The Butler women picked up its 10th win of the season as they defeated Garden City 66-50 Tuesday at the Power Plant.
Butler (10-1 overall) won its eighth consecutive victory as sophomore forward Te'era Williams finished with her fifth double-double of the season, leading all players with 26 points and 12 rebounds. In addition to Williams, freshman guard Teanna Reid matched a season-high with 19 points in the win.
Despite shooting just 21-of-56 (37.5 percent) from the field and 2-of-14 (14.3 percent) from three-point range, the Grizzlies managed to create nearly half of their points – 32 points – off 23 Garden turnovers. Butler forced 11 steals, with Williams and Reid getting four each.
Reid helped the Grizzlies build a 35-19 halftime advantage, scoring 16 of her 19 points in the first half. Leading 18-12, Butler opened up the contest with a 15-2 run. Reid scored three transitional layups during the run to give the Grizzlies a 33-14 lead with 3:05 left in the half.
The Grizzlies struggled offensively after the halftime break, scoring only three field goals in the opening 8:22 of the second half. Garden took advantage with a 15-6 run to pull within nine points, 43-34.
However, Butler would respond with a 20-3 run to put the game away. Williams led the charge with nine points – including four field goals in the paint. The Oklahoma City sophomore scored a fast-break layup with 6:32 remaining, then Ashlee Ivy followed with two free throws just six seconds later, giving Butler its biggest lead of the game at 63-37.
Butler will host a pair of games after the Thanksgiving break, beginning with Tabor JV on Monday, Dec. 2. The Grizzlies will then face Barton on Wednesday, Dec. 4. Both contests start at 5:30 p.m.