Missouri State-West Plains avenges earlier loss to Butler

COFFEYVILLE, Kan. –Missouri State-West Plains got the better of Butler in a rematch of an earlier game, beating the Grizzlies 71-56 in the fifth-place game  at the Elite 8 Tournament in Coffeyville.

Butler had beaten West Plains 83-70 at home two weeks earlier in El Dorado but trailed 27-21 at the half on its half to a 15-point loss.

The Grizzles had more balanced scoring in the final game of the Coffeyville tournament, with Justin Simmons scoring 15, Keenan Harper scoring 13 and Eric Watson added 10, but the Grizzlies shot just 38 percent from the floor (21-54). For the second time at the tournament, however, the Butler defense allowed its opponent to shoot better than 50 percent from the floor (28-55).

Butler finishes the first semester with a 6-8 record. The Grizzlies will begin conference play at home on January 4, 2012 against Garden City, which finished the first semester with a record of 12-2.