10 assists for the Bulldogs, who never trailed. Jordan Tucker had 16 points and four 3-pointers, while Sean McDermott had 13 points with three makes from behind the arc. He also had eight rebounds.
Damion Rosser had 13 points, Troy Green had 12 points and Bryson Robinson 10 points for the Privateers (1-1), who were picked to win the Southland Conference in the coaches' preseason poll.
Tucker played his first game after missing the season opener while serving an NCAA suspension for participating in an NCAA-certified league event that was outside the allowable mileage radius. Nze, a 6-foot-7 transfer, followed coach LaVall Jordan from Milwaukee to Butler before sitting out last year.
Butler (2-0) had 18 assists on its 29 field goals after posting 21 assists on 35 field goals in an 79-47 victory over IUPUI in its season opener Wednesday.
Butler had a big rebounding edge, 38-25, and committed only six turnovers. The Privateers had 16 turnovers and shot 42.9 percent.
Nze had seven points and Tucker hit two 3-pointers when the Bulldogs rushed to a 23-5 lead before the Privateers made their only run of the game, closing to 25-16 when Rosser scored six points, Green made a layup and Robinson hit a 3-pointer.
The Bulldogs gradually pulled away from there. Thompson had 10 points in the final 10 minutes of the first half, and Henry Baddley and McDermott made late 3-pointers for a 45-29 halftime lead.
Only No. 4 Duke has a longer home nonconference winning streak (148) in Division I than the Bulldogs. Butler hosts Minnesota as part of the Big East-Big Ten preseason challenge on Tuesday.
--Field Level Media
