GREAT BEND, Kan. – The Butler men fell 89-67 at Barton County on Saturday in the first game of the new year.

The Grizzlies scored first as Jalin Thorne scored down low. Barton scored four straight before Thorne scored on a dunk to tie the game 4-4.

Barton would then outscore Butler 13-4 to go ahead 17-8. The Grizzlies would get five straight on a 3-pointer by Jon'il Fugett and a bucket by Mohamed Fofana to get within four.

Butler was still within seven after a Kamron Brice layup in transition made it a 28-21 game with 4:38 left in the half. Barton, however, continued to pull away and led 41-28 at the break.

The Cougars quickly pushed the lead to 20 points in the second half and Butler would get no closer.

The Grizzlies were led by Kamron Brice with 23 points. It is his second straight game with 20 or more, as he had 20 against Northwest Tech on Dec. 12. Mohamed Fofana added 12 with nine rebounds and Juwan White scored 11.

Butler is now 9-6 on the season and 2-4 in Jayhawk Conference play. The Grizzlies will be on the road at Pratt on Wednesday.