In its first true road test of the 2023-24 season, Texas Tech was unable to seal the deal against Butler, dropping Thursday night’s Big 12-Big East Battle bout 103-95, in overtime at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. A 12-2 run by the Bulldogs in the extra period gave Butler a six-point lead in the waning minutes as Tech was outscored 20-12 in overtime.

Posh Alexander starred for Butler, posting a triple-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists for the Bulldogs. Alexander was one of five Butler players to hit double-figures on the night, joined by Jahmyl Telfort, who led all scorers with 26, DJ Davis (25), Pierre Brooks (18) and big man Andre Screen, who finished with 14 off the bench.

Pop Isaacs’ layup with three seconds remaining in regulation tied the game at 83 apiece after Telfort’s three-ball gave Butler a slight 83-81 advantage with 25 seconds left. Isaacs finished with 16 points on 6-15 shooting from the field and 1-5 from the three-point line.

Butler was able to take advantage of the undersized Red Raiders, who’s lack of interior depth showed with the Bulldogs scoring 42 points in the paint. Butler also took advantage of this on the glass, outrebounding Tech 40-26, including 13 coming on the offensive end of the floor.

Trailing at the break and eventually by as many as 10 in the second half, the Red Raiders mounted a valiant comeback effort, headlined by a 19-9 swing midway through the second period when Tech got its first lead since early in the game, 68-67. This came by the virtue of a Chance McMillian three-ball, which was an often occurrence Thursday night at Hinkle.

McMillian converted on four three-pointers in the first half of action, and added another four from deep in the second half. McMillian’s efforts eclipsed his season total on three-pointers made, which was seven through the first six contests. McMillian led five Red Raiders who finished in double-digit scoring with 24. Joe Toussaint, who has been a consistent force all season, scored 20 on a crisp 8-14 shooting clip from the field. Cambridge accompanied Isaacs with 16 points and Warren Washington rounded out the five with 10 points of his own.

The Red Raiders will return home with a 6-1 record and their next contest slated against Omaha Dec. 6. Tip off against the Mavericks is set for 7:00 p.m. at United Supermarkets Arena.