HOWARD, Texas (Interstat) — In a men’s junior college basketball game defined by relentless offense and critical mistakes, Howard College outlasted Butler Community College 134-128 in double overtime on Wednesday night.

The game was a statistical anomaly, featuring a combined 262 points, 45 turnovers and 60 personal fouls. Howard, the Hawks, improved to 29-5, while the visiting Butler Grizzly Bears fell to 25-10.

The contest turned on a fundamental disparity: Howard’s blistering efficiency inside the arc against Butler’s volume shooting from outside it. Howard shot a scorching 50 for 77 from the floor, a 64.9% clip, dominating the paint. Butler, by contrast, launched 101 shots, making only 40, and was particularly cold from deep, hitting just 11 of 50 three-point attempts. The Grizzly Bears kept pace by being nearly perfect from the free-throw line, making 37 of 38 attempts, and by forcing 29 Howard turnovers.

The most important part of the game was Howard’s ability to survive Butler’s second-half rally and control the extra periods after a seemingly secure lead vanished. The Hawks raced to a 102-64 halftime advantage, fueled by a 54-point second quarter. Butler’s offense, however, went frigid after the break, scoring only 14 points in the third quarter while Howard added 14 of its own. The Grizzly Bears’ defense stiffened in the fourth, holding Howard to 18 points while mounting a comeback to force overtime, eventually sending the game to a second extra session.

Howard’s Kuai Deng was the central figure, logging a triple-double with 31 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in 45 minutes. His interior scoring and playmaking were constant answers to Butler’s runs. For Butler, Josiah Kirkwood scored 31 points and Tristan Hankins added 27, but they needed 67 combined shots to reach those totals.

The Hawks won despite significant struggles at the free-throw line, making only 28 of 44, and their high turnover count. Butler’s 18 offensive rebounds and 18 steals kept them in contention, but they could not overcome their own poor shooting or contain Howard’s efficient offense when it mattered most in the overtimes.

According to Interstat’s ELO system, Howard was projected with a 78.70 percent probability to win. The Hawks have now won two straight in the recent series, following a 95-94 victory over Butler on Nov. 4, 2025.