Butler Wins 4th Straight, Advances to Region VI Semifinals

EL DORADO, Kan. – Butler women's basketball is headed to Hutchinson for a matchup in the NJCAA Region VI semifinals.

3-seed Butler (24-7) defeated 6-seed Seward 75-58 in the quarterfinals of the Region VI tournament at the Power Plant on Tuesday. The Grizzlies advance to the semifinal round where they will take on 2-seed Dodge City at 5:30 p.m. at the Hutchinson Sports Arena on Friday.

Four of Butler's starters scored in double figures paced by Freddie Wallace's 22 points on 9-13 shooting. The Grizzlies outrebounded Seward 48-35 and nearly doubled them up with points in the paint, 42-24.

Seward led 14-12 after the first quarter as they held Butler to just 23.8% shooting. Seward pushed its lead to 27-19 at the 4:29 mark of the second quarter before Butler reeled off seven straight points. Butler scored the final five points of the quarter to take a 31-29 lead into halftime.

The third quarter is when the Grizzlies broke the game open. They outscored the Saints 21-7 as Seward made just one shot from the field (1-11) in the quarter, scoring the other five points from the free throw line. The Grizzlies opened the quarter on an 11-0 run, building a 42-29 advantage. The Grizzlies held their biggest lead of the game at the 3:11 mark of the fourth quarter, taking a 22-point lead at 73-51 off a Randi Harding layup.

J'unti Franklin finished with 15 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals. Harding had 11 points, a team-high seven assists and six rebounds. Maycee James grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds, also nabbing four steals and having three assists. Dayuna Colvin had 10 points on 4-7 shooting. Jada Hopson had six points and four rebounds off the bench.

Seward was led by Biyyanah Ellis' 11 points and five rebounds off the bench as she knocked down three triples, all in the first half.

Butler advances to the Region VI semifinals for a second consecutive season. The Grizzlies cap their 2023-24 home record at 14-3. The last two semifinal matchups' for Butler (2021 and 2023) were both losses to Barton.