Butler holds off late Pratt surge to win on road

PRATT, Kan. - The Butler men survived a late Pratt rally, holding off the Beavers by an 82-73 score. 

With the win, the fifth-ranked Grizzlies are now 25-2 overall and 11-2 in the Jayhawk West Conference, staying a game ahead of second-place Barton (10-3).

Butler fell behind 4-2 early on at Pratt but went on a 10-0 run and would never trail again.  The Grizzlies pushed the lead to 10 points twice in the first half and led 32-25 at the half in a defensive struggle.

In the second half, both teams shot better than 60 percent from the floor, with Butler starting to slowly pull away. When Kyle Steward scores and made a free throw for a traditional three-point play, Butler led  61-46 with 8:08 to go. 

That was when Pratt began its near comeback. The Beavers got as close as 76-73 with 1:15 to play. Butler would get two free throws from Kyle Steward and after a steal by Robert Joiner, he made two free throws to put Butler up 80-73, sealing the win. 

Kyle Steward had 14 points to lead Butler and Robert Joiner, Jacolby Harris and Caelan Neal all had 10 apiece. Adrion Williams had a career-high nine points. 

Butler returns home for a game against Cloud County on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m.