Late goaltending call sends Butler past No. 13 Xavier, 69-67
INDIANAPOLIS — Butler center Manny Bates set the decisive screen, then watched Eric Hunter Jr. drive for the winning shot Friday night.
He figured the call on the floor would stand — and so did Bulldogs coach Thad Matta.
On a night Jayden Taylor scored 20 points and Bates added 19, it was Bates’ pick near midcourt and the ensuing goaltending call on Hunter’s dunk attempt with 2.5 seconds left that finally closed out Butler’s 69-67 win over No. 13 Xavier. The hometown fans have spent most of this season waiting to see Butler deliver a knockout punch, and the players seemed to feed off the sellout crowd at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs (13-13, 5-10 Big East) quickly built a double-digit lead, maintained their poise late and never trailed while holding the nation’s sixth-highest scoring team nearly 17 points below its average.
Colby Jones led Xavier with 17 points and eight rebounds, while Nunge added 14 points and eight rebounds. But the Musketeers (19-6, 11-3) are now tied with No. 10 Marquette atop the conference standings.
But it was the final wacky 30 seconds that created a rollercoaster of emotions for everyone.
Butler appeared to seal its second straight two-point win this week when sixth-year senior Jack Nunge grabbed a loose ball with 23.4 seconds left and called a timeout Xavier didn’t have. Taylor sank both free throws on the technical foul call, but the Bulldogs’ empty ensuing possession led to a 3-pointer from Nunge with 15 seconds left that made it 66-65.
Taylor answered by making 1 of 2 free throws then mistakenly fouled Souley Boum near midcourt with 9.1 seconds to go. Boum made both free throws to tie the score at 67.
That set up Bates to free Hunter, who darted to the open basket as two Xavier defenders converged and knocked the ball away from the basket. While the officials huddled, Xavier coach Sean Miller was befuddled.
When the officials finally made the call, Hinkle Fieldhouse roared with approval as it awaited the review.