Pirate Galaxy » to make adjustments and put a bigger guy on u

INDIANAPOLIS -- Butler forward Kelan Martin understood exactly why he was pulled out of the starting lineup Saturday.If he keeps playing this way, it may not happen again.Martin scored 20 points, grabbed four rebounds and was the catalyst in two key second-half runs to lead the 16th-ranked Bulldogs past No. 22 Cincinnati 75-65.I had to come out with a different approach, he said. The other day (against Indiana State), I came out with no energy. Today, I came off the bench with a lot of energy.The change was as noticeable on the court as it was in the box score.In 31 minutes, Martin was 6 of 14 from the field, 3 of 7 on 3-pointers and 5 of 6 on free throws. He also had two assists, looked to get the ball quickly and into the right spots instead of settling for jump shots.And when the Bulldogs needed him most in the second half, Martin delivered with a big game that allowed Butler (9-1) to extend its home-court winning streak over non-conference foes to 34 games.We just were looking at a different lineup to start the game, coach Chris Holtmann said. It probably wont be the last time we mix up our lineup.Whatever the explanation, the change worked.Butler was 7 of 10 on 3-point attempts in the first half, 8 of 20 for the game and in control most of the way.Troy Caupain scored a season-high 22 points to lead the Bearcats (7-2) and Gary Clark added 14 points and 12 rebounds.We had to get stops and I think we only got one in the first half, Clark said. We didnt get many in the second half, either.The Bearcats spent most of the first half playing catch-up before tying the score at 35 on Caupains 3-pointer with about 1 second to go. They finally took a brief 38-37 lead early in the second half and tied the score again at 39.But Martins three-point play broke the tie and spurred a 14-4 run that gave Butler a 51-43 lead with 11:51 to go. Martin followed that with six points in a 12-5 flurry to seal the win.We tried not to make too much of the other night (a loss) and I dont want make too much of today either, Holtmann said. Pleased with it.Andrew Chrabascz had 12 points and four rebounds for Butler.BIG PICTURECincinnati: For the second straight season, the Bearcats hit a road block against Butler. The Bearcats certainly need to play better than they did Saturday if theyre going to meet expectations as the American Athletic Conference favorite.Butler: Maybe Holtmann is the streak buster. Since taking over as head coach three years ago, the Bulldogs are 18-3 following a loss. So was anybody really surprised Butler rebounded from its first loss of the season with a solid win over a ranked team? Not a chance.FOUL TROUBLEKyle Washington came into the game ranked 10th in the nation in double-doubles (5) and as the Bearcats leading scorer. He was nowhere close to those numbers Saturday. Washington was called for two fouls in the first 10 1/2 minutes of the game and two more in the first 9 minutes of the second half. It showed. Washington finished with seven points and no rebounds -- both season lows -- and was 2 of 8 from the field.CRONIN CRANKED UPBearcats coach Mick Cronin was particularly upset with the calls in the second half, and it cost him. With the Bearcats trailing 61-51 with 5:02 left, Cronin, angry about a non-call on a turnover, walked toward the midcourt line to argue and drew a technical foul. Martin made both free throws to give the Bulldogs their biggest lead of the game.UP NEXTCincinnati: Will try to rebound with a three-game home stand that begins Tuesday against Texas Southern.Butler: Will take the week off for finals before returning to action Dec. 17 against an old rival, No. 9 Indiana at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.---More AP college basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 . Don Sunderlage Jersey . As he recorded his 23rd and 24th points of the evening, a segment of the sellout Air Canada Centre crowd expressed their appreciation for the Raptors point guard with a smattering of MVP chants. Walt Bellamy Jersey . Fred Couples, captain of the U.S. side, put it all into perspective. "We know whos in charge," he said. https://www.cheaphawks.com/894r-kent-bazemore-jersey-hawks.html . Louis Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey last Sunday. The fine is the fourth this season for Goldson. He was fined $30,000 for a hit on the New York Jets Jeff Cumberland in Week 1. Mookie Blaylock Jersey . Murray beat Sam Querrey 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-3 to clinch Britains opening-round victory against the United States on Sunday at Petco Park. "Im proud of the way Im playing just now, because I had to do a lot of work to get back to where I want to be," Murray said after celebrating with his teammates on the red clay court in a temporary stadium in left field of the downtown home of baseballs San Diego Padres. Christian Laettner Jersey . Hamelin, who triumphed in the 500 on Saturday, edged out Victor An of Russia by 0.021 seconds to maintain his lead in the World Cup standings. Russias Vladimir Grigorev was third. In the relay, Canada took control six laps from the finish line to beat Russia and the Netherlands. The conversation took place a few weeks ago. Kristaps Porzingis sent a text.?Karl-Anthony Towns?received it. The directive was clear.I said to him, This is a big year for us. We have to start taking over and taking that next step, Porzingis recalled in an interview