Late free throw gives Indiana State win over No. 16 Butler
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) Indiana State's Brenton Scott wanted to show everyone that he's just as good as his twin brother.
And just as capable of leading his team to a big upset.
Scott broke a tie by making the first of two free throws with 0.8 seconds left and finished with 25 points Wednesday night as the Sycamores snapped a nine-game losing streak against ranked teams with a 72-71 upset over No. 16 Butler.
''I just wanted to show how good a player I am and that I can help this team win games,'' he said after celebrating fans stormed the court. ''The last two years, we haven't won a lot. But now that I'm stepping into a bigger leadership role, I wanted to prove a point and make a statement.''
If the big boys of Indiana college basketball didn't know it then, they certainly do now: The Scott brothers are a pretty good tandem.
Two weeks ago, Bryson Scott scored 18 points to help IPFW pull off one of the most stunning upsets of the season, 71-68 over then No. 3 Indiana.
After watching that game and the commotion that surrounded it, Brenton Scott wanted to match his brother's milestone win. But Brenton Scott one-upped his brother by scoring more points, finishing with nine rebounds, three assists and two steals to knock Butler (8-1) from the unbeaten ranks.
Matt Van Scyoc made six 3-pointers and finished with 23 points, both career-highs, as the Sycamores (5-4) won their third straight overall, snapped a four-game losing streak in the series and handed coach Greg Lansing a school-record fifth career win over a Top 25 team. He had been tied with Bill Hodges, who coached Larry Bird, and the late Royce Waltman.
''He's going to keep trying (to drive) even if they stop him,'' Lansing said, referring to Scott. ''Brenton doesn't have to go all the way, though. He's got a pretty good pull-up jumper.''
Plus a few other tricks that made it difficult for the Bulldogs to keep up with him.
Andrew Chrabascz had 18 points for Butler and Tyler Lewis added 15 on a night that got away from the Bulldogs fast.
They fell behind a little more than 5 minutes into the game because of woeful shooting. They didn't lead again until Tyler Wideman scored on an alley-oop pass with 13:41 left in the game. When the 13-2 spurt ended, the Bulldogs had their biggest lead of the night, 48-42.
But the Sycamores rallied with five straight points and after blowing two chances to take the lead, finally tied the score on Scott's 3 with 6:27 to play and took the lead for good with a 7-0 run to make it 62-57 with 3:52 to play.
Butler tied the score at 71 with 11.1 seconds to go, Scott didn't call time out. He took the ball, drove hard to the basket, drew a foul and made the first of two free throws before watching Butler's desperation heave hit nothing but air.
''We've obviously got a long way to go,'' Bulldogs coach Chris Holtmann said. ''I've been saying that for a while now and nobody wanted to believe me. But you saw that tonight, we've got a long way to go.''
BIG PICTURE
Butler: Holtmann wasn't happy with Saturday's victory . And he certainly won't be pleased with Wednesday's response. The Bulldogs trailed most of the first half, didn't shoot well until late, turned the ball over too much, committed silly fouls and got outrebounded. That's not the usual Butler way, the Bulldogs must get better in a hurry.
Indiana State: If Wednesday night's game showed anything, it's that Indiana State may be better than expected - and could create some noise in the Missouri Valley Conference this season.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LARRY
The most famous Indiana State alum, Larry Bird, didn't attend the game. But he certainly wasn't a forgotten man, either. The school used its Twitter feed to wish Bird a happy 60th birthday. The Indiana State baseball team, whom Bird played two games for before a collision with a catcher ended his days in that sport, also honored Bird with a post that was retweeted nearly 300 times before the game.
UP NEXT
Butler: After a surprise loss, the Bulldogs face another daunting challenge when No. 22 Cincinnati comes to town Saturday.
Indiana State: The Sycamores will try to prove they can continue playing good basketball when they host Western Kentucky on Sunday.
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