Graves leads Butler past LCU in OT

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

01/26/2007 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A.J. Graves scored 10 points in overtime, connecting on a game-winning, three-point shot with 56 seconds to play, as 14th-ranked Butler edged Loyola-Chicago, 70-66, at the Joseph J. Gentile Center.

The Bulldogs (18-2, 6-1 Horizon) trailed in the final minute of regulation until Graves wiped out a two-point deficit with a pair of free throws to tie the game at 59-59 with 13 seconds to play. Blake Schilb missed a jumper for LCU, sending the game into the extra session.

Graves then caught fire, hitting a shot from beyond the arc to give Butler a 62-61 lead at 4:27. Majak Kou followed with a layup for Loyola, but Graves went right back down the floor and hit another three-pointer to give the Bulldogs a two-point edge.

Schilb's trey gave LCU the slim one-point lead again, but Graves was fouled by Majak with 1:46 to play, making the shot from the charity stripe to tie it at 66-66. Majak followed with a missed jumper, grabbed his own rebound, and had another shot ride off the rim. Brian Ligon pulled down the ball off the second missed shot and dished to Graves, who drained the decisive bucket.

Tracy Robinson missed a final three-point attempt for Loyola with five ticks to play, while Pete Campbell hit a free throw to account for the final margin.

Graves ended with 26 points for Butler, which won for the fourth straight time. Campbell contributed 12 points for the Bulldogs, while Mike Green and Drew Streicher each had nine.

Schilb netted a game-high 27 points and added 11 boards for the Ramblers (13-8, 4-4) who had a two-game winning streak halted. Kou ended with 14 points, while Leon Young donated 12 points and eight rebounds on the night.

Neither team trailed by my more than three in the early going, as the lead changed hands nine times in the first 11 minutes.

An eventual 8-2 run by the Bulldogs opened a 25-20 advantage at 6:57. Graves' three-pointer started the spurt, while Campbell's short jumper and trey sandwiched a Brandon Woods layup at the other end for LCU.

Butler maintained its lead down the stretch, as Graves' shot from beyond the arc sent the Bulldogs into the locker room holding a 35-27 advantage.

Butler led by as many as seven points in the second half, before the margin was erased on a pair of Young free throws and a couple of three-point shots by Schilb and Tom Levin.

Schilb's jumper gave LCU a 59-57 edge with just 25 seconds remaining in the contest, but Graves sent the game into overtime with the free throws.

Game Notes

Butler started a stretch of four games in eight days, with the first three being road contests...Loyola is 9-2 at home this season...Butler has won six of the last seven meetings between the teams and leads the overall series, 42-28...This marked the first time since Dec. 9, 2000, that a nationally ranked opponent played in the Gentile Center.

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