Butler falls in Maui Tournament 78 to 61

LAHAINA, Hawaii (WISH) - The Butler Bulldog's run through the Maui Invitational came to an end Wednesday night in the championship  game.

After a couple of great performances, a buzzer-beater over Marquette and a win in the second round over North Carolina, the Bulldogs (3-2) came up against the (6-0) Fighting Illini.

Brandon Paul led four Illinois players in double figures with 20 points in their 78-61 win over Butler.

In the first 20 minutes of  the game Illinois mustered a 16-7 run and led by as many as 15 points.

The Illini hit 15 of 30 shots in the opening period.  Seven of 17 came from beyond the three point arc.

In the second half Butler closed the gap coming within 5 points of Illinois with just over twelve minutes remaining.

But it was a 10-0 run including back to back three pointers by Tyler Griffey that helped  the Fighting Illini regain control of the game. 

Butler senior Rotnei Clark lead all players in the game, scoring 27 points.  Clark was the only Butler player to reach double figures. He was one of six players named to the Maui Invitational All-Tournament Team.

Butler will play Hanover on Tuesday.  That game can be seen on MyIndy-TV 23.