Box Score

INDIANAPOLIS – The Butler Bulldogs secured their second win of the season on Wednesday morning by defeating the Fort Wayne Mastodons 70-64 at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
 
Point guard Michelle Weaver turned in an impressive performance for the 'Dawgs, scoring 22 points to go along with six assists and three steals, all of which were team-highs.  The sophomore could not be stopped in the third quarter, registering 13 of her 22 points over that 10-minute stretch to help BU regain the lead.
 
"Michelle's injury from last year has still impacted her process up to this point," Head Coach Kurt Godlevske said after the game. "The game finally slowed down for Michelle in that second half and we saw what the real Michelle is really like. The things that she can do, the reads that she can make, she really helps this team."
 
Outside of Weaver, Butler had three other players reach a double figure scoring total. Sydney Buck hit 5-of-11 from the field to net 12 points and Shae Brey posted 10 points to go along with six rebounds. BU also got 16 points and six rebounds out of freshman Kristen Spolyar.
 
Rounding out the scoring total was Tori Schickel and Kaela Hodges. Schickel went to work in the paint to end the contest with nine points and a team-high 11 rebounds. Hodges also hit the glass for BU with five rebounds. She went 1-for-4 from the charity stripe to add a single point.
 
The 'Dawgs came out hot at the start of the game to jump out to an 18-6 lead. They would win the quarter 23-13 by shooting 53 percent from the field, including 43 percent from 3-point range.
 
The hot start wouldn't last however as Butler went cold in the second quarter scoring a mere five points while the Mastodons poured in 21 to take a 34-28 lead into halftime.  Nearly seven minutes passed in between Butler's two baskets for the quarter.
 
"You play like you prepare and we had some kids yesterday that were not ready to prepare for this matchup and consequently it showed today when Fort Wayne switched to man defense," Godlevske added. "You have to give Fort Wayne credit. They played harder than us during that second quarter. We stopped executing and didn't defend anyone."
 
Momentum would once again shift in the third quarter as Michelle Weaver sparked a comeback that would result in the six-point victory. Weaver came out to score half of Butler's 26 points in the third.  The 'Dawgs used an 8-0 scoring run to retake a lead they would not relinquish and finished the quarter shooting 63% from the floor.
 
"I challenged the leaders on this team to make sure that we were ready to come out and work hard in the second half," