Butler 72 Missouri State 65

Butler holds on late for a 72-65 win on opening night

Butler jumped out to a 32-20 lead in the first half only to see Missouri State climb back in at half only down three.

Second half was back and forth until under a minute to go

The key play was a baseline out-of-bounds play with two seconds on the shot clock. Jahmyl Telfort hit a catch & shoot three from deep to help Butler take a 68-62 lead with under three minutes to go

Key Stats

Butler shoots 45% from range

Missouri State outscores Butler 27-16 on points off turnovers

Butler survives despite having 19 turnovers

Key Individual Performances

Butler’s Telfort scores 29 points to lead the Bulldogs

Missouri State’s Dez White scored 21 points & dished out 5 assists

Butler’s Pat McCaffrey scored 11 points and hit some key deep shots in his first game as a Bulldog

What it means

Butler survives game one

Counzo Martin returns to the sideline for Missouri State- they will be a tough handle all season long

Butler has a lot to work on to be a contender in the BIG East

Quotes

Butler’s Jahmyl Telfort “It was an ugly game.”

Butler head coach Thad Matta “We didn’t make good decisions tonight”

Matta, “I was excited to see Ja play well tonight after his injury.”