INDIANAPOLIS -- Kelan Martin had a double-double with 20 points and 14 rebounds and Butler held off feisty Princeton 85-75 on Sunday in the Tigers' season opener.
Kamar Baldwin's jumper with 16:01 left to play gave the Bulldogs a 50-38 lead, but Princeton methodically began chipping away and drew to 68-64 10 minutes later. After Mike LeBlanc's jumper with 3:39 left, Butler used an 8-2 run to create a safe cushion and held on for the win.
Henry Baddley made a pair of free throws and a 3-pointer sandwiched between layups by Nate Fowler and Martin -- and back-to-back layups by Sean McDermott -- and Butler led 33-23 with 5:35 left before halftime.