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Butler blitzes Red Raiders for 2007 Shootout title

UAA Media Relations

Butler blitzes Red Raiders for 2007 Shootout title

ANCHORAGE ? Senior guards Mike Green and A.J. Graves combined for 41 points and 11 assists Saturday to lead 22nd-ranked Butler to an 81-71 win over Texas Tech in the championship game of the 30th annual Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout at Sullivan Arena.

The Bulldogs (6-0) set title-game records with 16 three-pointers and 67 percent long-range shooting as the Indianpolis school collected the championship gold pan in its first-ever Shootout appearance.

Senior guard Martin Zeno led the Red Raiders (4-2) with 17 points and four rebounds, while all-tournament selections John Roberson and Alan Voskuil scored 15 and 12 points, respectively.

Voskuil finished 4 of 4 from behind the three-point arc to keep the Red Raiders within striking distance in the second half. But Green (23 points, 8-14 FG, 4-4 3FG, 7 assists) and Graves (18 points, 6-8 3FG, 4 assists) answered seemingly every Texas Tech challenge with big baskets of their own to hold the lead at a minimum of eight points over the last 10 minutes.

Freshman post Matt Howard scored 11 points in just 13 minutes before fouling out, while Pete Campbell had 12 points (4-7 3FG) and Drew Streicher 10 points (4-5 FG, 2-3 3FG, 3 assists), putting five Bulldogs in double figures.

Both teams shot blazing percentages from the field as Texas Tech made 24 of 40 (60 percent) and Butler 28 of 47 (59.6 percent). But the Bulldogs sank 10 more treys and finished with and 18-to-7 assist-to-turnover ratio, while the Red Raiders had 10 assists and 11 turnovers.

Green was voted the tourney's Most Outstanding Player, averaging 20.0 points, 6.7 assists and 4.0 rebounds in wins over Michigan, Virginia Tech and Texas Tech. Graves (17.3 ppg, 4.0 apg) and Campbell (18.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg, .576 FG, .548 3FG) were both all-tourney selections as well.

With the win, Butler becomes just the sixth school from a non-BCS conference to win the Shootout title, joining Louisiana-Lafayette (1981), UAB (1984), Massachusetts (1991), New Mexico State (1992) and College of Charleston (2002).

2007 Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout
All-Tournament Team

Kellen Williams, Eastern Washington
Carl Arts, Alaska Anchorage
Manny Harris, Michigan
Courtney Lee, Western Kentucky
Matt Bouldin, Gonzaga
Jeff Allen, Virginia Tech
Pete Campbell, Butler
A.J. Graves, Butler
Alan Voskuil, Texas Tech
John Roberson, Texas Tech
Most Outstanding Player ? Mike Green, Butler

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