Grizzly freshman Javaunte Hawkins connected on a game-winning 3-pointer from 27 feet out with 6.5 seconds remaining in overtime to cap Butler's 93-90 come-from-behind victory over Allen at the Power Plant on Wednesday.
Hawkins, who finished with 23 points, hit two long-range treys – a 24-footer near the end of regulation to pull the hosts within one, then added the long-range dagger in overtime to put the finishing touches of Butler's comeback victory. The wild contest saw the Grizzlies trail by as many as 13 in the second half, including an eight-point deficit with 1:48 remaining in regulation.
"One thing we have learned throughout the course of this year is it's never over," Butler head coach Kyle Fisher said. "We always tell our guys that even when shots aren't falling, you have to hang in there and continue to defend and rebound."
The win was key for Butler (14-4 overall, 7-2 conference), who pulled into a tie with Allen for second place in the Jayhawk East standings. Allen (12-6, 7-2) entered last week's national poll ranked 22nd and rode an 11-game winning streak before a 93-89 home loss to Barton on Monday, then suffered its second conference loss Wednesday.
With the game knotted up at 90 and 31.1 seconds remaining on the clock, Butler inbounded the ball to Hawkins, who was the only Grizzly to touch the ball on the possession. At the 12-second mark, Hawkins called for a pick from Marque English near the top of the key, went to his right and drained the 27-footer from outside the right wing.
For Hawkins, the opportunity was welcomed after going a combined 2-for-12 from beyond the perimeter in the Grizzlies' last two games. Hawkins stayed after practice on Tuesday to work on his long-range shot.
"He made 50 3-pointers and 10 from all five spots on the floor," Fisher said about Hawkins' efforts following practice. "I continue to have a lot of confidence in him. It may sound weird to say this, but I was pretty comfortable with him shooting the ball – maybe a little early in the clock – but I liked the ball in his hands to be able to make the play."
In addition to Hawkins, Butler received clutch moments from English and Shawn Hopkins in the second half. Hopkins scored all of his 18 points in the final 25 minutes of play and had a season-high 15 rebounds, while English added a double-double – 14 points and 11 rebounds – along with key steals to aid in Butler's rally.
"Those are the guys who show up every day and practice their tail off… it's no surprise to see them have success out here on game night," said Fisher. "I'm really proud of their effort - especially Shawn and Marque, who just dominated the boards and continue to give extra effort plays down the stretch that ultimately got us the win."
"We were down on the scoreboard, but we never gave up and I knew my teammates would lift me up and get this thing back," Hopkins said. "The game is never over until it is over. We didn't point fingers. We didn't put our heads down. We stuck together and our coaches believe in us."
Butler won the rebounding battle by a 49-31 edge and scored 18 points off second-chance opportunities, with Hopkins scoring a couple baskets on tip-ins down the stretch.
Butler's comeback attempt looked bleak with 1:48 left in regulation after Allen's Trez Hankins nailed a 3-pointer for a 75-67 lead. The Grizzlies missed a 3-point attempt on its next possession, but after an Allen turnover on the other end, Butler started its uphill climb after Hawkins was fouled going into the lane with 1:03 to go.
With Butler in the double bonus, Hawkins made both free throws to cut Allen's lead to six. Just over 10 seconds later, a Grizzly foul in the backcourt sent Allen's Joel Boyce to the line, where he made the first and missed the second attempt. Butler grabbed the rebound and raced down the court, with Hopkins getting fouled after scoring on a Kamron Brice miss with 43.1 seconds to play. Hopkins added the bonus to pull Butler within four, 76-72. Two quick fouls – one by each team – lead to both teams exchanging 1-of-2 charity shots at the 42.8-second mark.
Butler applied full-court pressure, which paid off as Brice snagged a steal just 15 feet from the Grizzly basket. Brice then passed to Hawkins, who drew a foul on a drive to the basket and hit both free throws as Butler closed within two, 77-75, with 32.8 seconds remaining.
