BUTLER 101, NO. 1 VILLANOVA 93
INDIANAPOLIS -- Villanova's perfect season is over and its reign at No. 1 probably is, too.
Kelan Martin scored 24 points and Paul Jorgensen had a career-high 23 to help Butler upset the previously unbeaten Wildcats 101-93 on Saturday. It's the second consecutive year the Bulldogs (12-3, 2-0 Big East) have ended Villanova's perfect start.
Jalen Brunson had 31 points and Mikal Bridges finished with 21 to help Villanova (13-1, 1-1) cut a 23-point deficit to six with 1:33 left. But Brunson missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with a chance to make it a four-point game and the comeback bid fell short.
Afterward, Butler students stormed the court -- even after the public address announcer instructed them to wait until players had left the court.
It was a stunning twist for Villanova, which had won 10 of its 13 games by 14 or more points and was allowing 65.8 points per game.
But the difference Saturday was the Bulldogs' three-point flurry.
They made seven in the final 7 minutes of the first half to take a 53-45 lead then made all five of their threes in the second half. And when the Wildcats attempted to defend the arc, Butler took advantage of the open lanes with a bevy of layups and dunks.
Butler wound up 15 of 22 on threes.
Yet the Bulldogs, who led 81-58 with 10:23 to go, still struggled to put this one away.
When Villanova went to its pressure defense, the Bulldogs got stagnant and started throwing the ball away. The Wildcats charged back with a 14-0 run to make it 84-76 with 5:04 to play and got within six on Brunson's three with 25.4 seconds left.
Kamar Baldwin had 19 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists for Butler while Jorgensen and Martin each made 4 threes.
It's the first time the Wildcats have allowed more than 100 points in a game since they gave up 101 to Creighton late in the 2013-14 season.
In other Top 25/SEC men’s games Saturday, … Deandre Ayton had 23 points and 19 rebounds, including a crucial tip-in with 11 seconds to go, and No. 17 Arizona held on to hand No. 3 Arizona State its first loss of the season, 84-78. Allonzo Trier had 23 points for the Wildcats (11-3). Arizona withstood a 31-point performance by Tra Holder of the Sun Devils (12-1). … freshman Marvin Bagley III had 32 points and a season-best 21 rebounds, and No. 4 Duke pulled away to beat No. 24 Florida State 100-93. Freshman Wendell Carter Jr. added 14 points and a season-high 16 rebounds, Grayson Allen scored 22 points and Trevon Duval scored 11 of his 16 in the second half for the Blue Devils (13-1, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference). Phil Cofer scored a career-high 28 points and Brian Angola finished with a career-best 23 for the Seminoles (11-2, 0-1). … John Petty made 5 three-pointers and scored 18 points to help Alabama knock off No. 5 Texas A&M 79-57 in the SEC opener for both teams. Big man Donta Hall had 17 points and 6 rebounds for Alabama (9-4) as 4 players accounted for 67 points. Tyler Davis and Robert Williams each had 14 points for the Aggies (11-2). … J.P. Macura scored 19 points and had a steal and a blocked shot in the final minute, completing No. 6 Xavier’s comeback from a 16-point deficit to a 77-72 victory over DePaul. The Musketeers (14-1, 2-0 Big East) won their ninth in a row and matched the best start in school history. The big comeback set up their seventh victory in a row over the Blue Demons (7-7, 0-2). … Landry Shamet scored 16 points to lead No. 8 Wichita State to a 72-62 victory over Connecticut in the Shockers’ first American Athletic Conference game. Rashard Kelly, Conner Frankamp and Austin Reaves each added 11 points for Wichita State (11-2, 1-0). Jalen Adams and Terry Larrier each had 18 points for the Huskies (7-6, 0-1). … Ty Jerome scored a career-high 31 points, including two free throws with 53 seconds left, and No. 9 Virginia held off Boston College 59-58. Kyle Guy added 11 points and Isaiah Wilkins had 8 with 14 rebounds and 4 blocks for the Cavaliers (12-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference). Jerome Robinson led the Eagles (10-4, 1-1) with 29 points and Jordan Chatman had 18. … Freshman Trae Young scored 39 points, including the tiebreaking free throws with 7.9 seconds left, as No. 12 Oklahoma overcome a 13-point deficit in the second half to beat No. 10 TCU 90-89 and end the nation’s longest winning streak. Kameron McGusty added 22 points for the Sooners (11-1, 1-0 Big 12). Desmond Bane and Ahmed Hamdy both finished with 15 points for the Frogs (12-1, 0-1). … Joel Berry II hit a high-arcing floater in the paint with 10.3 seconds left to lift No. 13 North Carolina past Wake Forest 73-69 in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams. Luke Maye had 17 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Tar Heels (12-2, 1-0 ACC), while Berry finished with 16 points.. … Vincent Edwards had 23 points and 15 rebounds, and Isaac Haas added 19 points and 7 rebounds to help No. 14 Purdue beat Lipscomb 98-66. Carsen Edwards scored 18 points, and Dakota Mathias had 15 for the Boilermakers (13-2). … Ja’Quan Newton scored 13 points, Anthony Lawrence II added 12 and No. 15 Miami had little trouble with Pittsburgh for a 67-53 victory. Bruce Brown Jr. chipped in 11 points for the Hurricanes (12-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference). … Silas Melson scored 19 points, Josh Perkins had 12 points and 8 assists, and No. 20 Gonzaga cruised by Santa Clara 101-52 for its 16th consecutive victory in the series.
Sports on 12/31/2017