The Butler Grizzlies came up on the short end of a shootout in the 196th meeting between the Grizzlies and Hutchinson on Saturday, falling to the fourth ranked Blue Dragons, 104-95 in a battle of two top 15 teams in Jayhawk Conference action. 

Despite a performance that saw the Grizzlies shoot 54% and 8-16 from three point range, the Grizzlies trailed most of the game. Hutchinson used 13 three point baskets, powering them to the win, remaining unbeaten on the year.

Marque English starred in the losing effort, finishing with 24 points and going 9-15 from the field. Eden Holt was close behind, finishing with 22 points and six assists. 

The Grizzlies faced a full court press the entire game, and it resulted in Butler turning the ball over 16 times. Those turnovers made it hard to get momentum all game. The Grizzlies got to within eight points twice in the second half, but each time the Blue Dragons responded with a big three. Hutch won the rebounding margin, 38-31, and those rebounds turned into 23 Blue Dragon second chance points. Hutch also got key contributions from the bench, finishing with 40 bench points.

The loss will drop the Grizzlies to 9-2 overall, and 4-2 in Jayhawk play. Butler will hope to rebound on Wednesday when they continue on the road, heading to Dodge City to play the Conquistadors.