Grizzlies’ rally against Wallace State falls short

HUTCHINSON – The Butler Grizzlies tried to overcome putting themselves in a 13-point hole to Wallace State midway through the second half of their NJCAA National Tournament opening round, but fell just short against their Alabama opponents in an 84-81 loss at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.

The Grizzlies got themselves back to within three points four times in the final 2 1/2 minutes, but couldn’t get any closer as the Lions were able to find the answers to pull away and clinch the win.

“I thought we were going to come back because we fight to the end,” said Butler sophomore Dushawn Brooks.

It wasn’t a matter of the fight in the Grizzlies, but the good breaks Wallace State made for itself in the final minutes of regulation that sealed the win.

Butler started cutting into the deficit with seven minutes left to go. The Grizzlies cut the lead down to 75-72 with 2:24 left and at 78-75 with just over a minute remaining, only to have the Lions come back with a three-point play and a three-pointer, respectively.

The Grizzlies had a final chance for the tie with less than 30 seconds left, but Wallace State was able to get an offensive rebound and hit their free throws to seal the win. The game closed on a three-point basket by Cousin at the buzzer.

The turn of the game happened with 14 minutes remaining in regulation. Wallace State led by one before hitting shots on a 12-point roll which saw the Grizzlies coming down the court too quickly, taking shots before the Butler offense was ready. The one-point lead became a 58-45 margin for the Lions (30-4) with 10:30 left in regulation.

“They did a great job of handling our pressure in the second half,” said Butler coach Michael Bargen. “They broke things down and hit open shots; and when they did miss, they got offensive rebounds that hurt us.”

Wallace State was able to find a way to run its offense around the Grizzlies’ patented defense. The Lions were 20-of-31 from the field in the second half (64.5 percent) and made five of their six three-point attempts after intermission.

“We just needed to do a better job of making them take contested shots,” Bargen said.

It wasn’t as if the Grizzlies (29-6) weren’t trying to burn the nets down themselves in the game where the near-capacity crowd was mostly behind the Kansas squad.

“It’s probably the most people I’ve ever seen in this building, and it was a great atmosphere,” said Butler sophomore Caleb Walker who scored 18 points (14 in the second half), grabbed nine rebounds and dished out eight assists in front of his hometown.

Butler was 30-of-54 (55.6. percent) from the field and 6-of-11 from three-point range; but the Grizzlies had trouble at the foul line (making only one of six from the stripe in the first half and 15-of-26 for the game).

Brooks also had 18 points and grabbed six boards. Other double-figure scorers for Butler included Josh Gibbs with 14, and Anthony Cousin and Troy Pierce with 10 apiece.

L.A. Farmer scored 20 points to lead the Lions in scoring, while Sergio Crowe added 17 in the victory.

The first half saw Wallace State score the first six points of the game before Gibbs jump started the Grizzlies’ offense, scoring the first seven points during a 17-4 run to put Butler up by seven. The lead see-sawed the rest of the half with the Grizzlies taking a 33-30 lead at halftime.

Wallace State started the second half with another scoring run and was able to push ahead 42-41 four minutes after intermission. The teams traded baskets until the Lions’ 12-point run gave them the lead for good.

Butler still can finish seventh in the nation if it wins its next three games, beginning with a noon tip-off Thursday against North Platte (Neb.).

A loss either Thursday or Friday will end the Grizzlies’ season.

“We’re going to keep fighting,” Brooks said. “Just like Coach (Bargen) says, it’s not over and we have to come back and play Thursday and play our best. Our season is not over and we have to continue fighting.”