Mar 4, 2007, 1:10 GMT
Dayton, OH - Pete Campbell's 18 points and A.J. Graves' free throws with 19 seconds remaining in overtime sent 18th-ranked Butler to a thrilling 67-66 victory over Loyola-Chicago in Horizon League semifinal action at the Nutter Center.
Brandon Crone scored 17 and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Bulldogs (27-5), winners in four of their last six. Graves added 12 points, all from the charity stripe, and Mike Green donated nine points and five assists.
Butler will face Wright State for the title on Tuesday. Wright State beat Wisconsin-Green Bay, 67-51, in the other semifinal.
Blake Schilb scored a game-high 29 points for the Ramblers (21-11), who have dropped two of three. J.R. Blount added 15 points, while Andy Polka contributed eight points and a team-high 10 boards.
Graves hit the eventual game-winning shots by draining two at the line to give Butler a 67-64 lead, but the Ramblers answered with a Majak Kou layup for a 67-66 game with 11 seconds left.
Following Graves' turnover, Ben Slaton was called upon to give the Ramblers the lead on their last touch of the period, but his runner in the lane fell short. Loyola never got a last shot off as Graves atoned for his mistake and came up with a loose ball at the buzzer.
'It's gratifying to get a win down the wire,' said Butler head coach Todd Lickliter. 'Our guys hung tough. I'm proud of them.'
Loyola led by five early in the second half, but Campbell hit back-to-back threes to bring the Bulldogs within 33-31 with five minutes played, and a 5-2 surge after that gave Butler a 36-35 lead with another Campbell make a little over six minutes in.
Each team would trade baskets from that point, and neither side would lead by more than two.
Following a Loyola time-out with 14.8 on the clock, Butler had control and after a Graves miss, the ball bounced off a Butler player at the baseline giving possession back to the Ramblers with two ticks remaining.
A home-run pass for Schilb found its mark, but his shot hit the back of the rim as time expired in regulation.
Both sides began the contest neck-and-neck, and when Loyola took a 17-10 lead on an 11-0 run midway through the half, Blount scored 10 of those points. Butler came roaring back with a 14-2 burst to cut their deficit to 22-21 with 3:51 left to play when Graves sank a pair from the line.
However, Schilb hit a fadeaway jumper with four seconds to go and the Ramblers took a 26-23 lead into the break.
'It was a great basketball game,' said Loyola-Chicago head coach Jim Whitesell. 'I'm proud of our guys. It was anyone's game until the last play. It's tough to take. Congratulations to Butler.'
Game Notes
Butler leads the all-time series, 43-29...The Bulldogs hit 49 percent (25- of-51) from the floor while the Ramblers made just 40 percent (20-of-50) from the field...Loyola won the battle of the boards, 33-26...Butler's bench outscored Loyola 20-15, and had 11 points off Rambler turnovers.
© 2007 The Sports Network
Game Notes.
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