Indianapolis, IN -- (Sports Network) - Matt Howard scored 17 points to lead the Butler Bulldogs to a 57-53 victory over the Northwestern Wildcats in a non- conference clash.

Gordon Hayward tallied 13 points for Butler (4-0), which got 10 points from Willie Veasley.

Michael Thompson scored 12 points in the loss for Northwestern (3-1), which got 11 points from both Craig Moore and Ivan Peljusic.

Northwestern shot a stellar 68.2 percent from the floor in the first half, including 6-of-9 from three-point range, and led 36-27 at intermission.

Over the final 20 minutes, however, Butler limited the Wildcats to 27.3 percent field goal efficiency, and the strong defense enabled the Bulldogs to claim the four-point victory.

Butler finished the game with a 17-3 edge in points from the foul line and committed six fewer turnovers than Northwestern.