Butler defeats Tabor JV 60-48 in non-conference play

The Butler women defeated Tabor College JV 60-48 in home non-conference action Thursday.

Grizzly freshman forward Tamara Nard led all scorers with 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting and pulled down six rebounds in the win. Sophomore guard RaVon Nero added 15 points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists, while sophomore forward Jaelynn McLaurian scored nine points on 4-of-6 field goals.

With the win, Butler (6-3 overall) has won 23 straight games at the Power Plant.

Butler trailed 7-2 early in the first quarter, but rallied with an 8-2 run to tie Tabor 12-12 after 10 minutes of play. Jelesa Gross scored a layup off a steal to cut the deficit to two, then another Tabor turnover created by Nero led to a layup by Nard to tie the game. The Grizzlies' defense added another steal by Miranda Givens, which led to a McLaurian layup just before the end of the quarter.

Butler battled back and forth with Tabor in the second quarter, as the game evened up at 20-all. The Grizzlies then ended the first half with an 11-0 run, beginning with a Gross jumper with 2:14 before the break. McLaurian added a three-point play, then Nero and Givens each hit 3-pointers as Butler took a 31-20 lead into halftime.

In the second half, Butler stretched the lead to 20 behind a 10-0 run midway through the half. A Nero layup following an offensive rebound with just over a minute remaining in the third quarter started the run. Nard would score five points during the run, while Nero added another layup to cap the streak as Butler led 50-30.

Nard hit two foul shots at the 6:40 mark to give Butler its largest lead at 52-31, but Tabor closed the game by outscoring the Grizzlies 17-8.

Butler shot 39.7 percent (25-of-63) from the field, while Tabor JV made 35.3 percent (18-of-51). Neither team shot well beyond the arc, as the Grizzlies hit 18.2 percent (2-of-11) to Tabor JV's 16.7 (4-of-24).

Tabor outrebounded 32-28, but the Grizzlies forced 26 turnovers and scored 23 points off the turnovers.

Butler will finish the non-conference portion of its schedule on Tuesday with a 5:30 p.m. home contest against Northern Oklahoma-Enid. The Jets defeated Butler 69-67 back on Nov. 11.

The Grizzlies will then begin the Jayhawk Conference schedule on Tuesday, Nov. 26 when Butler heads to Liberal for a 5:30 p.m. game against Seward County.