Kiichiro Sato / AP
Butler band members cheer during the first half of an NCAA college basketball tournament first round game against Winthrop Thursday, March 16, 2017, in Milwaukee.
Thursday, March 16, 2017 | 1:01 p.m.
MILWAUKEE — Avery Woodson scored 18 points and tied a career high with six 3-pointers in his NCAA Tournament debut to lead Butler to a 76-64 win over Winthrop on Thursday.
Woodson, a graduate transfer from Memphis, hit five 3s in the first half to help the fourth-seeded Bulldogs build a 14-point halftime lead.
A 12-2 run in the middle of the second half gave Butler a 60-43 lead with less than 8 minutes left and put the game out of reach for the 13th-seeded Eagles.
Xavier Cooks had 23 points to lead Big South champion Winthrop (26-7).
Butler (24-8) looked comfortable all afternoon at the Bradley Center, the home of Big East rival Marquette. The last time the Bulldogs played in Milwaukee, Woodson scored 17 points in a 68-65 victory over Marquette last month.
One more win in Milwaukee and Butler could advance to their fifth Sweet 16 since 2003.
Tyler Wideman's dunk on an alley-oop pass from Tyler Lewis made the crowd swoon and gave Butler a 62-43 lead with 7:22 left.
Defense, though, carried the Bulldogs during their second-half run after Winthrop went more than 3 minutes without a field goal.
Winthrop star Keon Johnson finished with 17 points on 7-of-19 shooting. The 5-foot-7 guard scored seven straight points during one stretch of the second half to get the Eagles within seven with 13:28 to go.
Otherwise, Butler's Kamar Baldwin, a 6-foot guard, did an admirable job sticking with Johnson, the Big South Conference Player of the Year.
BIG PICTURE
Winthrop: The loss ends the stellar college career of Johnson, a dynamic guard who can drive fearlessly to the bucket and pull up from 3. Coach Pat Kelsey called Johnson the "heart and soul" the Eagles. He led the team to its first NCAA appearance since 2010.
Butler: The hot start from 3-point range bodes well for a team that shot 36 percent from behind the arc coming into the afternoon. The Bulldogs finished 8 of 19 from 3 (42 percent) against Winthrop.
UP NEXT
Butler moves on to a second-round matchup on Saturday against either fifth-seeded Minnesota or 12th-seeded Middle Tennessee.
