Butler grabs 56-48 win over Texas

PITTSBURGH — In a game of long defensive stretches, Butler walked away with a 56-48 win over Texas on Thursday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament’s Midwest Regional.

After taking a 26-15 lead with under five minutes to play in the first half, Butler went silent at the offensive end. During the next 10 minutes, the Bulldogs went without a field goal and were outscored 15-2 as the Longhorns opened a two-point lead with 14 minutes remaining.

Butler responded by forcing Texas into a 10-minute shooting drought of its own that lasted from the opening minute of the second half until 9:30 remained. A 11-0 run at one point boosted the Bulldogs’ lead by as many as eight points.

The Longhorns came back again to make it a one-point game with 2:42 remaining thanks to a 6-0 run by sophomore guard Isaiah Taylor, but they were never able to retake the lead.

Butler junior Kellen Dunham’s contested 3-pointer with a minute remaining made it 48-43 and the Bulldogs hung on via the foul line, making 5 of 6 to close out the game.

Dunham finished with 20 points and was the only Butler player to score in double figures.

Texas’ loss continued a rough start in the NCAA Tournament for the Big 12, which saw Iowa State and Baylor lose as No. 3 seeds to No. 14 seeds UAB and Georgia State, respectively.

Senior forward Jonathan Holmes (15 points) and Taylor (14 points) paced Texas, which shot just 34 percent from the floor (17 of 50) and had 15 turnovers, 10 more than their opponents.

NOTES: This is the first NCAA Tournament appearance for Butler as a Big East Conference member, its seventh trip in nine years and and 13th overall. The Bulldogs joined the Big East before last season. Texas made its 16th appearance in 17 years and second in a row under coach Rick Barnes. … In its last seven trips to the NCAA Tournament, Butler is 16-7 with two Final Four trips and two Sweet 16 appearances. … Texas finished the season as the nation’s leader in blocked shots, averaging 7.9 per game. The Longhorns’ 260 blocks were a team record. … This was the first-ever matchup between the two programs.