The Butler men pulled off a stunning 70-64 upset over top-ranked Hutchinson on Saturday night at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.
The win marked the second time in three seasons that a Butler team knocked off a No. 1-ranked Hutch squad. The Grizzlies have won three straight games at the Sports Arena and won five of their last seven meetings with the Blue Dragons, who had a 24-game winning streak snapped. Butler moves to 18-6 overall and sits in fourth place with a 6-4 record in Jayhawk West play.
Sean Osler led Butler with 14 points, while Sean Goodwin had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Larry Fitzgerald added 11 points and hit 3-of-3 from beyond the arc.
The Grizzlies raced out to a 9-2 lead to start the game, but Hutch would respond by taking its first lead, 16-15, with 10:04 in the half. Hutch appeared to take control of the game with a 13-2 run to go up 10 points, 31-21.
However, Butler quickly railled from the 10-point deficit with a 13-2 run of its own in a 2:40 span. Sean Osler opened the run with a field goal and Larry Fitzgerald hit a three-pointer to pull within five. After a Hutch basket, Ja'ln Williams hit a trey and a field goal, then Fitzgerald added another three to give the Grizzlies a 34-33 edge with 2:02 left in the half. The lead was shortlived as Hutch went into the break with a 37-36 lead.
Hutch battled to take a 43-42 lead before the Grizzlies made a quick 6-0 run on field goals from Goodwin, Trent Richardson and LaMont Pruitt. Butler would stay out ahead for nearly a 10-minute stretch before the Dragons regained the lead, 58-57, on an A.J. Spencer putback. Spencer would add another field goal to put Hutch up by three with 5:27 remaining.
Butler would limit the Dragons to just one field goal after that as the Grizzlies ended the game with a 13-4 run. Osler made a field goal inside the lane, then Fitzgerald drained a three-pointer from the far corner to put Butler up 62-60 with 4:33 to play. The Grizzlies would go on to score its final eight points at the foul line, hitting 8-of-12 free throws.
Butler will next play No. 25-ranked Barton (21-4 overall, 8-3 Jayhawk West) on Monday, with the tip at 7:30 p.m. The Cougars defeated the Grizzlies 73-64 back on Jan. 12 in Great Bend.
