Grizzlies Overwhelmed by Cloud Physicality, Fall to Thunderbirds
CONCORDIA, Kan. – The No. 19 ranked Butler Grizzlies fell to the Cloud County Thunderbirds 112-87 on Wednesday night.
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
34 | 53 | 87 |
|
|
66 | 46 | 112 |
Team Stats
| Game Statistics | #19 Butler | Cloud County |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (29-75) | (36-61) |
| Field Goal % | 38.7% | 59.0% |
| Rebounds | 29 | 54 |
| Assists | 14 | 24 |
| Turnovers | 15 | 18 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 26 | 18 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 5 | 11 |
| Pts in the Paint | 28 | 52 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 7 | 33 |
| Bench Pts | 34 | 45 |
CONCORDIA, Kan. – The No. 19 ranked Butler Grizzlies fell to the Cloud County Thunderbirds 112-87 on Wednesday night.
The Grizzlies (11-6, 7-4) ran into a buzzsaw on Wednesday night. Cloud (10-7, 5-6) has now won four straight games since the start of the second semester. Butler has lost four straight trips to Concordia, with their last win coming in the 2021-22 season.
It was a night to forget for the No. 19 ranked Butler Grizzlies. Cloud controlled the game from nearly start to finish. The Grizzlies led Cloud 13-11 with 14:24 to go in the first half, but after that, it was all Thunderbirds. Cloud led the Grizzlies 66-34 at the break. The Grizzlies were outrebounded by Cloud 30-7 by halftime. The 34 first half points for the Grizzlies was their lowest point total for a first half all season.
To begin the second half, the Grizzlies went on a 15-0 run within the first two minutes of the half to cut the Cloud lead to 17. After a bucket from Cloud, Thunderbird head coach Kyle Pugh called a 30-second timeout to regroup his team. After the timeout, Butler was never able to get within 17 for the rest of the contest.
Butler shot only 38.7 percent from the field and were 11 of 42 from deep on the night. Cloud shot an impressive 59 percent from the field (68 percent in the first half) and were nine of 17 from behind the arc. For the night, Cloud outrebounded Butler 54-29.
The Grizzlies fall from first place to tied to second place in the Jayhawk Conference, now a game back from Dodge City and Seward County.
Next up: The Grizzlies will be on the road again on Saturday to take on the Colby Trojans set for a 1 p.m. tipoff.
