CHANUTE, Kan. – The Butler men were unable to hold on to a halftime lead, falling 70-62 at Neosho on Wednesday. The loss is the second straight for the Grizzlies after a four-game winning streak.
Both teams relied on their defense early, as the game was tied 4-4 more than five minutes into the contest. Neosho would go on a run to take a 10-point lead midway through the first half.
The Panthers were still up by eight, leading 25-17 with 3:23 left in the half, but Neosho would not score again before halftime. Meanwhile, Butler would go on a 10-0 run to end the half including back-to-back 3-pointers by Immanuel Allen. The second came from the baseline as time expired, Butler took its first lead at 27-25.
In the second half, Butler stretched the lead to as many as three, but Neosho regained the lead with 14:16 to play on a goaltending call against the Grizzlies that made it a 33-32 game. Daviyon Dennis immediately responded with a 3-pointer at the other end and Butler was back in front by two at 35-33.
Neosho would then score seven straight to go ahead 40-35, then lead 48-39 with 9:31 to go. The Panthers were up by as many as 14 points at 55-41. Butler would get as close as seven with six seconds to play at 69-62.
Immanuel Allen led Butler with 19 points, with 16 of those coming in the first half. Juwan White, Chiddy Golden and Daviyon Dennis scored eight points apiece. Tyrone Coley and Kamron Brice led Butler with six rebounds apiece.
Butler falls to 13-8 on the season and is now 6-6 in Jayhawk Conference play. The Grizzlies are off on Saturday before returning to action with a home game on Wednesday, Jan. 30 against Cowley.