A second half Conquistador rally sunk the Butler Grizzlies, who fell for the second consecutive game, losing to tenth ranked Dodge City 74-63 on the road on Wednesday.
It was a rough shooting night. The Grizzlies shot just 32% from the field, and they shot just 6-27 from three point range. Despite the less than ideal shooting, the Grizzlies still held an eight point lead at the break, led by three players who each had seven points. Marque English would lead the Grizzlies in the game with 16 points, coming off a performance that saw him score 24 against Hutchinson. RJ McGarthy was the only other Grizzly to reach double figures, providing a spark off the bench with 10 points.
The Grizzlies just could not find the offense in the second half. Butler shot just 8-39 in the final frame, and 2-17 from beyond three point range. On the other side, Dodge City shot 53% during the second half. That hot shooting erased the nine point lead that the Grizzlies built. Dodge City quickly built a double digit lead that they never relinquished, capping off a second half that saw them outscore Butler 43-24 on the way to the 11 point win.
The Grizzlies outrebounded the Conquistadors in the losing effort, ending with 39 rebounds to Dodge's 30, led by English's 9. The Grizzlies also found 19 second chance points while holding Dodge to only one point off the glass. Dodge City won the turnover battle, finishing with 19 points off turnovers to the Grizzlies' 11. Dodge's BJ Freeman finished with 23 points, leading all scorers and also providing eight rebounds, his performance proving too much for the Grizzlies to overcome.
The loss sank the Grizzlies to 9-3, and 4-3 in the loaded Jayhawk Conference. Butler will hope to overcome their first losing streak of the season when they return home to face Cloud County at the Power Plant on Saturday at 4:00pm.