MATTHEW VANTRYON | STAFF REPORTER
Butler had a chance to pull off an upset against Oklahoma State, the fifth ranked team in the country. The Cowboys (7-0) held strong down the stretch and the Bulldogs (5-1) suffered their first defeat of the season, 69-67.
Freshman guard Elijah Brown had a team-high 15 points, shooting 5-11 from the field and 1-6 from behind the arc.
Junior guard Alex Barlow and junior forward Kameron Woods each added 12 points, a career-high for Barlow.
Butler began the first half strong, shooting 8-12 to begin the game.
However, the Cowboys found their stride and began to pull away. After their hot start, the Bulldogs hit two of 16 field goal attempts to close out the first half.
Butler faced a 44-30 deficit at the half.
But the Bulldogs wouldn’t go away.
Sophomore guard Kellen Dunham, who scored a career-high 32 points in the win versus Washington State Thursday, scored six consecutive points to cut the deficit to 68-65 with less than three minutes to play.
Senior forward Khyle Marshall hit a layup to bring the Bulldogs to within one after a steal by senior forward Erik Fromm.
The scoring stood at a standstill with less than a minute left as the teams traded missed shots.
Oklahoma State sophomore guard Marcus Smart, who scored a game-high 17 points, had three chances to ice the game at the line. He missed all three, and Butler had a prayer.
Dunham dribbled down the court and missed a layup. Marshall grabbed the rebound, went back up, and was fouled with less than nine seconds remaining.
Butler had a chance to tie the game or take the lead with Marshall’s two free throw attempts.
Marshall missed both free throws.
Butler had hit 15 of 17 free throws before Marshall headed to the line.
