INDEPENDENCE, Kan. — The Butler men picked up their 10th win of the season with a 65-58 road victory at Independence on Saturday.
Butler (10-12 overall, 7-12 conference) were led in scoring by freshmen Adrian Moore and Russell Smith, who finished with 16 points each. Ketarrious Bouchum added 14 in the victory for the Grizzlies, who improved to 5-4 in road conference games this season.
The Grizzlies, who led by as many as 13 points in the second half, were shorthanded with just eight players as starting guard Justin Criddle missed the game due to the flu.
Butler took an early 13-10 lead near midway through the first half and took a 33-23 halftime lead. The Grizzlies led by as many as 11 in the first half after Jared Armstrong made two free throws with 2:28 before the break.
Butler extended its lead to as many as 13 with 15:40 remaining in the contest when Moore hit 1-of-2 foul shots for a 40-27 lead.
Independence (13-9, 10-9) climbed back within six at 47-41 by the second-half media timeout. Butler worked the lead back to 11 points, 59-48, on a Moore lay-in on a fast break with 3:53 remaining.
In the second half, Butler only made eight field goals but made its way to the foul line by making 15-of-19 attempts.
Moore matched his season-high with 16 points, while Smith just missed a double-double with 16 points and nine rebounds. Indy was led by DeAnthony McCallum, who led all scorers with 27 points and made 9-of-13 from the field.
Butler will next be in action on Wednesday against Dodge City (8-15, 6-13), who defeated Garden City 87-70 on the road Saturday. Tipoff at the Power Plant is at 7:30 p.m.