Butler men beat Seward to claim outright conference title
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Butler
27-2, 13-2
|
56 | 42 | 98 |
|
Seward County
14-14, 7-8
|
40 | 39 | 79 |
Team Stats
Seward County
| Game Statistics | Butler | Seward County |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (37-56) | (24-59) |
| Field Goal % | 66.1% | 40.7% |
| Rebounds | 41 | 25 |
| Assists | 14 | 9 |
| Turnovers | 25 | 22 |
LIBERAL, Kan. – The Butler men are the 2015 Jayhawk West Conference champions, clinching the championship with a 98-79 win on the road at Seward County on Saturday at the Greenhouse.
The win improves Butler to 27-2 on the season and 13-2 in the Jayhawk West. That win, coupled with Barton's loss on Saturday at Pratt, gives Butler the title outright, as the Cougars are now 11-4 in the conference standings.
It is Butler's first conference title since the 2009-10 season when the Grizzlies won the Jayhawk West and Region VI titles on the way to the NJCAA Division I National Tournament.
Butler cruised in its conference-clinching victory over Seward on Saturday. The Grizzlies trailed early, but took the lead for good on a 3-pointer by Jacolby Harris that made it 7-5 with 16:02 to play. Butler started to separate as Travis House started hitting 3-pointers. He made three from beyond the arc in a span of 90 seconds as Butler jumped in front 24-11.
The Grizzlies led by as many as 27 in the first half when a Damien Akao 3-pointer made it 51-27 with 2:49 left in the period and the Grizzlies led 56-40 at the break.
Butler's biggest lead came in the second half when the Grizzlies went ahead 71-44 with 15 minutes to go. Seward would chip away at the lead with a 17-4 run that made the score 75-61 with 7:30 left, but that was as close as the Saints would get.
Butler sweeps the season series from Seward for the first time since the 2008-09 season and give Butler three straight wins over Seward dating back to last year.
Travis House led five Butler players in double figures in the game. He had five 3-pointers and finished with 19 points, just two shy of his career high of 21 he scored against Kansas State-Salina in November. Chris Howell scored 16, Lamar Wofford had 14 and Kyle Steward and Jacolby Harris had 10 apiece. Seward's Kevin Sims led all scorers with a career-high 33 points.
Butler will finish the regular season with a home game on Wednesday against Dodge City at 7:30 at the Power Plant.