WICHITA, Kan. - The Butler men saw their season come to a close with a 71-61 loss to Hutchinson in the Region VI quarterfinals Thursday at Wichita State's Koch Arena.
The loss ends the season for the Grizzlies, who finished 22-10 overall.
After playing to a 34-34 tie in the first half, the Grizzlies struggled to keep pace with Hutch to start the second half. The Dragons opened the first 6:38 of the half with an 18-4 run, giving Hutch its biggest lead of the contest, 52-38.
Butler responded wtih an 11-2 run as Dominique O'Connor and Trent Richardson hit three-pointers. After Richardson's trey from the top of the key, the Grizzlies trailed 54-49 with 8:48 remaining.
The five-point deficit would be as close as Butler would get, as the Grizzlies shot 34 percent (11-of-32) from the field and just 15 percent (2-of-13) behind the arc in the second half.
A total of 13 lead changes and six ties made for an exciting first half, which saw Butler take a 23-19 lead on a Bakari Triggs three-pointer at the 9:38 mark. The Grizzlies' four-point advantage was the largest lead of the first half.
Sean Goodwin finished with 16 points and seven rebounds to lead Butler in his final game. Shomari Triggs added 14 points, while Bakari Triggs scored 12 for the Grizzlies. Hutchinson's Kadeem Allen led all scorers with 21 points, while Darrick Wood had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.