FLORIDA STATE 67, BUTLER 63

Official Basketball Box Score Butler vs Florida State 03/17/06 7:00 pm at the Donald L. Tucker Center -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VISITORS: Butler 20-13 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 8-12 1-1 4-5 3 4 7 3 21 0 1 2 0 38 33 Crone, Brandon...... f 5-10 1-5 1-1 2 0 2 5 12 1 0 0 4 21 03 Horan, Bruce........ g 4-12 4-12 0-0 1 2 3 1 12 4 1 0 0 34 04 Graves, A. J........ g 3-18 0-11 2-2 0 4 4 2 8 0 2 0 1 37 21 Sheets, Avery....... g 2-12 2-8 2-2 2 3 5 2 8 2 2 0 4 37 01 Betko, Julian....... 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 2 3 1 0 3 1 0 0 15 24 Ligon, Brian........ 0-1 0-0 2-2 0 4 4 1 2 1 1 0 0 14 32 Streicher, Drew..... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 TEAM................ 2 1 3 Totals.............. 22-65 8-37 11-12 11 21 32 15 63 11 8 2 9 201 TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 10-34 29.4% 2nd Half: 12-31 38.7% Game: 33.8% DEADB 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 3-18 16.7% 2nd Half: 5-19 26.3% Game: 21.6% REBS F Throw % 1st Half: 7-8 87.5% 2nd Half: 4-4 100 % Game: 91.7% 0,1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOME TEAM: Florida State 20-9 TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS ## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN 12 Al Thornton......... f 2-5 1-2 0-0 2 5 7 3 5 1 2 2 1 23 32 Alexander Johnson... f 8-9 0-1 4-8 2 7 9 3 20 1 3 0 0 27 03 Isaiah Swann........ g 2-7 0-3 2-2 1 1 2 1 6 3 1 0 1 30 04 Todd Galloway....... g 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 12 21 Jason Rich.......... g 10-17 0-1 2-3 0 8 8 0 22 0 4 0 1 33 10 Ralph Mims.......... 1-5 0-0 2-6 1 5 6 1 4 6 0 0 0 28 11 Jerel Allen......... 0-3 0-0 1-2 0 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 5 15 Casaan Breeden...... 1-1 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 1 3 20 Andrew Wilson....... 1-3 0-2 0-0 2 1 3 0 2 0 2 0 0 24 25 Diego Romero........ 2-3 0-0 0-0 1 3 4 4 4 0 0 0 0 11 41 Uche Echefu......... 0-2 0-0 0-0 2 0 2 2 0 0 1 0 0 4 TEAM................ 1 1 Totals.............. 27-55 2-10 11-21 12 32 44 15 67 12 15 2 4 200 TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 13-28 46.4% 2nd Half: 14-27 51.9% Game: 49.1% DEADB 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 1-4 25.0% 2nd Half: 1-6 16.7% Game: 20.0% REBS F Throw % 1st Half: 6-11 54.5% 2nd Half: 5-10 50.0% Game: 52.4% 4,1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Officials: Earl Walton, Mike Nance, Kevin Mathis Technical fouls: Butler-None. Florida State-Alexander Johnson. Attendance: 5187 Score by Periods 1st 2nd Total Butler........................ 30 33 - 63 Florida State................. 33 34 - 67

MY POSTGAME ANALYSIS
The Butler Bulldogs saw their season come to a close as they were unable to overcome a cold-shooting night, falling to the host Florida State Seminoles 67-63 in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament. The Bulldogs dug themselves an early 11-2 hole, due in large part to a 1-of-15 start from three-point range, but the Dawgs fought through their shooting woes to slowly chip away at the deficit. Three free throws and a three-pointer brought Butler within three at 11-8 with 11:54 left in the first half. FSU's lead bounced between three and eight for the bulk of the remainder of the opening frame. A conventional three-point play by Brandon Polk cut it to 31-30 with 0:46 to go in the half, and a late FSU basket gave the hosts a 33-30 lead at halftime. The Seminoles built their biggest lead of the game at 48-37 with 14:39 to go, but once again the Bulldogs fought their way back into the game. A 14-4 Butler run made it 52-51 with 7:11 left. Twice more the Bulldogs got within a point--59-58 and again at 61-60. Finally, an Avery Sheets three-pointer gave the Bulldogs their first and only lead of the game at 63-61 with 2:22 remaining. Unfortunately, that would be the final points of the season for Butler, as FSU scored the game's final six points to earn a 67-63 victory.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Polk. In a game where the guards struggled to hit from the perimeter, BP carried the team through several dry spells offensively. He finished with 21 points and seven rebounds, and even hit a three-pointer.
Brandon Crone added 12 points and four steals before fouling out. Bruce Horan had 12 points, four assists, and three rebounds. A. J. Graves struggled through a 3-of-18 shooting night, including 0-of-11 from behind the arc, for eight points and four rebounds. Sheets (2-of-12) finished with eight points, five rebounds, and four steals. Brian Ligon added two points and four rebounds off the bench, while Julian Betko had three rebounds and three assists. FSU was led by Jason Rich's 22 points.
To shoot just 34% overall and 22% from three-point range yet still find themselves in position to win the game late is a testament to how hard this team worked, not just tonight but the entire season. It was a pleasure to watch this team grow and work together, and the results speak for themselves: a 20-win season, a trip to post-season play, the HL Player of the Year and Coach of the Year, and a pair of 1,000-point scorers. Plenty to be proud of on a team picked to finish fifth in the preseason.

To the seniors, Bruce, Avery, and Brandon--best of luck in your future endeavors, and thank you for all the memories you gave us over your careers as Bulldogs. To the returning players and new faces coming in--work hard this summer, and we look forward to seeing you back at Hinkle next season. Thanks for a great season!

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