(Getty)
Final Score
Texas 24-24— 48
Butler 26-29— 56
Kellen Dunham led Butler with 20 points as the sixth-seeded Bulldogs dropped the 11th-seed Texas Longhorns in a low-scoring, tight contest. Butler earned a date with third-seeded Notre Dame, which squeaked by 14th-seeded Northeastern earlier in the day.
Check out the final box score here.
The Game Started Slowly With the Teams Trading Leads
Kameron Woods dunks the ball during the first half of Butler’s game with Texas. (Getty)
Butler jumped out to an early 6-5 lead thanks to inside scoring by forwards Roosevelt Jones, Kameron Woods and Andrew Chrabascz. Texas didn’t hold a lead until 7-6 with 13:15 left in the half, but it was a shortlived one as Chrabascz stepped outside to knock down a 3-pointer, putting the Bulldogs back ahead with 12:54 left.
Butler’s Defense Helped the Bulldogs Open Up an 11-Point Lead
Butler’s Kellen Dunham (Getty)
Butler increased its lead to 23-12, forcing multiple turnovers. Texas turned the ball over seven times in the first 15 minutes of the half, with Kellen Dunham scoring four fast-break points for the Bulldogs to take advantage of the miscues.
Holmes Kept the Longhorns Close
Jonathan Holmes takes a shot for Texas against Butler. (Getty)
But then Jonathan Holmes started scoring. Holmes sank back-to-back 3-pointers and scored a total of 10 points in the final five minutes, helping Texas nearly erase an 11-point deficit. The Longhorns went into the half trailing 26-24.
Dunham led the way for Butler with 7 points. Seven different players scored for Texas in the first half.
Butler Stands Strong Down Stretch For Victory
The Longhorns started the second half on a quick run, with Jonathan Holmes hitting a 3-pointer to put Texas ahead for the first time since it was 7-6.
Butler had to overcome an injury to one of its stars, Jones, who left the game with a leg injury 16:02 left and the Bulldogs trailing by two points. Dunham took over, leading Butler on a 5-0 run to regain the lead 33-30 with 12:16 left in the game.
By the time Jones returned to action, Butler had outscored Texas 9-5 and still held onto the lead.
Texas pulled back within one point, 44-43, on a jumper by Isaiah Taylor with 2:42 left in the game. Taylor then stole the ball, but turned it right back over to the Bulldogs.
Dunham stepped up once again, taking a hand-off from Chrabascz and hitting a 3-pointer to put the Bulldogs up 48-43 with 1:20 left. Texas would cut the lead back to 52-48 with 41 seconds left on a Javan Felix 3-pointer, but Butler came up with two key defensive stops and hit four free throws to win, 56-48.
Stats Leaders & Scoring:
Butler
G Kellen Dunham – 19 points
F Kameron Woods – 8 points, 8 rebounds
G Alex Barlow – 7 points, 8 rebounds
F Andrew Chrabascz – 7 points, 5 rebounds
F Roosevelt Jones – 6 points, 4 assists
F Kelan Martin – 7 points
Texas
F Jonathan Holmes – 15 points, 5 rebounds
G Isaiah Taylor – 14 points, 4 assists
C Cameron Ridley – 2 points, 7 rebounds
G Javan Felix – 8 points
F Connor Lammert – 2 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists
F Myles Turner – 2 points, 10 rebounds
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Butler vs. Texas: Score, Stats & Highlights