NCAA Tournament: No. 6 Butler 68, No. 11 Bucknell 56

NCAA Tournament » Butler went 18 of 20 from the free-throw line late in the game.

By NANCY ARMOUR

| The Associated Press

First Published Mar 21 2013 01:07 pm • Last Updated Mar 22 2013 12:21 am

Lexington, Ky. • Andrew Smith had a double-double including a career-high 16 rebounds, Roosevelt Jones added 14 points and Butler made its free throws down the stretch to hold off upset-minded Bucknell 68-56 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday.

After trailing for most of the game, 11th-seeded Bucknell got back into it with a 19-2 second-half run. But after Joe Willman’s jumper cut Butler’s lead to 43-42 with 6 minutes, 56 seconds left, the Bison (28-6) went almost five minutes without scoring. Butler went 18 of 20 at the line over the last 4:43.

Willman scored a career-high 20 points for Bucknell, but the Bison couldn’t overcome an off day by two-time Patriot League Player of the Year Mike Muscala. Bucknell’s all-time leading scorer had nine points, only the second time this season he failed to reach double figures.

Butler will face the winner of Davidson-Marquette on Saturday.

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