Women cruise to 64-44 road win at Neosho

After a six-day layoff, the Butler womens basketball team cruised to a 64-44 road win against Neosho County on Monday night.

With the victory, Butler moves to 9-2 on the season and finish up 5-1 in regular season play against Jayhawk East foes. Sophomore guard Jamillah Bonner led the Grizzlies with 18 points, shooting 8-of-12 from the field. Bonner added seven rebounds and six steals, while Tysia Manuel added nine points and eight boards in the win.

Butler scored the game's first eight points - two field goals each by Bonner and Shayla Williams. Neosho never came within five points after the opening 8-0 run. Leading 20-14 with just over eight minutes remaining in the first half, the Grizzlies pulled away with a 15-0 run and went into halftime with a 35-16 lead. Bonner scored 12 of her game-high 18 points in the first half.

The Grizzlies led by as many as 29 points in the second half, taking a commanding 58-29 lead late in the contest. With Butler leading 35-22, the Grizzlies went on a 23-7 lead en route to the 29-point edge.

Butler limited Neosho to just 27 percent shooting from the field (17-of-64), while offensively hitting 46 percent (24-of-52) of its shots. The Grizzlies also had a 15-6 edge in steals.

Next up for the Butler women is a home non-conference match against Murray State (Okla.) this Wednesday. Tipoff at the Power Plant is 5:30 p.m.