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Graves leads Butler to OT win at Loyola-Chicago

Jan 26, 2007 - 5:21 AM CHICAGO (Ticker) -- A.J. Graves certainly appears to be at full strength.

Graves scored 10 of his 26 points in overtime to help No. 11 Butler post a 70-66 Horizon League victory over Loyola-Chicago.

Graves had his second straight stellar contest after playing just 13 total minutes in Butler's previous two games following surgery to remove all four wisdom teeth. The junior guard netted 28 points in the Bulldogs' 80-59 win over Wisconsin-Green Bay last Saturday.

Butler (18-2, 6-1 Horizon) trailed, 66-65, before Graves split a pair of free throws with 1:46 to play in the extra session. After Loyola-Chicago's Majak Kou missed a jump shot, grabbed the rebound and misfired on another jumper, Graves gave the visitors the lead for good, 69-66, by nailing a 3-pointer with 56 seconds to go.

"That last play, no one was there so I just shot it," Graves said. "(Loyola) had been playing the ball screens differently all game. I did have an open look, and the shot clock was running down, so I took it. I just have to put it in there, and if they don't go in, I can't be negative about it."

Tracy Robinson turned the ball over on the Ramblers' next possession but Graves missed a jumper with 17 seconds to go, giving Loyola (13-8, 4-4) a chance to tie. But Robinson missed a shot from the arc with about five seconds to play and Pete Campbell iced the game by splitting a pair of free throws with two seconds left.

"We tried to run Blake (Schilb) off a staggered reverse thing for him coming back and he got the ball," Loyola coach Jim Whitesell said. "Originally, he didn't have a good look but Tracy (Robinson) did. It just rimmed out. I didn't know if the shot was definitely in, but I definitely thought it was a good play."

Butler, which was beginning a three-game road trip, shot 45 percent (24-of-53) from the floor and limited Loyola to 34 percent (23-of-67).

Schilb had a dominant performance for Loyola, collecting 27 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Kou added 14 points but shot just 5-of-16 in the defeat.

"He's great, just a really great player," Butler forward Drew Streicher said of Schilb. "He is very versatile and you have to play great defense on him and he still has 27. Luckily we got it done."

In a game that featured 17 lead changes and 12 ties, Schilb made a 3-pointer with 1:41 left in regulation to forge a 57-57 tie. He gave the hosts a 59-57 edge by sinking a jumper while being fouled by Mike Green with 25 seconds left, but he failed to sink the ensuing free throw.

Graves was fouled by Kou with 13 seconds to play and nailed both shots from the line, tying the game.

Schilb missed a jumper with three seconds to play and the game went into overtime.