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No. 10 Butler 75, Rhode Island 68: Rotnei Clarke scored 23 points and made five 3-point baskets as the host Bulldogs used a strong second half to down the Rams in Atlantic 10 play.

Roosevelt Jones tallied 18 points and Khyle Marshall added 13 as Butler (18-4, 5-2 A-10) scored the first 13 points of the second half while rebounding from a drubbing by Saint Louis two nights earlier.

Nikola Malesevic scored 18 points while Xavier Munford and Mike Powell scored 14 apiece for Rhode Island (6-14, 1-6). The Rams led 32-30 at halftime but crumbled in the opening minutes of the second half for their fourth straight loss.

Rhode Island led by as many as nine points in the first half but self-destructed with four turnovers in its first five second-half possessions as Butler took control. Clarke had a four-point play to give the Bulldogs the lead and Jones converted a three-play to end the 13-0 run that gave Butler a 43-32 lead.

The Bulldogs were ahead 67-54 with less than 4 1/2 minutes to play before Rhode Island used a 12-3 run to pull within four with 1:45 remaining. The Bulldogs hit three free throws in the final 27 seconds to hold on.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Butler F Erik Fromm missed the game after his father lost his battle to cancer earlier Saturday. … Rhode Island’s six Atlantic 10 defeats are by a combined 28 points. … Bulldogs C Andrew Smith had eight points before fouling out to become the 34th player in school history to top 1,000 points. Smith has 1,005.