Butler Bulldogs beat Pittsburgh Panthers 71-70 in NCAA March Madness
Butler Bulldogs stunned the top seeded Pittsburgh Panthers with a narrow 71-70 victory in the dying seconds of the game at the Verizon Centre in Washington on Saturday night.
A last second free throw by the Bulldogs’ Matt Howard proved lethal for the Pittsburgh Panthers, as they were eliminated from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament.
In the second half of the game the Bulldogs looked in control of the game with a slender 70-69 lead. Then came the turning point of the game, when Butler’s Shelvin Mack fouled the Panther’s Gilbert Brown.
As a result the Panthers were awarded two free throws in the final second. Brown converted only one and leveled the score at 70-70. However, on the rebound, Bulldogs’ Matt Howard was fouled by Panthers’ Nasir Robinson, and Howard sealed the game by scoring the winning free throw.
Panthers’ Nasir Robinson surely made a heartbreaking foul on this particular occasion, as the Panthers become the first top team to be eliminated from this year’s NCAA competition. Nasir seemed quite frustrated after the foul and expressed his disappointment after the match.
He said, “I take the blame, man. I take the blame for the loss, I've been playing basketball my whole life and I know I shouldn't have done that. It was a stupid play; it wasn't the ref's fault. It was my fault; and it was the dumbest mistake of my life”.
Both teams were on the verge of upsetting each other in the dying seconds of the game but ultimately the better team came out victorious.
Butler’s Shelvin Mack posted a match-high 30 points along with two rebounds and three assists. Matt Howard was the other major player for the Butler Bulldogs, as he scored 16 points for his team, but no other player could get into double figures for the Bulldogs.
Gilbert Brown was the Pittsburgh Panthers’ highest scorer with 24 points and four rebounds. Meanwhile, Ashton Gibbs added 11 points and Nasir Robinson scored 16 points for the Panthers.
The bulldogs’ next encounter is against Wisconsin in the Southeast regional semi-finals on 24 March. Last year’s runner-up, the Butler Bulldogs have now advanced into the Sweet 16 and have a good chance to qualify for the Championship match once again.
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