Four days after coming back from a 17-point deficit to defeat Georgetown, Xavier came from 10 points down to defeat visiting Butler 70-69, on Saturday in Big East play at Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.
After Butler went up 69-66 with 1 minute, 10 seconds left, Xavier's Kyle Castlin hit a 3-pointer to tie it, and the Musketeers ultimately clinched the game on a Naji Marshall free throw with three seconds left.
Sean McDermott hit a 3-pointer with 5:21 left to give Butler a 64-54 lead, but the Musketeers went on a 12-2 run behind five straight points from Zach Hankins to tie the game with 1:29 remaining.
Paul Scruggs had 23 points and Marshall added 14 points on just 4 of 13 shooting to lead the Musketeers (11-7, 3-2 Big East).
Castlin added 12 points for Xavier, which shot 39.3 percent from the field and just 25 percent from 3-point range. The Musketeers owned a 40-29 rebounding advantage, including 17 offensive rebounds.
Kamar Baldwin had 18 points and Paul Jorgensen (14) and Jordan Tucker (12) combined for 26 points off the bench to lead the Bulldogs (10-7, 1-3). Butler, which shot 47.3 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from 3-point range, lost for the fourth time in five games.
The Musketeers built a six-point lead late in the first half only to allow the Bullldogs to come back and take a 31-26 lead into halftime. Scruggs had 12 points at the half to lead Xavier, but Marshall shot just 2 of 7 en route to seven points.
Jorgensen had eight points and Tucker seven at the half to lead the Bulldogs.
--Field Level Media
Butler | Xavier | |
Kamar Baldwin 18 | Scoring | Paul Scruggs 23 |
Kamar Baldwin 7 | Assists | Paul Scruggs 6 |
Jordan Tucker 8 | Rebounds | Paul Scruggs 8 |
Kamar Baldwin 5 | Free Throws Made | Kyle Castlin 5 |
Jordan Tucker 2 | Steals | Kyle Castlin 1 |
Christian David 2 | Blocks | Zach Hankins 3 |