Butler vs. Georgetown: First Big East game was a thriller

Butler’s starters walk back onto the court after a timeout. The team is 11-3 this season, 1-0 in Big East play. Collegian file photo. 

DANA LEE | SPORTS EDITOR | delee1@butler.edu

Just when it looked like Kamar Baldwin’s 3-point shot would fall short to deprive Butler of a 20-point comeback win against Georgetown, Sean McDermott tipped the ball in to send the first Big East game of the year to overtime.

Regulation time wasn’t long enough. Neither was the first overtime, knotted at 83-83. It took a fadeaway shot from Kelan Martin with three seconds remaining to seal the Bulldog rally, topping Georgetown 91-89 in double overtime.

After scoring just 24 points in the first half, Butler outscored Georgetown 51-33 in the following 20 minutes on their way to the program’s first Big East opening win. Helped along by an opening 7-0 run from Paul Jorgensen, the Bulldogs kept the score within 10 as both teams traded baskets.

Butler’s 71-70 lead with 1:20 in regulation time was their first of the night, courtesy of a Kelan Martin fadeaway shot.

By the end of the game, Butler’s shooting percentage shot up to nearly 47 percent while Georgetown’s dropped to 41 percent from the field. The 3-point shots continued to be a challenge for the Bulldogs, but they compensated by scoring inside the paint.

Kamar Baldwin garnered a game and career-high 31 points off a burst of jump shots and driving layups. Baldwin’s jumper tied the game in double overtime at 85. His layup gave Butler the 87-85 edge before Georgetown responded with four free throws from Marcus Derrickson and Jessie Govan.

The Hoyas led 89-87 until Martin scored two consecutive baskets to tie and then win off a floater. Martin scored 27 total points and had four rebounds in the effort.

Tyler Wideman picked up his fifth foul with just over a minute left in double overtime, but collected with 15 points and eight rebounds before his exit. McDermott recorded a career-high 12 rebounds, including his tip-in that tied the game in regulation time.

Georgetown gave up 21 turnovers in their loss, including a key travel call against Jahvon Blair that took away the Hoyas’ final possession in the first overtime.

The 20-point deficit was the largest comeback win for Butler this season, passing the team’s previous record of 15 points against Ohio State in the November Phil Knight Invitation.

Next, the Bulldogs face four top-25 ranked teams, starting with No. 1 Villanova on Dec. 30 at 4 p.m. The last time the two teams met in Hinkle, Butler pulled off the 66-58 upset against the Wildcats, ranked No. 1 at the time.

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