No. 8 Xavier wasn't going to let another game slip away at Butler.
So the Musketeers guards took matters into their own hands.
Tu Holloway scored 14 of his 16 points from the free-throw line and Mark Lyons added 16 points, leading unbeaten Xavier past Butler 73-61 on Wednesday night in a game between the Midwest's two most prominent mid-major programs.
Two years ago, Xavier left Hinkle Fieldhouse disgusted after the referees ran off the final 1.2 seconds because of a clock malfunction.
Holloway and Lyons didn't allow it happen again. The two-man tandem helped the Musketeers build an 18-point first-half lead and it was Holloway who fueled a 10-0 run late in the second half that turned a 58-50 lead into a 68-50.
The Musketeers (7-0) have won two straight games over Indiana schools and both of their road games this season. Xavier rallied to beat Purdue at home on Saturday, and won earlier this season at Vanderbilt.
Butler (4-5) was led by Chase Stigall and Roosevelt Jones, who each had 10 points. But they may have lost more than a game.
Jones, a freshman, needing help leaving the floor after apparently hurting his knee in the second half. There was no immediate update on Jones' condition. He also had a team-high 11 rebounds.
The two-time national runner-ups have now lost back-to-back home games for the first time since the 2006-07 season and are under .500 for the first time this late in the season since the end of the 2004-05 season.
After making only five baskets in the first half and trailing by as much as 18, the Bulldogs knocked down 2 3-pointers and four baskets in the first 3:18 of the second half, closing to 43-33. They didn't stop. After a Xavier timeout, Jones and Andrew Smith combined for six more points to make it 43-49.
Finally, after seeing its big lead cut to 45-41, Xavier settled down.
Holloway scored six points and had two steals in an 11-2 run that gave the Musketeers a 56-43 lead with 10:07 to go. When Butler cut the deficit to 58-50, Lyons turned it on, scoring six points in the decisive 10-0 run to make it 68-50.
