Butch fuels Wisconsin's late surge
Brian Butch hit a career-high four 3-pointers as No. 10 Wisconsin used a late run to shake loose from No. 19 Michigan State for a 57-42 victory Thursday night in Madison, Wis.
It was the fifth straight victory for Wisconsin (24-4, 14-2 Big Ten). Michigan State (22-6, 10-5) has lost three of its last five, including three straight road games.
The big man's big shots came at just the right time for the Badgers. Butch's 3-pointer from the left wing put Wisconsin ahead 45-34 with just under six minutes left, and Butch hit another long-range shot at the 4:15 mark to extend the Badgers' lead to 14, capping an 11-2 run.
Butch finished with 16 points and 7 rebounds. The Badgers' defense did the rest.
Wisconsin frustrated Michigan State's Drew Neitzel all night, holding him to a single 3-pointer on 1-for-10 shooting. Goran Suton scored 14 and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead Michigan State.
Michigan State came in as one of the nation's best-shooting teams but ran into one of the country's stingiest defensive teams in Wisconsin. It was Michigan State's second-lowest point total of the season, topping only the Spartans' 36-point outing in a loss at Iowa Jan. 12.
The Badgers' defense swarmed Neitzel, holding the Spartans' No. 2 scorer scoreless until he hit a 3-pointer with 9:51 left, cutting the Badgers' lead to 37-33.
Neitzel, coming off a 4-for-15 outing in the Spartans' Jan. 23 victory over Iowa, began Thursday's game 0-for-6, missing all 5 of his shots in the first half.
Wisconsin also cranked down its defense on Suton after letting him run free in the first half. Suton scored 12 points and grabbed 9 rebounds in the first half -- including 10 points and 6 rebounds in first nine minutes of the game, despite being benched and briefly scolded by Spartans coach Tom Izzo after an early foul.
The Badgers held Suton to 2 points in the second half.
Butler 66, Wright St. 61: Julian Betko scored a career-high 17 points, all in the first half, and No. 14 Butler (26-3, 15-2 Horizon) held off Wright State (20-8, 13-5) to clinch the No. 1 seed in next week's league tournament. The 6-foot-8 senior from Slovakia topped his previous career high of 15 points in 14 minutes in the first half and missed his only attempt in the second period.
Green Bay 76, UIC 73: Troy Cotton's 3-pointer with 2.6 seconds left lifted host Green Bay (14-14, 8-9 Horizon League) over Illinois-Chicago (15-14, 8-9). Josh Mayo's running 3 attempt at the buzzer just missed off the backboard and rim as the Phoenix held on after what was nearly a late-game collapse. Mayo led the Flames with 18 points.
Milwaukee 68, Loyola 53: Paige Paulsen and Ricky Franklin scored 16 points apiece to lead Wisconsin-Milwaukee (14-14, 9-8 Horizon)over Loyola (11-17, 6-11). J.R. Blount scored 14 points and Andy Polka 11 for Loyola.
EIU 80, Jacksonville St. 64: Jake Byrne had a game-high 30 points and 10 rebounds to lead host Eastern Illinois (6-22, 5-14 Ohio Valley) over Jacksonville State (6-22, 4-15). Tyler Laser added 21 points, including five 3-pointers, for EIU.
Women
LSU 83, Arkansas 46: Quianna Chaney scored 20 points, and host No. 6 LSU (24-4, 13-0 SEC) clinched a share of the league title by beating Arkansas (17-11, 2-11).
Tennessee 88, Florida 61: Candace Parker and Alex Fuller scored 18 points each, and No. 3 Tennessee (26-2, 12-1 SEC) routed Florida (16-12, 5-8).