Official Basketball Box Score
Butler vs Wright State
2/7/05 7:00 PM EST at Ervin J. Nutter Center
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VISITORS: Butler 9-12, 4-7 HL
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
20 Polk, Brandon....... f 10-16   0-0    2-3    1  3  4   1  22  1  0  1  0  36
33 Crone, Brandon...... f  4-5    1-2    5-5    0  4  4   3  14  2  1  0  1  23
03 Horan, Bruce........ g  1-7    1-7    0-0    1  1  2   2   3  1  0  0  1  39
04 Graves, A. J........ g  2-6    1-4    0-0    1  5  6   2   5  2  3  0  0  35
21 Sheets, Avery....... g  3-9    3-6    0-0    0  3  3   1   9  5  1  0  0  34
24 Ligon, Brian........    0-1    0-0    2-2    3  1  4   4   2  0  1  0  1  18
31 Grunst, Andy........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   1   0  0  0  0  0   2
32 Streicher, Drew.....    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   2
42 Patterson, Gary.....    0-1    0-1    0-0    0  0  0   2   0  0  1  0  0  11
   TEAM................                            2  2             2
   Totals..............   20-45   6-20   9-10   6 19 25  16  55 11  9  1  3 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 10-22 45.5%   2nd Half: 10-23 43.5%   Game: 44.4%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  2-7  28.6%   2nd Half:  4-13 30.8%   Game: 30.0%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  3-4  75.0%   2nd Half:  6-6  100 %   Game: 90.0%    0
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HOME TEAM: Wright State 11-12, 6-6 HL
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
04 BURLESON, Drew...... f  2-7    0-1    0-0    1  2  3   4   4  0  1  0  0  26
22 WILLIAMS, Zach...... f  9-12   0-0    3-3    3  1  4   2  21  3  1  0  0  35
33 BOYD, Zakee......... f  2-9    0-4    6-6    1  2  3   1  10  0  1  0  1  36
01 WOOD, DaShaun....... g  6-10   1-2    2-5    0  5  5   2  15  2  0  0  1  40
03 SPENCER, Everett.... g  1-4    0-1    1-2    1  3  4   1   3  0  1  0  0  12
11 TAYLOR, Jaron.......    2-4    0-1    0-0    1  4  5   0   4  2  0  0  0  32
23 MUNROE, Parysh......    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   1
50 PLEIMAN, Jordan.....    1-3    0-0    2-2    1  3  4   2   4  0  0  0  0  18
   TEAM................                         1     1
   Totals..............   23-49   1-9   14-18   9 20 29  12  61  7  4  0  2 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 10-27 37.0%   2nd Half: 13-22 59.1%   Game: 46.9%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  1-7  14.3%   2nd Half:  0-2   0.0%   Game: 11.1%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  4-4  100 %   2nd Half: 10-14 71.4%   Game: 77.8%    2
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Officials: J.D. Collins, Tom Clark and Michael Roberts
Technical fouls: Butler-None. Wright State-None.
Attendance: 4166
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
Butler........................   25   30  -   55
Wright State..................   25   36  -   61
Points in the paint-BU 18,WSU 34. Points off turnovers-BU 4,WSU 12.
2nd chance points-BU 0,WSU 8. Fast break points-BU 0,WSU 0.
Bench points-BU 2,WSU 8. Score tied-8 times. Lead changed-3 times.
Last FG-BU 2nd-06:29, WSU 2nd-00:45.
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DAVE'S CIGARBOY'S POSTGAME ANALYSIS

Bulldogs Bitten By Raiders

Dayton - When a team wins back-to-back games each by better than 20 points, it is reasonable to believe that the team is coming together and is on a little roll. And then there are the Butler Bulldogs.

One thing stood between the Bulldogs and victory, and that was Wright State's Zach Williams. The former Ohio State starter and first year player for the Raiders carried the team almost single-handedly in the last three minutes of play. It was a thrilling game but disappointing loss for the Bulldogs, who fell to the Wright State Raiders 61-55 in Dayton at the Nutter Center.

In a stretch that started with 3:15 left in the game and Butler (9-12, 4-7 HL) leading 53 -50, Williams hit a jump shot for two points and then scored the next seven points for the Raiders. At the end of his run the Raiders were up to stay 57-55.

"I think Zach really put the team on his back and carried us down the stretch in the last five minutes of the game," said a beaming Wright State coach Paul Biancardi. "I thought our team played really well. We played with a lot of intensity and a lot of emotion."

In the first minute of the game, Butler jumped out to a 4-0 lead on a jumper by Brandon Polk and another jumper by Brandon Crone. From that point on Butler never trailed in the half. The Bulldogs outshot Wright State (11-12, 6-6 HL) 45.2 to 37 percent in the first half. With a second to go, Wright State's DeShaun Wood came off a screen and sank a three-pointer to send the teams in the locker room tied at 25 points each.

Coming out of the locker room, Wood immediately made a jumper to put the Raiders up by two points. After trading baskets about four minutes, Butler finally regained the lead at the 15.26 mark on a three-pointer by Bruce Horan. The Bulldogs stretched the lead to seven points at the 6:29 mark on a three-pointer by Avery Sheets.

Nine seconds later, Wood cut the lead to five at 53-48 on a slice and dice lay up. That is when Williams scored his nine straight points. Wright State's defense held the Bulldogs to a pair of free throws that Crone sank to give Butler 55 points. Polk fouled Zakee Boyd and then he was fouled by Horan as Butler tried to stop the clock. Boyd made all four free throws to spread the margin to five points for the Raider victory.

Polk led the Bulldogs with 24 points, and Crone scored 14 points. Avery also chipped in nine points.

"I thought both teams played awfully hard. I was impressed by how Wright State was able to match up in transition," said a low-key Butler coach Todd Lickliter. "I think defensively they did a nice job guarding our shooters."

Wright State outshot Butler for the game 46.9 to 44.4 percent. The Bulldogs were outrebounded by the Raiders 29-25. The Bulldogs committed a respectable nine turnovers and the Raiders were near-perfect with only four turnovers.

In explaining why he played with a smaller line up rather going to his bench to bring in seven-foot Jamie Smalligan, Lickliter said, "We've gone with this rotation and been very successful for a couple games here, and I think you should dance with the one who brung ya."

Both coaches pointed out how close the last four games have been, with each one going down to the wire. "I just think this is a pretty good match up when you look at it," explained Lickliter. "I like the team Paul put together and I don't know if anybody knew who was going to win for the first 39 minutes of this game."

Wright State moves up to third place in the Horizon League and Butler drops to eighth place but is just two games behind the Raiders in the win column.

Bulldog Bits:

• Butler leads the all-time series with Wright State 14-10.
• Butler leads the Horizon League in team scoring defense at 59.9 ppg
• Butler leads the HL in team free throw shooting (.730)
• Butler leads the HL in fewest turnovers (10.4 pg) and ranks third in the country in the most recent NCAA statistics.
• Brandon Polk leads the HL in field goal shooting (.590)
• A.J. Graves leads the HL in FT shooting (.956)
• Coach Todd Lickliter was the only one on the Butler bench who placed his hand over his heart during the playing of the National Anthem.
• Next up is Cleveland State at home. Game time is 7 PM.