Butler doesn't foul late up 3, loses to Providence in overtime, 85-75
The Butler University men's basketball team battled back from a 15-point first-half deficit and took a lead against Providence late in the second half. After two D.J. Davis free throws put the Bulldogs up three, Davonte Gaines' 3-pointer with two seconds left in regulation tied the game at 69 and forced overtime.
Providence dominated the extra period, earning an 85-75 win over Butler. The loss snaps a seven-game winning streak for Butler (10-3, 1-1).
D.J. Davis led Butler with 22 points. Pierre Brooks II scored 20 points. Landon Moore scored 14 points off the bench.
Here are three reasons Butler lost to Providence (11-2, 2-0) in overtime.
Dawgs run out of gas in overtime
Butler coach Thad Matta didn't want his team to make any excuses about having to travel on gameday, but it certainly looked like the Dawgs ran out of gas in overtime.
Airplane issues grounded Butler ahead of Saturday's game against Providence. The Bulldogs were scheduled to arrive in Rhode Island on Friday afternoon, but they needed to charter private planes to get to Providence by Saturday morning at 9 a.m.
Butler showed incredible fight throughout, taking Providence's best shot during regulation. After trailing the entire first half, Davis' 3-pointer with 15:11 left in regulation put Butler up 43-42.
The second half featured six lead changes and four ties. Butler's largest lead was three points with nine seconds remaining in the second half, moments before Gaines tied the game.
Both teams struggled from 3, shooting a combined 18-for-51 (35%) from deep, but Matta's choice not to foul on Providence's last possession proved costly.
"We didn't get to it," Matta said of the late-game foul. "We may have thought it was too late in the clock, but even when that happens, we can lose the 3-point shooter. That is on me that we didn't have it."
Fouling would've sent the Friars to the line with about seven seconds left in the game. After struggling from the charity stripe early, Davis' clutch free throw shooting kept Butler in it, but he did not get another chance to ice the game.
Travel problems slow Butler in first half
Arriving the day of the game led to heavy legs for Butler early on. The Dawgs started 0-for-13 from the field, and the Friars jumped out to a 15-0 lead.
Slowly, Butler chipped away at its deficit using a 10-0 run to get within four points with 2:27 left in the first half. Landon Moore's layup through contact got Butler back within two, but he missed the following free throw with 56 seconds left. Providence took a four-point lead into halftime.
Moore gave Butler a lift off the bench scoring 14 points. Davis scored 17 of his 22 points in the second half.
Free throw woes doom Butler
In a game with such a tight margin, every point matters. Outside of D.J. Davis' 6-for-6 shooting from the free throw line, Butler shot 5-for-14 (35.7%) from the charity stripe.
The poor foul shooting may have been just a poorly timed off day, because Butler entered play with the 12th-best free-throw shooting percentage in the nation at .786.
If Butler is going to win close games -- three of its 13 games have gone to overtime -- strong free throw shooting will be key to pulling out victories.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Butler vs. Providence: Bulldogs lose in overtime, 85-75
