The Butler women used a balanced offensive attack and a suffocating defense to dismantle nationally-ranked State Fair (Mo.) 66-33 on Monday night at the Power Plant.
State Fair was 2-0 and ranked 13th in the preseason NJCAA poll, but it was the Grizzlies who had the makings of a top-20 team by the time the game was over. The 33-point win is Butler's most lopsided over a nationally-ranked team since the Grizzlies beat No. 11 Garden City 73-46 on Feb. 2, 2013.
Butler held State Fair to just 15 percent shooting as the Roadrunners made just eight of their 52 shot attempts from the floor. That included 3-19 shooting from 3-point range.
Butler trailed 5-2 in the early going after giving up back-to-back layups. The Grizzlies would take the lead for good on a jump shot by Tamara Lee with 5:24 left in the first quarter and never trailed again.
The Grizzlies led 15-11 after the first quarter and then dominated the second and third quarters. At one point, Butler held State Fair to just 10 points in a 20-minute span that included the second and third quarters.
Butler would build its lead to as many as 37 points, leading 62-35 after a layup by Janee Arnold with 3:31 to play. State Fair briefly cut the lead under 30 before Butler scored the final four points of the game to double up the Roadrunners.
Offensively, Butler was balanced, as 12 of the 13 players on the roster scored at least two points. Nakylia Carter led Butler with nine points, while Tamara Lee and Ashlyn McBride scored eight apiece. Raven Prince and Kyeria Hannah scored seven each for the Grizzlies. Hannah led Butler in rebounding for the second time this season, pulling down eight boards.
Butler dominated State Fair in second chance points (11-3) and points in the paint (26-8).
Butler is now 2-0 on the season and will go on the road on Wednesday to play at Clarendon (Texas). The Bulldogs are 0-1 after a 95-72 loss at Hill on Monday.
