Butler Advances To Title Game With 58-55 WinMarch 8, 2003 Box Score | 2003 Horizon League Tournament Page
MILWAUKEE - Joel Cornette's jumpshot with :52 seconds left helped propel No. 1 seed Butler University to a thrilling 58-55 victory over No. 5 seed Detroit in the first semifinal of the 2003 Men's Horizon League Basketball Tournament here Saturday (Mar. 8). The Bulldogs (25-4), who advance to Tuesday's championship game, erased a five-point halftime deficit thanks to five second-half three-pointers. With the loss, Detroit awaits a possible postseason berth with an 18-12 record. Stingy defense and aggressive play helped propel the Titans to a 23-19 lead as they held Butler to without a three-point field goal in a half for the first time all season. Detroit scored the first basket of the game and never trailed in the first half. Terrell Riggs led UDM with eight first half points on a variety of acrobatic jumpers in the lane. The Bulldogs, who normally display a strong perimeter attack, were kept in the game by the interior play of 6-9 Joel Cornette. The senior hit all five of his field goal attempts in the stanza en route to 11 first half tallies. The two teams combined for just 11 turnovers in the first stanza as BU outrebounded Detroit 16-14. Butler struck quickly in the second half and turned the four-point halftime deficit into a 33-29 lead just 3:51 into the frame. Mike Monserez' three, BU's first of the game, with 18:15 left tied the game at 25 before a Darnell Archey triple gave Butler the four-point cushion. The Bulldogs continued to surge forward and grabbed their biggest lead of the game, 38-29, on a three-point basket by Avery Sheets with 13:59 left to play. Detroit then scored nine of the next 11 points to cut the lead to two, 40-38, when Riggs hit a jumper with 10:05 remaining. Butler grabbed a seven-point lead on a Miller three-ball with 7:33 left to play before 2002-03 Horizon League Player of the Year Willie Green attempted to take over the game. Down 45-40 with 6:11 remaining, Greene hit two free throws, a driving layup, two trifecta's, and another layup to cut the lead to one, 53-52, with 1:19 left to play. However, Cornette scored on the next possession and Duane Lightfoot hit a free throw with nine seconds left before Green hit another three with :04 left. But Archey hit two charity tosses with :00.1 left to seal the game and propel Butler to the title game for the fifth time in six years.
Cornette led Butler with 19 points and eight rebounds while Miller added 12. Greene scored 21 for the Titans while Riggs finished with 16.
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