EL DORADO, Kan. – The Grizzlies controlled the entire first half on Wednesday night in the Power Plant, but a late Garden City surge handed Butler a 112–106 loss—their first setback in nearly a month.
Butler led by as many as 16 with 6:53 remaining in the first half, but Garden City clawed back and cut the margin to four, 62–58, at halftime.
The Broncbusters seized momentum early in the second half. Desean Lewis knocked down a three to give Garden City its first lead of the night, and they never trailed again. The Broncbusters held the advantage for the final 15:34 of the contest.
Photo by Grizzly Athletics
Each time Butler delivered a big basket, Garden City answered. The Broncbusters built their largest lead at 96–87 with 7:05 left, appearing firmly in control. Butler responded with back‑to‑back scores to trim the deficit to 96–92, but Garden City's Jordon Nevill buried a loud three to push the lead back to seven.
The Grizzlies made one final push, pulling within one at 102–101 with 3:12 remaining. Garden City countered again, stretching the lead back to three. The Broncbusters went up by five with 1:10 left, but Butler refused to go away, cutting it to two and earning a chance to tie or take the lead with 24 seconds remaining. The attempt came up short, forcing Butler to foul. Garden City sealed the game at the line, ending the Grizzlies' winning streak that dated back to January 14.
Missed free throws and Garden City's scorching shooting proved costly. Butler shot 51.3 percent from the field and 8‑for‑19 from three (42.1 percent), but went just 20‑for‑32 at the foul line, including several key misses late. Garden City was nearly unstoppable, shooting 40‑for‑63 (63.5 percent), an incredible 8‑for‑11 from deep, and 24‑for‑26 at the line. The Broncbusters also dominated the boards, outrebounding Butler 37–21. The Grizzlies did force 27 turnovers in the loss.
Sophomore Josiah Kirkwood posted a season‑high 23 points and added five steals. Five other Grizzlies scored in double figures.
Garden City avenged its 131–107 loss to Butler back on December 3.
The Grizzlies fall to 16–7 overall and 12–5 in conference play. Garden City improves to 14–8 (9–7). Despite the loss, Butler remains tied for first place with Independence and holds the head‑to‑head tiebreaker.
Next up: The Grizzlies are off Saturday before returning to action next Wednesday on the road at Independence at 7:30 p.m.