with ESPN.And Towns reply?Exactly. Lets do our thing. Lets have a good season, is how Porzingis remembers it.This text connection between two budding superstars wasnt out of the blue. Towns and Porzingis contact each other fairly regularly. Sometimes, one will reach out after the other has a big game. Other times, theyll chat about the league in general.Were real good friends, Towns said. We just really enjoy each others presence, and the communication we have is always a lot of fun.And that text from Porzingis to Towns about starting to take over the league? It seems as if that process is already underway.Entering last season, there were 22 rookies in the 3-point era (since 1979-80) who were 7-footers with 100 blocks, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Those 22 rookies made a total of five 3-pointers.Enter Towns and Porzingis, big men with an imposing inside presence combined with the range of a guard.Towns and Porzingis, and their 272 combined blocks in 2015-16, also hit 111 3s last season -- 106 more than the other group of 7-foot shot-blocking rookies.And outside shooting has continued to be a weapon for both in Year 2.Porzingis 3-point shooting percentage has increased from 35 percent as a rookie to 40 percent thus far this season. Towns percentage has spiked 3 percent from last season to this one, and hes attempting 2.5 more 3-point attempts per game. Not surprisingly, both Towns and Porzingis per-game scoring has increased this season.Maybe thats why Porzingis doesnt mince words when asked about the impact he and Towns can have on the NBA.We are two big men that can kind of change the game, Porzingis said.The Towns-Porzingis friendship began in June 2015, as both were in New York preparing for the draft. Porzingis, who grew up in Latvia and played professionally in Spain, didnt know many of the other draftees.While Porzingis introduced himself at one of the many pre-draft events in the city, he and Towns quickly hit it off.From the beginning, he was a nice guy. Hes like an outgoing type of person, easy to talk to, Porzingis said of Towns, the reigning Rookie of the Year.And we kind of clicked from the beginning.?The feeling was mutual.When youre in part of the same draft class, you always have a certain connection that not many other people can have with each other, Towns said.Porzingis said he asked Towns thousands of questions during the draft and the subsequent rookie symposium, including queries about life in the United States, playing big-time college basketball and about growing up near New York City. Towns asked similar questions about growing up in Latvia and playing in Europe.We exchanged numbers, Porzingis saaid, and weve been talking ever since.ddddddddddddWe said we want to have this rivalry for the next 15 years, hopefully. So its nice to have a guy like that who is going through the journey at the same time.Any friendly words between the two might be put on hold this week, as Porzingis Knicks head to Minnesota to play Towns and the Timberwolves on Wednesday and the two teams return to New York to play at Madison Square Garden on Friday.Were both competitive, were trying to prove who is better and kind of compete against each other; thats a good thing, Porzingis said.Were trying to do better for our teams, obviously, but at the same time, its kind of a little bit of that one-on-one thing between us. So I think it will be fun.Its also a rare event when two young 7-footers who play such prominent roles face off.Since the NBA-ABA merger, more than 100 7-footers have played at least 350 minutes in their rookie seasons. Only five of them posted higher usage rates?-- a measure of how many possessions end on a player shooting, getting to the free throw line or turning it over -- than Towns and Porzingis, according to ESPN Stats & Info.All five of those big men are in the Hall of Fame.Its obviously premature to pencil either Towns or Porzingis into Springfield, Massachusetts. But Porzingis brings up an interesting point when talking about how he and Towns can change the game.He cites the recent trend of teams playing small lineups late in games to maximize spacing on the floor, thereby leaving 7-footers on the bench. Porzingis says he believes he and Towns can neutralize that.I think were the type of big men that can be [on the court] late in games, he said. We can be the guys that, if they put a small lineup [on the floor], we can take advantage of that inside and the other team has to make adjustments and put a bigger guy on us.Our ability to stretch the floor, those kinds of things can really affect the game.?Porzingis and Towns are only 21 years old, so its way too early to project with any accuracy how theyll impact the rest of the NBA. Both players are still in their NBA infancy.But by all accounts, Porzingis and Towns each work doggedly to reach their potential. And that shared work ethic might bring them to the same gym this summer. Porzingis says he hopes to work out with Towns in the offseason, possibly playing a few games of one-on-one against the No. 1 pick in his draft class. I think that would be good for both of us, Porzingis said.Towns seems open to the idea.Im always in New Jersey, so I think it would be very easy for me to get to New York, he said.They can figure out the details later, but for now, a pair of 5-on-5 showdowns between the Knicks and Wolves will have to do.Information from ESPNs Ethan Sherwood Strauss and Micah Adams was used in this story. ' ' '