TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Jahmyl Telfort scored 23 points and Andre Screen added 15 points, nine rebounds and three blocks Thursday night as Butler blew a 15-point lead before the Bulldogs beat Northwestern 71-69 at the Arizona Tip-Off.

Butler (5-1) will play the winner of UNLV and No. 25 Mississippi State on Friday in the Cactus Division championship game. Northwestern (5-2) will play the loser in the third-place game.

Ty Berry hit a 3 and then stole a pass that led to a Jalen Leach layup 2 seconds later that gave Northwestern a point lead – its first since 6-4 – at 53-52 with 6 1/2 minutes to play. Telfort put the Bulldogs back in the lead with two free throws, Finley Bizjack added a three-pointer about a minute later and Butler led the rest of the way.

Brooks Barnhizer made a layup and two foul shots just 6 seconds apart to make it 63-62, but Patrick McCaffrey, who finished with 10 points, hit two free throws with 9 seconds left and Butler held on from there.

Barnhizer led the Wildcats with 24 points and Matthew Nicholson scored 14. Nick Martinelli, who averaged 23.8 points per game (No. 4 nationally), finished the game with seven points on 3-of-15 shooting.

Screen scored eight points in a 17-2 run that gave Butler a 21-8 lead with eight minutes left in the first half after he capped the spurt with a tip-in and a layup. Patrick McCaffrey made a 3-pointer that extended the lead to 15 points about two minutes later.

Northwestern made just two of its first 15 shots and hit 9 of 29 (31%) in the first half.

Butler has won seven straight against Northwestern.