MICHIGAN 78, BUTLER 74

Official Basketball Box Score -- GAME TOTALS -- FINAL STATISTICS Butler vs Michigan 11/26/05 2:00 PM at Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, MI -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VISITORS: Butler 2-3 TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS ## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN 03 Horan, Bruce........ f 1-3 1-3 2-2 0 2 2 3 5 4 0 0 0 27 20 Polk, Brandon....... f 10-17 0-0 3-4 3 6 9 3 23 1 3 1 0 36 33 Crone, Brandon...... c 4-6 1-3 2-2 1 3 4 4 11 4 1 0 0 24 04 Graves, A. J........ g 9-18 4-8 2-2 0 1 1 2 24 3 2 0 1 35 21 Sheets, Avery....... g 2-7 1-4 2-2 1 4 5 2 7 1 1 0 1 31 01 Betko, Julian....... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 9 23 Nellems, Marcus..... 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 18 24 Ligon, Brian........ 1-3 0-0 0-0 1 3 4 1 2 0 1 0 0 13 32 Streicher, Drew..... 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 1 7 TEAM................ Totals.............. 28-55 7-18 11-12 7 19 26 16 74 14 10 1 5 200 TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 12-26 46.2% 2nd Half: 16-29 55.2% Game: 50.9% DEADB 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 2-7 28.6% 2nd Half: 5-11 45.5% Game: 38.9% REBS F Throw % 1st Half: 3-4 75.0% 2nd Half: 8-8 100 % Game: 91.7% 0,1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOME TEAM: Michigan 3-0 TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS ## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN 32 Abram, Lester....... f 6-9 2-3 1-1 0 4 4 3 15 2 1 0 1 34 44 Sims, Courtney...... f 10-14 0-0 1-3 4 3 7 3 21 0 1 1 0 30 25 Brown, Graham....... c 0-2 0-0 0-0 1 3 4 2 0 1 1 2 1 23 04 Horton, Daniel...... g 9-13 1-2 9-9 0 4 4 2 28 7 2 1 4 38 05 Harris, Dion........ g 3-9 1-4 0-0 1 1 2 0 7 3 0 0 0 31 01 Smith, Jerret....... 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 12 15 Shepherd, Jevohn.... 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 5 24 Coleman, Ron........ 3-5 1-1 0-0 0 1 1 0 7 0 0 0 0 18 31 Hunter, Chris....... 0-3 0-1 0-0 0 3 3 2 0 1 2 2 0 9 TEAM................ 1 1 2 Totals.............. 31-57 5-12 11-13 7 21 28 14 78 16 9 6 6 200 TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 17-32 53.1% 2nd Half: 14-25 56.0% Game: 54.4% DEADB 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 2-6 33.3% 2nd Half: 3-6 50.0% Game: 41.7% REBS F Throw % 1st Half: 1-2 50.0% 2nd Half: 10-11 90.9% Game: 84.6% 1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Officials: Donnee Gray, Art McDonald, Mike Roberts Technical fouls: Butler-None. Michigan-None. Attendance: 9513 Score by Periods 1st 2nd Total Butler........................ 29 45 - 74 Michigan...................... 37 41 - 78

DAVE'S POSTGAME ANALYSIS
The Butler Bulldogs turned an eight-point halftime deficit into an eight-point second half lead, but were unable to hold off the Michigan Wolverines, losing their second straight close game to a Big Ten opponent on the road, 78-74. The Bulldogs held an early 12-6 lead, but the Wolverines fought back as their shots began to fall. It was a 30-29 UM lead when the home team went on a 7-0 run to close the half and take a 37-29 lead. The Bulldogs found themselves down by 10 at 44-34 with 17:17 left in the second half, but refused to let the game become a blowout, instead using a 13-0 run to take a 47-44 lead. They eventually pushed their advantage out to eight at 61-53 with 9:05 left, but UM scored the next seven points to pull within one. The contest went back-and-forth from there, with neither team able to take control until a 4-0 UM spurt broke a 70-70 tie with under a minute to go and put the Wolverines in the lead to stay. Daniel Horton connected on all six of his free throws down the stretch to seal a 78-74 victory.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Brandon Polk. Polk bounced back from a rough outing at Ohio State with a near double-double, finishing with 23 points and nine rebounds. A solid effort against a team with a formidable front line.
A. J. Graves led Butler with 24 points. Brandon Crone battled through foul trouble to add 11 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Avery Sheets had seven points and five rebounds. Bruce Horan added five points and four assists. Brian Ligon finished with two points and four rebounds, and Drew Streicher added two points in his first action of the season. UM was led by Horton's game-high 28 points.
Once again, the Bulldogs faced a double-digit deficit on the road and fought their way back into the game. Unfortunately, they finished on the losing side, but I continue to see positives from this team that have been missing in recent squads. Butler shot over 50% on the road, was only outrebounded 28-26 by a much taller squad, and committed just 10 turnovers. Defensively it was a struggle for the Bulldogs, as the Wolverines shot 54% overall and 42% from three-point range and committed just nine turnovers. But given the schedule they've played to this point, I think 2-3 to start the season away from home is pretty darn good.

The Bulldogs return to the friendly confines of Hinkle Fieldhouse for their home opener against the Tulane Green Wave. Game time is Wednesday, November 30, at 7:00 p.m. EST. Please note that this game was moved from its original date (November 28).

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