TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Jahmyl Telfort scored 24 points, Pierre Brooks II added 22 and Butler knocked off No. 25 Mississippi State 87-77 to win the Arizona Tip-Off on Friday night.
Butler (6-1) survived with a 61-59 win against Northwestern in the semifinals after blowing a 15-point lead and nearly coughed up an 11-point lead on Friday night after Riley Kugel and Josh Hubbard brought Mississippi State back.
Kugel had 10 points in the first three minutes of the second half, and Hubbard followed with 13 quick points as Mississippi State (6-1) used an 8-0 run to pull within 70-68.
Brooks hit a 3-pointer and, after Telford hit a floater, scored on a runner to stretch the lead to 81-70 with 2 1/2 minutes left. Mississippi State got no closer than eight after that.
Hubbard and Kugel each had 22 points.
Butler: The Bulldogs were superb on offense as they shot 53% from the floor and made 12 of 22 from 3-point range to pick up their biggest win of the season.
Mississippi State: Everything that went right in the Bulldogs’ first game in the desert flipped against Butler. Mississippi State shot 7 for 27 from 3 and had numerous defensive breakdowns to lose its first game of the season.
Brooks’ two baskets after Mississippi State cut the lead to two gave Butler the momentum back, and the Bulldogs stretched the lead from there.
Mississippi State scored 30 second-chance points on 19 offensive rebounds in an 80-58 win over UNLV in the semifinals. The Bulldogs had 11 offensive boards against Butler but were limited to seven second-chance points.
Mississippi State hosts Pittsburgh on Wednesday, and Butler hosts Eastern Illinois on Tuesday.
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