Feb. 12, 2008

Box Score |  Notes

MILWAUKEE - Mike Green scored 24 points and added 13 rebounds as ninth-ranked Butler pulled out an 83-75 overtime win over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Tuesday night at the U.S. Cellular Arena.

Pete Campbell added 12 points, all after halftime, and the Bulldogs (22-2, 11-2 Horizon) turned the ball over just seven times.

Marcus Skinner scored a collegiate-best 25 points to lead Milwaukee, which led by as many as 12 points in the early going and by six with 2:55 remaining.

Allan Hanson pitched-in with 18 points for the Panthers (12-11, 7-6), who were urged on by a crowd of 4,055 in attendance despite more snow and poor road conditions around southeast Wisconsin.

UWM looked to be on the verge of an upset when a conventional three-point play by Skinner pushed its lead to 64-58 with 2:55 remaining. But, Butler scored the next nine points, the final two coming on a pair of Green free throws with 5.3 seconds remaining, to lead 67-64. Ricky Franklin then pushed the ball up the court and knocked in a three from just beyond the arc to force overtime.

The Bulldogs recovered immediately, though, scoring the first five points of the overtime and before never letting UWM get closer than three the rest of the way.

"It was a great college basketball game," UWM head coach Rob Jeter said. "Down the stretch those guys showed why they are the 10th-ranked team in the country. It just came down to doing the ordinary things. They did the ordinary things much better than us, especially in the last three minutes and then in the overtime."

Butler recovered from an 11-point first-half deficit to take a 56-54 lead on a three-pointer by A.J. Graves with 7:06 remaining. But the Panthers remained poised and reclaimed a 61-58 edge with 4:20 left before the Skinner three-point play pushed the lead to six and moved UWM to the brink of an upset.

Instead, Butler outscored Milwaukee 25-11 from that point on, with Green scoring 10 points in the overtime alone.

"All they need is one mistake and then they make you pay with either a three or a drive to the basket," Jeter said.

"I am proud of the poise we showed during the tough times," Butler head coach Brad Stevens said. "I told the team in the locker that it was a team win."

UWM did get a collegiate-best performance from Skinner, who added 10 rebounds to his 25 points while making 10-of-15 from the field.

"It's always a good challenge to play against a ranked team, but I just tried to play with the same energy and enthusiasm I always do," Skinner said.

The Panthers rode a hot start to a three-point halftime lead. In fact, UWM bolted to a 15-3 advantage in the first five minutes of the game on the strength of a pair of three-pointers by Hanson and a three by Paige Paulsen. UWM still led 25-14 with eight minutes to play on a three by Kaylan Anderson and 27-17 with 5:29 left following a layup by Skinner.

But, Butler fought back from there, scoring the next 11 points to claim a 29-27 leasd with 2:25 remaining. UWM came right back, with free throws by Skinner and Anderson along with a layin from Deonte Roberts giving Milwaukee a 32-29 halftime advantage.

UWM returns to action Saturday night, playing host to in-state rival Green Bay in a 7 p.m. contest at the U.S. Cellular Arena.