Butler men falter in second half at home to Coffeyville

A 17-0 Coffeyville run early in the second half was the difference as Butler fell 92-80 to the 18th-ranked Red Ravens on Saturday at the Power Plant.

Butler (6-8 overall, 3-8 conference) led by as many as six in the first half and took a 34-33 lead into halftime behind a solid offensive performance from freshman guard Justin Criddle, who scored 19 of his career-high 28 points in the first half.

Coffeyville (12-3, 8-3) would hold the Grizzlies scoreless for a 4:22 stretch while scoring 17 straight points behind 6-of-8 shooting from the field.

After Russell Smith made two free throws with 17:09 remaining to put Butler up 45-42, the Grizzlies would miss their next seven shots while Coffeyville made its run.

Mailk Keith's layup at the 13:42 mark gave the Ravens its largest lead at 59-45. Butler's Adrian Moore would end Coffeyville's run with two foul shots at the 12:47 mark.

The Grizzlies would claw their way back into the contest with a 6-0 run midway through the half as Moore scored on a jumper, then made two foul shots. Criddle followed with two free throws with 10:16 left to pull Butler within six at 66-60.

With 5:13 to play, Tevin Berry drilled a three-pointer from the left wing to get the Grizzlies within five, 74-69. The five-point deficit would be as close as Butler would get.

Criddle finished 8-of-14 shooting and made 9-of-10 free throws for his game-high 28 points while adding six assists. Adrian Moore scored 16 points, while Berry and Anthony Bratton scored nine points each.

Butler will head to Chanute on Wednesday for a 7:30 p.m. contest at Neosho County.