DAYTON, Ohio — Leading scorer Rotnei Clarke fell head-first into the backboard support, then rolled on his back and lay there dazed. He didn’t even try to get up.
How bad was it? Wide eyed Butler teammates gathered around and wondered.
“At that point, it’s not about basketball anymore,” senior center Andrew Smith said.
Turns out that it wasn’t as bad as initially feared - only a sprained neck - but it’s still a significant setback for No. 14 Butler. The Bulldogs pulled through without the former Arkansas Razorback on Saturday, using their depth to beat Dayton 79-73 for their 11th consecutive victory. Roosevelt Jones scored16 points, helping Butler (14-2, 2-0 Atlantic 10) extend its best start in four years.
They came away feeling fortunate that Clarke didn’t get hurt worse. He hit the bottom part of the padded backboard support after he was fouled while trying for a fast-break layup at 8:13 of the first half, his head and left shoulder taking the brunt of the collision.
At first, he lost sensation in his arms and legs.
“He said he couldn’t feel anything,” Jones said.
He was able to move his arms and legs while trainer Ryan Galloy checked him out on the court. A padded back brace was brought out, and Clarke was taken off the court on a stretcher, giving the thumbs-up sign.
He was taken to a nearby hospital for precautionary tests that were negative. It’s unclear how long the Bulldogs will miss Clarke, who averages 17 points per game.
“He was emotional more than anything about having to come out of the game,” Galloy said. “He’s got no fracture. He’ll be stiff and sore for a while. It’s not like an ankle where you can tape it up.”
The Bulldogs’ defense and depth pulled them through against Dayton (10-6, 0-2), which has lost four of its past six and fell to 7-3 on its home court. Dyshawn Pierre and Vee Sanford scored 14 apiece for the Flyers.
Sports, Pages 27 on 01/13/2013