Instead of trying to run more time off the clock, Allen elected to drive to the basket, where Boyce made both free throws after getting fouled by English with 27.7 seconds left. Down 79-75, Hawkins came down and drained a 3-pointer from 24 feet out at the right wing to cut Allen's lead to one with 21 seconds left.
Butler forced another turnover at midcourt when English tipped a long sideline pass to Hawkins, who then drove to the basket and was fouled with 12.6 seconds remaining. After missing the first shot, Hawkins tied the game at 79-all by making the second.
The Grizzlies then forced overtime as Hopkins partially tipped Allen's Tyus Jeffries running shot in the lane, then rebounded the missed attempt.
"We kept each other in this game," Hawkins added. "We kept pulling each other together every timeout and kept staying together and trust what we do."
Once in overtime, Butler and Allen went back and forth, exchanging the lead seven times and tying twice before the heroics of Hawkins. Butler grabbed its first lead since the 17:19 mark of the first half (5-4) when Hopkins tipped in a Brice miss on the Grizzlies' opening possession for an 81-80 lead.
The lead change was the first of seven straight, as the Red Devils and Grizzlies exchanged baskets for the next two minutes.
With Butler trailing 86-85 and 1:45 remaining, Grehlon Easter was fouled and made 1-of-2 free throws for the first tie in overtime. English came up with another steal on the opposite end, then Easter was fouled again after getting the ball slapped away with 1:25 left. Easter hit both charity shots as Butler grabbed an 88-86 advantage.
Butler went up 90-87 with just 43.7 seconds left following a hard foul in the lane on English, who made both free throws. After an Allen timeout, the Red Devils tied the game on a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer by Hankins from the right wing.
Electing to not take a timeout, Butler inbounded the ball to Hawkins with about a second-difference between the game clock and shot clock. Hawkins was the only Grizzly to touch the ball, as he received a pick from English and drained a 3-pointer off the right side from 27 feet out with 6.5 seconds left.
"Coach (Fisher) trusts me, so we had a play where I would work off a ball screen at the top," Hawkins said. "I got the switch after the screen and he wasn't up on me, so I had to let it go and the three happened to fall."
Following a timeout, Allen's Jeffries drove down and missed the tying attempt off to the left of the basket, setting off a Grizzly celebration.
After Butler took a 5-4 lead early in the first half, Allen connected on consecutive 3-pointers from Jeffries and Hankins for a 10-5 lead. Butler pulled back within two points on two separate occasions, but the Red Devils led by as many as 11 points and held a 37-30 lead at the break. Helping Allen was a 50-percent shooting clip from long-range, as the Devils hit 6-of-12 3-pointers in the opening half.
Allen took its largest lead at 54-41 with 12:19 remaining in regulation after a quick 7-0 run, with Jeffries hitting a 3-pointer and adding a field goal, then Malik Hardmon followed with a pair of free throws.
Butler slowly chipped away at Allen's lead, getting within seven at the 9:28 mark and again with 5:02 remaining in regulation, but the Red Devils pushed the margin back to 70-60 with 3:54 left in the second half.
The Grizzlies scored five quick points in the span of a minute beginning when English made two free throws, but had the second make voided when Brice stepped in the lane for a violation. Brice immediately made up for his gaffe with a steal and basket, then Hawkins added another steal on Allen's next possession and assisted on a Hopkins basket with 2:54 to play.
For the game, Allen shot 47.6 percent (30-of-63) to Butler's 39.0 (32-of-82). The Grizzlies' ability to get to the basket to force fouls and make free throws also helped in the comeback, as Butler made 80 percent (24-of-30) from the charity stripe.
Hardmon, who scored 39 and 34 points in two of Allen's last three games, led the Red Devils with 19 points. Three players – Hankins, Jeffries and Boyce – scored 17 points each in the loss for Allen.
Easter and Brice scored 14 and 11 points respectively, as Butler had five players score in double digits.
Butler will hit the road Saturday for a conference battle at Independence. The Pirates (15-4, 6-3) have won five of their last six games – including a 94-76 home win over Neosho County on Monday. Tipoff is at 6:00 p.m., following the women's contest.
