The Butler Grizzlies Men's Basketball team, ranked 20th in the nation, defeated the Pratt Beavers 85-71 saturday afternoon, to improve to 8-1 on the year and 3-1 in Jayhawk Conference play.
The Grizzlies were led by junior guard Eden Holt, who scored 22 points and also contributed six assists and three steals. Four of the Grizzlies' five starters scored in double digits in the victory, as Marque English, Caleb Golden and Treylon Payne all had more than ten points.
The Grizzlies jumped out to a 7-0 run to start the game but the Beavers would make several shots to get back in the game, taking a 20-18 lead to force a Grizzlies timeout with 11:05 in the first half. Jaden Okon hit a 3 to put the Grizzlies back up, and the Grizzlies would never trail again, taking a 46-29 lead into the break and stretching the lead to as much as 26 in the second half before closing out the 12 point victory.
The Grizzlies were propelled to the victory from a hot shooting night from behind the three point line. The Grizzlies made a dozen threes on the day, shooting 48% from behind the line and tying the most they've had this season when they had 12 against Indian Hills. Holt and English combined for eight threes, as the Grizzlies would shoot 46% from the field overall. The Grizzlies shot well at the free throw line as well, finishing 13-17 from the charity stripe. Butler combined for 20 assists on the night as Holt's six would lead the team.
Butler's defense held the Beavers to just 1-14 from three, and that would prove to be the difference in a rare game where the Grizzlies did not have the size advantage. Butler was outrebounded for just the third time this season as Pratt would get 52 of their points from the paint, but they just could not get anything going from the arc, and that would prove to be the difference.
The Grizzlies will improve their winning streak to three games and will stay unbeaten at home, notching their fifth win of the season at the Power Plant. They host the defending national champions in their next game, as rival Coffeyville comes to town to face the Grizzlies in El Dorado on Wednesday night at 7:30pm.
