However, the second half was a different story. He increased his total to 1,485 points, tying Jon Neuhouser for 12th on Butler’s all-time list.
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The Bulldogs did not have an answer in the paint for Miami’s big man Tonye Jekiri.
While they were able to bounce back and lead by four points at halftime, the chances of the ‘Dawgs coming back from a similar deficit against an undefeated Miami squad are slim-to-none.
No. 25 OREGON 73, VALPARAISO 67: In Eugene, Oregon, Dillon Brooks had 26 points and 13 rebounds and Tyler Dorsey added 21 points for the Ducks (4-0). Miami is also forcing 14 turnovers per game and has 27 steals overall. Greene has averaged about 12 minutes and 12 points this season. In that game, the Gophers blew a double-digit second-half lead to trail by a point in the final six minutes before pulling out the victory.
Like Jekiri, he said Miami remains focused on repeating last the early-season slide that left them waiting for an NCAA tournament invite that never came.
Tech received solid contributions off the bench from Aaron Ross, Jordan Jackson, Isaiah Manderson and Devon Thomas. Matt Costello added 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Spartans. His three field goals came on two long jumpers and a hard bank shot, and his 28 minutes were a career high.
“In the second half, we had some opportunities to cut the lead several times and didn’t make the shot and went down(court) and fouled”, Pitino said.
Ware, who finished with 15 points and nine rebounds, couldn’t finish the final-sequence stickback through contact on a play that had the Bulldogs bench crying out for a foul.
Trailing 68-65 at the 4:05 mark, Evans delivered the equalizer courtesy of a three-ball from the right baseline. A great sign, though, is his ability to get to the free throw line, where he is almost flawless (16 of 17).
Ware also committed a flagrant foul when he popped Aaron Ross near the chin away from the ball in the second half, setting up two free throws for Ross.
Miami hounded Butler on every possession and often made the Bulldogs make tough shots. The Red Raiders triumphed in a nail-biter, 74-72. Following a Manderson layup and six free throws, Gotcher drove in for a contested left-handed layup.
The Red Raiders took better care of the basketball and churned ahead for a 23-22 advantage. Mississippi State inched its way back into the game behind Newman, Ware and its 2-3 zone defense. The 7-footer could prove to be a nightmare for the much-smaller Bulldogs, and will need to be kept quiet on the boards if there is any hope for Butler to notch its fourth win of the season.
Today’s game vs. Texas Tech (playing for 5th place in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off) will be broadcast on ESPNU at 1:30 p.m. CT. Listen live on 1500-a.m.
“In that Miami game we spent a little bit of the time probably being the reactor, and not the actor”, Krystkowiak said. It’s good to see some familiar faces from Minneapolis. Many believed that North Carolina had a shot at the national title and should be preseason #1, but another common thought was that the Miami Hurricanes could be a very risky team that could very well be the second best team in the conference.
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NO. 20 BAYLOR 77, JACKSON STATE 60: Al Freeman scored 20 points and Baylor overcame a slow start to beat Jackson State.
