Rotnei Clarke had not played since Jan. 12 after suffering a frightening neck injury that some briefly feared could leave him paralyzed. But that didn't stop the sharpshooting guard from returning on Saturday to score 24 points and fuel his Butler Bulldogs to an 83-71 win over the Temple Owls in Atlantic 10 action.
No. 9 Butler vs. Temple final score: Clarke’s return fuels Bulldogs to 83-71 win
Rotnei Clarke returned to the Butler lineup after suffering a devastating injury on Jan. 12, and led the Bulldogs to the 83-71 win on Saturday.
The trio of Clarke, Khyle Marshall (19 points) and Kellen Dunham (17 points) led the No. 9 Bulldogs in scoring and as a team, Butler shot 52 percent for the game. Butler also dished out 16 assists -- nine coming from Clark -- on 26 made baskets.
The Owls put up a fight, tying the game at 56-56 with 7:23 to go, but a quick 8-2 run, led by two threes from Dunham, put Butler back in the driver’s seat. After Temple’s Khalif Wyatt answered with a layup, the Bulldogs unraveled another seven in a row to seal the victory.
Wyatt had 22 points, including 4-6 shooting from three, to lead the Owls. Forward Anthony Lee had 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
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