No. 23 Butler cruises past Texas Tech for shootout title

Updated: Nov 25, 2007, 02:09 pm

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- Mike Green and Butler rode the 3-point shot all the way to the championship of the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout.

Green scored 23 points and Butler (No. 23 ESPN/USA Today, No. 22 AP) made 16 3-pointers to beat Texas Tech 81-71 Saturday night and set a record for 3s in the tournament.

"Sixteen for 24 probably sums it up. I'd like to say we hit timely shots but I think that probably sums it up," Butler coach Brad Stevens said about his team's success shooting 3s in the final.

A.J. Graves was 6-of-8 for 3-pointers and had 18 points, and Green made all four of his shots from beyond the arc for Butler, which set the tournament record with 47 3-pointers in three games, smashing UC-Irvine's mark of 34 set in 1990.

"They play extremely smart basketball, they take advantage of what they can do and they do it really well," Texas Tech coach Bob Knight said. "The best compliment I can give them is that I wish we played as smart as they do."

Leading by two at the half, Butler (6-0) made four 3-pointers in the first five minutes to open a 48-36 lead. But the Red Raiders rallied behind Alan Voskuil's three 3s, cutting the lead to 55-50 with just under 12 minutes left.

"Their offense is run as quick as any time I've seen in a long time," said Knight, entering his 42nd season. "They shot it extremely well. We didn't really get hurt rebounding, we ended up with just one or two turnovers in the second half. That is a really, really well put together team."

Over the next five minutes Butler added five more 3-pointers, pushing the lead to 71-57. Texas Tech never got closer than nine after that.

"We're not a very big team so we've got to use our strengths. Our strengths are playing motion basketball, penetrating, kicking, setting screens and just being patient and looking for the open shot," Graves said. "More times than not, when we run it around, it's just coincidence, to be honest, that we just get a lot of 3s."

Zeno Martin led Texas Tech with 17 and John Roberson added 15.

Both teams got off to a slow start. Texas Tech (4-2) scored only two baskets in the first seven minutes and turned the ball over six times.

Butler built a 31-19 lead with 3:55 to go in the first half behind four 3-pointers, but Voskuil made a 3 with six seconds left in the half to cut the lead to 34-32.