COFFEYVILLE, Kan. - The Butler women scored the first eight points of the game on their way to an eighth straight win, as the Grizzlies defeated Coffeyville 72-58 on Saturday at Nellis Hall.
Butler sprinted to the 8-0 lead and was up by double digits moments later with an 11-1 lead.
The Grizzlies were up 17-8 with less than a minute to go in the first quarter before Jalise Smallwood scores five straight. She hit two free throws with 45 seconds to go, then buried a 3-pointer with three seconds left, giving Butler a 20-8 lead.
In the second quarter, Butler got hot from long distance, as Kyla Callins, Taylor Birch and Jaelyn McLaurian all hit 3-pointers as Butler raced to a 33-11 advantage. The Grizzlies were up 38-24 at halftime.
Butler pushed the lead back to more than 20 in the second half and led by as many as 25 points at 54-29 late in the third quarter.
Coffeyville would get back as close as 14, but the Grizzlies would win by that same margin.
Jalise Smallwood led Butler with 24 points. That includes her going 11-12 at the free throw line. It is her career high, surpassing the 22 she scored on Nov. 17 against Bethany College JV. Criste'On Waters scores 12, while Kyla Callins had seven points and a team-high 11 rebounds.
Butler is now 21-2 on the season and is still in first place in the Jayhawk East at 12-2 in conference play. The Grizzlies will be on the road Wednesday at Cloud County before returning home for a game on Saturday against Allen County at 1 p.m.