First quarter run propels Butler to win over Tabor JV 86-63

The 17th ranked Butler Grizzlies Women's basketball team used a 25-9 first quarter to roll past the Tabor Bluejays JV team by a score of 86-63 at the Power Plant on Monday, to improve to 2-0 on the year.

The Grizzlies defense powered the victory for the second straight game, forcing 31 Tabor turnovers and scoring 35 points off of those turnovers. The Grizzlies also combined for 18 blocks and 15 steals. 

Tabor kept it close in the first quarter, and the Grizzlies carried just a one point lead into the first media timeout. But the Grizzlies ended the quarter on a 16-1 run and would cruise the rest of the way, going into the locker room with a 41-27 lead. 

Mike Helmer has praised his team's depth, and that depth showed in the second half. Eleven Grizzly players scored tonight, and every single member of the team got on the court for the second straight game. Butler's bench contributed 51 points and now, in two games, the Grizzlies have averaged 96 points per game.

Cameren Downs led the way for the Grizzlies with 16 points, on an efficient night where she went 7-11 from the field. Mallory Cowman and Cymirah Williams were also double digit scorers, as both players had 10 points on the night. Williams also led the team in rebounds, grabbing seven boards for the Grizzlies. It was a night where the Grizzlies were dominant on the glass again, outrebounding Tabor as a team 36-20, also managing to create 13 second chance points. Butler was far and away the more physical team, outscoring Tabor in the paint 50-16.

The Grizzlies will return for their third straight home game against an NAIA opponent on Wednesday, when they host Friends University at the Power Plant. They will then go to Oklahoma for two games, against Northern Oklahoma-Enid and Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa.