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INDIANAPOLIS – No. 14 Butler (19-4, 6-2 Atlantic 10) closed the first half on a 10-3 run to turn a two-point game into a nine-point halftime lead, and despite 18 points from senior Demitrius Conger, St. Bonaventure (10-11, 3-5 A-10) trailed by double digits the rest of the way as the Bulldogs claimed the first-ever meeting between the two schools Wednesday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse, 77-58.

Conger was the only Bona player to reach double figures in scoring, shooting 5-6 from the field, 7-8 from the foul line and converting his only 3-point attempt of the game. It was Conger's best scoring output since he tallied 21 at Saint Joseph's on Jan. 23.

With St. Bonaventure holding a 13-9 lead, Butler went on an 11-0 run to open up a 20-13 cushion midway through the first half. The Bonnies responded, however, and following a pair of Conger free throws pulled within two, 29-27. But the Bulldogs closed the half on an extended 10-3 stretch to create what was then their largest lead of the game, 39-30, at the half. The Bulldogs continued their strong play after halftime, leading by as many as 22 points in the second stanza.

Butler, which entered the contest leading the A-10 in rebounding margin, out-rebounded St. Bonaventure, 34-25, including 17-7 in the first half. Seven of those 17 caroms for Butler were offensive, leading to six second-chance points.

As a team, St. Bonaventure shot 18-47 from the field (38.3 percent).  After the Bonnies made 12 3-pointers on Saturday against Duquesne, they went 4-9 (44.4 percent) from beyond the arc on Wednesday night.

Four Bulldogs reached double figures in scoring as Rotnei Clarke led the team with 17 points, shooting 6-12 from the field. Andrew Smith added 13 points and Khyle Marshall and Chase Stigall chipped in with 12 points each. Smith also picked up a team-best seven rebounds for the Bulldogs. Butler shot 26-52 from the field (50 percent) and 11-26 from beyond the 3-point line (42.3 percent).

The Bonnies committed 12 turnovers while the Bulldogs turned the ball over 13 times. St. Bonaventure returns to action on Saturday as it continues its weeklong road trip at Rhode Island. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. from the Ryan Center and the game will be televised by the Ocean State Network.

GAME NOTES: The Bonnies were without the services of starting guard Matthew Wright for the second straight game as he recovers from a left foot injury, and sophomore center Youssou Ndoye started, but was limited with flu-like symptoms ... Wright is second in the A-10 in conference games only with a 60.5 percent field-goal percentage, averaging 10.7 points per game, while Ndoye is the team's third-leading rebounder at 5.2 per outing … Butler's Erick Fromm received a standing ovation from the fans in attendance in memory of his late father who passed away last Saturday … freshmen Jean Yves Toupane and Dion Wright saw action late in the contest with Toupane scoring two points.