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Overtime at Hinkle

1/09/03
by John C. Thomas
It took a record-tying performance by Corey Minnifield to erase a 17-point halftime deficit against Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse. With seven three-pointers in the second half, Minnifield forced the game to overtime in a series that that has been completely dominated by Butler. But in the end, Butler prevailed in overtime 81-74 in spite of a career high 28 points from Corey Minnifield.

The Ramblers shot a feeble 43% compared to the Dawgs' 68% in the first half. David Bailey scored 16 of Loyola's 29 points in the first half to keep the Ramblers in the game.

Maybe Butler took Loyola lightly in the second half. The Bulldogs held a 17-point second half lead, after all. That set Corey Minnifield on a furious rant. Minnifield hit on seven three point shots in the second half while the Bulldogs were mystified by the full court press. The Ramblers tied the game and missed on a weak last second shot to send it to overtime… at Hinkle.

In the overtime period, the Ramblers went ahead early on a Paul McMillan three-pointer. But the Bulldogs went nuts in the last four minutes to leave Loyola fans wondering about missed opportunities in the first half of the game.

If Loyola fans are looking for salves, a couple of them could be found n the fact that the Ramblers came back from a 17-point deficit at halftime, and another 16-point deficit later on to tie the game at the end. But why were they down so far so early?

Time is running out for the seniors. There are only 13 more games left for David Bailey, Corey Minnifield, and Kevin Clancy before the conference tournament.