McLaurian's career high leads Butler to easy win at Allen

Butler's Jaelynn McLaurian goes up for a shot at Allen County on Wednesday. She scored a career-high 16 points.

IOLA, Kan. – The Butler women jumped ahead early at Allen County on Wednesday and rolled to a 79-43 road victory.

The win is the fourth straight for the Grizzlies, who remain in first place in the Jayhawk East Conference at 17-2 overall and 8-2 in league play.

Butler scored the first four points of the game and quickly pushed the lead to double digits. After Jaelynn McLaurian and Kayna Simoneau each hit 3-pointers in the final minute of the first quarter, Butler led 32-7.

Butler was even tougher defensively in the second quarter, allowing just four points. The Grizzlies led Allen 46-11 at the break.

The Grizzlies pushed the lead to 40 in the second half when Dana Johnson scored in the post to make it 53-13 with 6:37 left in the third quarter. The lead hovered near that margin for the remainder of the contest.

Jaelynn McLaurian led Butler with 16 points. It is a career high, marking the first time the redshirt freshman has scored in double figures in her collegiate career. Kyla Callins had 15 and Jalise Smallwood scored 12. Lauryn Snipes pulled down 11 rebounds to lead Butler in that category. Camille Downs had four assists, while Snipes and Callins had four steals apiece.

Butler returns home on Saturday to face Independence, weather permitting. If a change is warranted due to impending wintery conditions, an announcement will be made on the website.