San Jose, CA (Sports Network) - Shelvin Mack finished with 25 points, as fifth-seeded Butler pulled away in the second half to take a 77-59 win over UTEP in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Gordon Hayward sank 9-of-11 free throws on his way to 13 points, and Matt Howard added 11 points for the Bulldogs (29-4), who are in the tourney for the fourth consecutive year. Butler lost to LSU in the first round last year, but dominated the second half Thursday to take the victory and move into the second round in the West Region.
The Bulldogs will next face 13th-seeded Murray State, which upset Vanderbilt on a buzzer-beater earlier Thursday.
Derrick Caracter had 20 points and nine rebounds to pace UTEP (26-7), the regular season champion of Conference-USA, which was making its first tourney appearance since 2005.
Randy Culpepper added 16 points for the Miners, who held a 33-27 lead at halftime.
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