Butler men fade out late in 91-82 loss at Barton

GREAT BEND, Kan. — A late second-half run by Barton doomed the Butler men Saturday night in a 91-82 road loss.

The Grizzlies (4-2 overall, 1-2 conference) trailed 74-72 with 3:28 remaining before Barton scored on consecutive possessions to take a seven-point lead.

Barton (7-0 overall, 3-0 conference) then made 10-of-12 free throws in the final 1:55 to pull out the victory.

Jared Armstrong matched with a season-high with 18 points, while Ketarrious Bouchum added 13 and Equan Ards scored 13 for Butler.

Butler tied the contest four times in the second half before finally taking a three-point lead after back-to-back three-pointers. Armstrong drilled a trey from the far corner, then Bouchum followed with a three in front of the Grizzlies' bench to put Butler in front 65-62 with 8:08 to play.

A Barton 6-0 run moved the hosts back in the lead before Armstrong made another trey to tie the game at 68-all at the 5:51 mark. Barton's Kawanise Wilkins answered with a jumper on the other end to put the Cougars up for good.

Butler struggled offensively in the first half, as the Grizzlies went without a field goal for a 9:09 stretch. Russell Smith's dunk with 14:18 remaining in the half pulled Butler within 11-10, but the Grizzlies managed just four points off foul shots until Ards hit a jumper with 5:09 before halftime.

Meanwhile, Barton went on a 20-4 run to build a 15-point lead. Butler would close the deficit within two before halftime with a 22-9 run, ending with an Armstrong basket just before the break.

Barton's ability to get the foul line also damaged the Grizzlies' hopes, as the Cougars made 33-of-53 free throws (62 percent). Butler hit 88 percent from the charity line, hitting 15-of-17.

Noah Webster led Barton with 20 points, while Wilkins, Marvin Cannon and Keshon Montague scored 18 each for the Cougars.

Butler will return home to face Cowley on Tuesday before Thanksgiving break, Tipoff from the Power Plant is at 7:30 p.m.