Rob Leifheit – US Presswire
The Butler Bulldogs‘ leading scorer, Rotnei Clarke left Saturday’s 79-73 win over the Dayton Flyers with an apparent neck injury after being fouled hard by Matt Derenbecker.
Clarke appeared to hit his head at the base of the hoop after Derenbecker effectively knocked Clarke out of mid-air when he went up for a lay-up midway through the first half.
Initially after the hit, Clarke lay motionless and could be seen telling training staff that he, “couldn’t move.” Clarke left the court on a stretcher, but was moving his legs and gave the “thumbs up” sign to the crowd as paramedics wheeled him away.
The look of the injury brought on fears of a spinal injury but the Butler Athletic Department stated Clarke only had a “significant” neck strain. Department officials also stated that Clarke’s season was not in jeopardy, but gave no timetable for his return.
Clarke was being released from a local hospital after X-rays came back negative.
As for the game, Clarke’s stat line ended with five points in 12 minutes. Clarke’s absence didn’t help Dayton that much, as Roosevelt Jones picked up the slack with a game-high 16 points.
The Bulldogs could have extended their victory even more, but converted just 22 of 35 shots at the line. Jones contributed the most in that regard, for better or worse, making 8 of 12 shots at the line.
Aside from Clarke’s unfortunate situation, Butler had a solid day, including a 58% shooting performance from the field.
Dyshawn Pierre led the Flyers with 14 points.
Mike Gillmeister can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @mgillmei.
