/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45704918/usa-today-8386779.0.jpg)
Facing a six point deficit with three minutes remaining in the second half, the Butler Bulldogs rallied back against the Creighton Bluejays over the final stretch to seal a 58-56 victory on the road on Monday, Feb. 16. Tied up at 56 with under 30 seconds left on the clock, Butler's Roosevelt Jones hit the game-winning floater with under two seconds left on the clock to give the Bulldogs the final lead.
In a play that was eerily similar to Butler's final attempt against Villanova on Saturday, Creighton's Austin Chatman fired off one final desperation three that veered way off course to, ending the game in dramatic fashion.
Jones finished with 18 points, six rebounds and six assists on 8-of-17 shooting, playing an instrumental role in the team's final rally. Butler received a huge boost from junior guard Kellen Dunham, who scored a game-high 19 points, knocking down a trio of threes and adding one steal. It was an undoubtedly sloppy game for the Bulldogs, with more than a handful of predictable, stagnant offensive stretches, but Jones bailed them out a little bit near the end of the game. It's unclear how much of that was due to the absence of starting forward Andrew Chrabascz, who is set to miss the next 2-4 weeks with a hand injury, but something was little bit off today.
The Bluejays were full of energy from start to finish, and Chatman and bench guard Devin Brooks knocked down six of the team's seven threes after finding a plethora of open looks. The Bulldogs struggled a bit with their defensive switching, especially when bench forward Austin Etherington was forced to close out on the perimeter, and the Creighton shooting duo burned them for it. The Bluejays also received eight points and four rebounds from center Geoffrey Goselle, who did a nice job getting to the rim inside.
It was an odd game, but in the end, the Bulldogs survived what many were heralding as a "trap game" before tip-off. With this victory, Butler will remain in second in the conference standings with a 9-4 record in Big East play.