Butler claimed the 2024 Arizona Tip-Off title Friday night, taking down No. 25/rv Mississippi State, 87-77, in Tempe.
 
Jahmyl Telfort earned Tournament MVP honors with a 24-point performance in the championship game. Pierre Brooks II joined him on the All-Tournament Team behind 22 points and nine rebounds.
 
The Bulldogs are now 6-1 on the season, while Mississippi State suffers their first loss and is now also 6-1 on the season.
 
For Butler, it marks the first championship in an in-season, multi-team event since capturing the 2019 Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City.
 
HOW IT TRANSPIRED:

• The first half saw neither team lead by more than six points with Butler's 40-34 halftime lead being the largest of the opening 20 minutes. Twenty of Butler's points came from the bench in the first half.
• A 8-0 Mississippi State run cut Butler's lead to 70-68 with 6:22 remaining in the game. Butler responded by scoring 11 of the next 13 points to take an 81-70 lead and essentially put the game out of reach.

 
NOTEWORTHY:

• Butler shot 53 percent from the field, and went 12-for-22 from the three-point line (55 percent).
• Landon Moore was the third Bulldog in double figures with 13 points, a season-high. He led a 31-8 bench scoring advantage for Butler.
• Andre Screen pulled down nine rebounds for the fourth consecutive game, tying Brooks for the team lead Friday night.
• Entering Friday's game, Screen had handed out a total of 14 assists in his 39 games as a Bulldog; he had four assists Friday, the most of any player on the court.
• Butler held a 44-33 rebounding advantage over Mississippi State.
• Kolby King had nine points and seven rebounds for Butler.
• Butler was able to overcome 14 turnovers while only forcing six by MSU.
• Josh Hubbard and Riley Kugel led Mississippi State with 22 points apiece.
• Butler advanced to the Arizona Tip-Off title game with a 71-69 win over Northwestern Thursday; the Wildcats would take third in the event by defeating UNLV in Friday action. Telfort had 23 points in that semifinal.
• Butler and Mississippi State had only met once prior to Friday night's contest, a 47-46 Butler victory in the opening round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament.

 
UP NEXT: The Bulldogs return to Indianapolis and will host Eastern Illinois Tuesday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Tickets are still available for the 6:30 p.m. tip, which will also air on FS2.