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Saturday, March 2 Updated: March 3, 10:48 PM ET Upset could hamper 25-win Butler's Big Dance hopes Associated Press |
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CLEVELAND -- DeVante Blanks hit a layup with 3.4 seconds left -- capping a 9-0 run over the last minute and a half -- as Wisconsin-Green Bay stunned top-seeded Butler 49-48 in a Horizon League quarterfinal Saturday.
The eighth-seeded Phoenix, who had to win a play-in game on Friday night just to play in the quarterfinals, advance to meet Loyola of Chicago in Sunday's semifinals at Cleveland State University. Loyola beat Wright State 90-64 in another quarterfinal.
Mike Monserez hit a 3-pointer with 1:55 left to give Butler (25-5), the regular-season champion, a 48-40 lead.
Greg Babcock, who had 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Phoenix (9-20), started the surge with a dunk with Matt Rohde adding two foul shots. After Brandon Miller and Thomas Jackson each missed the front end of one-and-one situations for the Bulldogs, Aaron Jessup converted a three-point play with 38 seconds left to cut the lead to 48-47.
Jackson, who scored 16 points, missed the first of another bonus situation with 31 seconds left and the Phoenix called a timeout.
After working the ball around the perimeter, they went inside to Blanks for the layup.
Butler's Miller got off a 3-pointer that missed at the buzzer.
Jessup led Wisconsin-Green Bay with 15 points and added eight rebounds as the Phoenix built a 33-24 advantage on the boards.
Rylan Hainje, the Horizon League's player of the year, and Miller each added 11 points for the Bulldogs.
Butler shot just 26 percent from the field (6 of 23) in the opening half while falling behind 23-20 at the break. The Bulldogs finished at 35 percent (17 of 48).
The Bulldogs went more than 11 minutes without a field goal in the first half as the Phoenix went on a 15-1 run to take a 23-10 lead, only to have Butler score the final 10 points of the half.
Butler had won both regular-season meetings by a combined 26 points. |
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