INDIANAPOLIS, IND. — Sophomore Alex Barlow only had two field goals, but his final one will go down as one of the biggest shots in Butler basketball history! Barlow hit a one-handed, floater in the lane with two seconds remaining to lift Butler to an 88-86 overtime victory over previously unbeaten and No. 1-ranked Indiana in the first game of the Close the Gap Crossroads Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Saturday (Dec. 15).
The dramatic shot by the unlikely hero, a walk-on guard from Springboro, Ohio, gave Butler it’s first victory in five tries against a No. 1-ranked team. It also stretched the Bulldogs’ current winning streak to five straight games and boosted Butler to 8-2 on the season. Indiana fell to 9-1.
“I was looking for the options and they weren’t open. I saw the clock get to six (seconds), and I thought I’d try and make a play,” said Barlow of his final squence. “I like to get to my right hand so I did a little spin move, and the floater is a shot I work on a lot. I just happened to get a lucky bounce.”
The shot by Barlow fell through the net with 0:02.6 left. A desperation shot by Indiana’s Jordon Hulls from just inside the halfcourt stripe came up short, and Butler’s fans celebrated yet another magical moment for the Bulldogs.
Butler looked ready to spring the upset in regulation play, building a seven-point lead, 71-64, with 2:22 remaining. But the Hoosiers showed why they’re the nation’s top-ranked team down the stretch, outscoring Butler, 12-5, in the final two minutes to send the game into overtime. Freshman Yogi Ferrell nailed a three-point field goal with six seconds left to tie the score at 76-76.
The Bulldogs, who lost two starters to fouls in regulation play and a third player in the overtime period, found themselves playing catch-up in the extra session. Center Cody Zeller scored on a lay-up with 2:12 left in overtime to give Indiana an 84-80 lead, and it began to look like the Hoosiers might survive.
“We were in trouble when it was 84-80 with three of our guys sitting on the bench next to me,” said Butler head coach Brad Stevens. “And bang, Rotnei (Clarke) hits one off a a loose-ball type deal, and then Chase (Stigall) hits a big one.”
The back-to-back three-point field goals by Clarke and Stigall gave Butler a two-point lead with under a minute to go. Zeller tied the game with his 18th point with 0:19 left, setting the stage for Barlow’s game-winning play.
Butler trailed 37-33 at halftime, and Indiana maintained the upper hand through the first 14 minutes of the second half. But the Bulldogs turned an 8-0 scoring run into a 66-59 advantage with 4:32 left. Freshman Kellen Dunham started the run with a three-point field goal, centerAndrew Smith scored on a lay-up and Stigall finished the run with a three-point field goal.
The Bulldogs remained on top until Ferrell’s three-pointer in the closing seconds.
Butler finished with five players in double-figures, led by Clarke with 19. The senior guard hit five of 11 three-point field goals, leading Butler to 11 three-pointers as a team. SophomoreRoosevelt Jones, called by Stevens “the best player on the floor,” finished with 16 points, a game-high 12 rebounds and a game-high seven assists, before fouling out. Smith had 12 points, forward Khyle Marshall notched 11 and junior Erik Fromm added 10.
Zeller and Victor Oladipo shared the scoring lead for the Hoosiers with 18 points apiece.
Butler will wrap-up its pre-Christmas schedule at home with a game against state foe Evansville on Saturday, Dec. 22. That game at Hinkle Fieldhouse will start at 2 p.m. (ET).
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