Grizzly men struggle at Coffeyville in 76-64 road loss

Grizzly men struggle at Coffeyville in 76-64 road loss

COFFEYVILLE, Kan. - The Butler men suffered its fifth loss in six games with a 76-64 loss at Coffeyville on Saturday at Nellis Hall.

Butler (11-10 overall, 3-7 conference) kept pace with the Red Ravens early in the first half, but Coffeyville dominated the second half to pull away for the victory.

Daven Joseph led the Grizzlies with his third double-double of the season, setting two career-highs with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Sophomore Caelan Neal added 13 points in the loss.

Butler took an early three-point lead in the first half, which featured five lead changes and four ties. Travis House scored the game's first two points, then later added a three-pointer to put the Grizzlies up 7-4. Butler's last lead of the contest came at the 12:18 mark of the opening half on a Derrick Byrd field goal.

Coffeyville's Delano Spencer's three-point play with just over two minutes later would put the Ravens on top for good at 14-13. The Ravens would lead by as many as seven in the first half before taking a 31-27 lead at the break.

The Ravens would build a 15-point lead in the second half, taking a 59-44 advantage on a Jovan Barksdale three-pointer with 5:42 remaining. Butler pulled within single digits by cutting the lead to eight, 66-58, on a Joseph field goal with 2:16 left. However, Coffeyville closed out the contest with a 10-6 run.

Coffeyville's Darrion Strong led all scorers with 20 points, while Barksdale added 12 for the Ravens.

Butler will next be in action Wednesday against Allen County (11-9 overall, 3-7 conference). Tipoff from the Power Plant is at 7:30 p.m.