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No. 16 Butler Overwhelms Ohio State, 65-46
Dec. 1, 2007
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Butler is still beating up the big boys. On a night the 16th-ranked Bulldogs didn't shoot well and their precision passing was out of sync, they still forced 24 turnovers and got 23 points from freshman Matt Howard in a 65-46 victory over Ohio State. Buter (7-0) overcame a 12-point deficit in the second half for its fourth straight win over a foe from one of the six traditional power conferences. Kousta Koufos led Ohio State (4-3) with 16 points, and David Lighty had 12. It was the Buckeyes' third loss in four games during an 11-day span in which they have faced four ranked teams. In the first half, the Buckeyes took advantage of Butler's miserable shooting. The Bulldogs were just 25.8 percent from the field and missed their first 15 3-pointers. But everything changed when A.J. Graves' beat the first-half buzzer with a 3 to get Butler to 30-20. Trailing 32-20 early in the second half, Butler hit three straight 3s to close to 32-29. Ohio State rebuilt a 38-31 lead with 12:58 left, but Butler outscored the Buckeyes 21-4 over the next 8 1/2 minutes to take a 52-42 lead. Ohio State committed a season-high turnover total and scored only 16 second-half points in coach Thad Matta's return to his alma mater.
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