CHANUTE, Kan. – The Butler women used a dominating first quarter to roll to a 72-42 road win at Neosho County on Wednesday, snapping a three-game losing skid.
Butler led 4-3 early on before scoring the final 20 points of the first quarter. Butler then scored the first five points in the second quarter for a 25-0 run that put the Grizzlies up 29-3.
Later in the second quarter, Butler pushed the lead to 30 for the first time when Raven Prince converted a transition layup that made it 39-9 with 3:35 left before halftime.
Butler went into the break with a 46-15 lead. It is the second-best defensive performance in a first half this season. Butler held Tabor JV to just seven points in the first half of an 88-31 win at home on Nov. 13. It is the fourth time this season that a Butler opponent has scored 16 or less in a first half.
Neosho outscored Butler in the third quarter 15-11, but the Grizzlies still led 56-30 going to the final period.
The Grizzlies would score the final eight points of the game and had their biggest lead of the contest as the clock ran out.
Tamara Lee led Butler with 17 points, scoring 10 of those points in the first quarter. Nakylia Carter added 11 points and a game-high seven steals. Raven Prince and Nia Roberts scored nine apiece.
Butler is now 14-6 overall and 4-5 in Jayhawk Conference play. The Grizzlies continue their two-game road trip with a 5:00 p.m. game at Coffeyville on Saturday.