DODGE CITY, Kan. – The Butler men snapped a four-game losing streak with an 84-78 road victory at Dodge City on Saturday.
Battling flu-like symptoms, sophomore Ketarrious Bouchum led Butler (5-5 overall, 2-5 conference) with a game-high 22 points. Jared Armstrong finished with 19 points, while Russell Smith added 11 in the win.
Butler took a 43-36 advantage into halftime and never relinquished the lead. Bouchum would score five straight points during a 9-1 Grizzly run late in the second half.
With 4:59 remaining, Russell Smith capped the run by slamming down an alley-oop pass from Tevin Berry. Smith's dunk gave Butler its largest lead at 78-65.
Dodge City did not go away quietly as the Conquistadors answers with a 13-1 run to pull within one, 79-78, with 1:07 left.
Bouchum put Butler back up by three with a lay-in with 32 seconds remaining, then Dodge's Justice Dixon missed two free throws just 11 seconds later. The Grizzlies would close out the game by hitting 3-of-4 foul shots for the win.
Butler took an early 14-6 lead in the first half behind an 8-0 run, with six straight points coming from Equan Ards. Dodge battled back with a 12-0 run and took a five-point lead at the 6:30 mark of the half.
Butler would eventually recapture the lead, then a 9-0 run in 47 seconds pushed the Grizzlies' lead to 37-27 with 1:10 before the break. Kamari Thornton and Jared Armstrong hit back-to-back treys, then Thornton finished a three-point play.
The Grizzlies bested Dodge in field shooting by hitting 51 percent (30-of-59) to the Conqs' 38 percent (24-of-63). Dodge was hampered by poor foul shooting by missing 20 free throws and making just 54 percent (23-of-43) from the line.
Butler also had nine blocked shots, with Sean Ofodile swatting away five attempts.
Butler will finish out the fall semester with two home games, beginning with a Wednesday contest against No. 1 Hutchinson at 7:30 p.m. The Grizzlies will then host Cloud on Saturday.