Box Score Butler, the No. 2 seed in this week's BIG EAST Tournament, fell to Xavier in Thursday night's quarterfinals match-up. The Musketeers advance to Friday's semifinals with a 62-57 win. Butler will now wait until Selection Sunday for its NCAA Tournament plans.

Butler is now 23-8 on the season. Xavier, the tournament's No. 7 seed, improves to 21-12.

Junior Kelan Martin led the Bulldogs with 15 points. Kethan Savage, who along with Avery Woodson missed time throughout the week after suffering an injury in practice, had 13 points.

"You're going to struggle when you turn the ball over late in the game and allow your opponent to shoot 60 percent in the second half," said Butler coach Chris Holtmann. "We had a good way about us tonight, but we just couldn't get it done."

Butler matched its largest lead of the game at 49-42 with 7:55 remaining. Xavier scored the next seven points over the next two minutes to tie the game and then took a 50-49 lead with 4:29 to play. Kamar Baldwin would get in the paint as the Bulldogs retook the lead, 51-50. It was Butler's last lead of the contest.

Butler was able to tie the score at both 56-56 and 57-57, the last tie coming off a Baldwin free throw. After a Xavier timeout, the Musketeers' Trevon Bluiett made a contested jumper for a 59-57 advantage. Butler got two pretty good looks at the basket in the closing sequence, but neither fell. Xavier got a free throw and a dunk for the final margin.

Bluiett led Xavier with 23 points. Malcolm Bernard had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Xavier shot 11-of-18 in the second half.

Butler's season-low 57 points came on 43-percent shooting. The Bulldogs made only four of 19 attempts from behind the arc. Xavier shot 47 percent and had a 31-26 rebounding edge.

The game featured 10 ties and 13 lead changes.

Butler overcame an uncharacteristic five turnovers in the first six minutes to use a 10-1 run to turn a 15-7 deficit into a 17-16 lead midway through the first half. Butler took a 30-26 lead into the half after Baldwin hit a shot at the buzzer. Xavier had eight turnovers in the first nine minutes of the second half, which allowed Butler to take that 49-42 lead.

Butler is now 0-4 in the BIG EAST Tournament.

Butler is expected to be selected to its third consecutive NCAA Tournament under BIG EAST Coach of the Year Holtmann. The NCAA will release the 2017 bracket Sunday evening.