The Butler Grizzlies continued their unbeaten run to start the season as they picked up their fourth straight victory with an 80-73 victory over the Kansas City Kansas Blue Devils at the Power Plant on Wednesday.
It was a tight battle early as the Grizzlies led by eight points at halftime, taking a 41-33 lead into the locker room. Butler extended the lead into double digits in the second half, leading by as many as 19 points before a furious comeback from the Blue Devils fell just short. Rob Brown removed all doubt with a corner three with less than a minute to go to seal the win.
It was Brown who ran the show for Butler. The Niagara transfer finished with an incredible 27 points and went 11-14 from the field with four three pointers. Brown also led the team in rebounds, finishing with eight boards in what was a dominating performance.
The Grizzlies shot an impressive 50% from field goal range and were boosted by 11 three pointers on just 24 attempts. The Grizzlies also pulled down 12 offensive rebounds and put up 36 points in the paint. Treylon Payne led the team in assists with five and the Grizzlies finished with 21 as a team.
The Blue Devils made just one three pointer all night as the Grizzlies held them to just 10% from deep. Butler also forced 15 turnovers including three steals. The Grizzlies outrebounded the Blue Devils, 33-26, led by Brown and Tahjae Hill, who had five.
The 18th ranked Grizzlies move to 4-0 with the victory. Next up for Butler is a pair of road games as they travel to Oklahoma for dates with Northern Oklahoma College-Enid and Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa for two games this weekend.
