Butler men rally for 78-76 road victory at Cowley

ARKANSAS CITY, Kan. – Grizzly freshman Immanuel Allen scored 22 points and had 10 rebounds to help Butler rally in the second half for a 78-76 road victory at Cowley on Wednesday.

Butler (16-12 overall, 9-10 conference) trailed 69-61 with seven minutes remaining before going on a 10-0 run. The Grizzlies forced three straight turnovers, with Jon'il Fugett scoring consecutive layups, then a dunk by Jalin Thorne pulled Butler within one.

Butler took the lead at 71-69 on a Chiddy Golden 3-pointer from the near corner with 4:25 remaining in the contest.

Cowley would re-take the lead at 74-73 on a Brenden Van Dyke 3-pointer with 2:18 left, but Juwan White went to the line to make two free throws just 12 seconds later to put Butler back in front.

Allen added a basket in the paint for a 77-74 lead, but Cowley answered right back with a basket to get within one. After Allen missed the front end of a 1-on-1 opportunity, Cowley's Dylan Vincent was fouled on a loose ball scramble with 5.9 seconds left to potentially give the Tigers the lead.

However, Vincent missed both attempts and Allen secured the rebound before getting fouled. Allen made one charity shot, but missed the second with four seconds remaining. Cowley's desperate heave for a game-winning 3-point shot was off the mark.

Cowley's biggest lead of the contest came early in the opening half, as a 9-0 run on three treys helped the Tigers out to a 17-5 lead.

Butler still trailed by 12 at the first-half media timeout, but a 15-3 run capped by an Allen lay-in tied the contest at 24-all with 4:57 before the break.

Just over a minute later, Fugett gave Butler its first lead of the contest with two free throws for a 30-28 lead.

After leading 37-34 at halftime, Butler scored the first five points to build a 42-34 lead, but a Cowley 22-6 run over the next five minutes put the Tigers in front at 57-48.

Butler finished with four players in double figures, as Fugett and Golden each scored 15 points. Juwan White added 13 points in the win.

Cowley (18-11, 10-9) was led in scoring by Julius Nwosu, who finished with 24 points.

Butler will finish out the regular season on Saturday with a 1:00 p.m. game against Jayhawk East champion Coffeyville. The Grizzlies could potentially host a first-round playoff game if they finish fourth or better in the Jayhawk East standings. Butler and Inde