INDIANAPOLIS, Sporting Alert — Kethan Savage and Andrew Chrabascz each scored 13 points and No. 18 Butler handed No. 1 Villanova its first defeat of the season with a 66-58 victory on Wednesday night. The Bulldogs were taking down an AP No. 1 ranked team for only the second time in school history.
BUTLER KEY RUN IN 2ND HALF
Savage, who shot 4 of 6 from the floor and knocked down all five of his free throws, contributed seven points during a decisive second-half run, which help Butler recovered from a point down to take a 58-52 lead with 1:46 left in the game.
Villanova (14-1, 2-1 Big East), which entered the game on a program-record 20-game winning streak, led 31-27 at halftime but was outscored 39-27 after the break.
Kelan Martin finished with 12 points and six rebounds and Kamar Baldwin added 10 points and five boards for Butler, which shot 52 percent in the second half after shooting 39 percent in the first half.
The win saw Butler (13-2, 2-1) improving to 4-0 against ranked opponents this season while the Bulldogs extended their home winning streak to 12 games.
“Unbelievable environment. It’s the loudest I’ve ever heard Hinkle. Our guys fed off that,” Butler head coach Chris Holtmann said.
“We have to fight the urge to be a prisoner of the moment. We will celebrate this one but we have a big game coming up Saturday”
POOR SHOOTING NIGHT FOR VILLANOVA
Jalen Brunson paced Villanova with a game-high 23 points on 9 of 16 shooting and Josh Hart added 13 points on 3 of 11 shooting to go with eight rebounds in the defeat.
The Wildcats (14-1, 2-1) were losing for the first time since the 69-67 loss to Seton Hall in the Big East championship game last March.
Kris Jenkins finished with 11 points for Villanova, which shot a miserable 6 for 26 from 3-point range.
Home fans stormed the court at the end of the game.
Hinkle Fieldhouse is ELECTRIC after the Bulldogs beat Villanova 66-58. Bulldog fans just couldn’t contain their excitement. pic.twitter.com/4Ar3kfcAVq
— Butler Basketball (@ButlerMBB) January 5, 2017
