EL DORADO, Kan. — Unranked Butler's (10-2, 4-2) big start Saturday was too much for Hutchinson (former No. 4 in the country, now receiving votes in poll) to overcome.
The Grizzlies used the last 12 minutes of the first half to build a 36-25 advantage.
Butler's stingy defense held the high-flying Dragons (8-4, 2-4) to just 63 total points.
As expected, Hutchinson bounced back after an invigorating halftime speech from coach Tommy DeSalme, but the burst was only good enough for the Dragons to pull within six.
Treylon Payne scored back-to-back layups as part of his game-high 18 to maintain Grizzly lead that was built in the first 20 minutes.
Hutchinson outscored Butler in the second half, but not by enough.
FINAL: Butler 68 Hutchinson 63
This is the lowest offensive output for Hutchinson on the year.
Before conference play, the Dragons scored 112-plus points in each contest, including a program second-best 139 against Labette.
In conference play, however, the Dragons are 2-4, averaging just 87.8 points per game (compared to 121 in non-conference action).
Ty Frierson led the Dragons with 13 points.
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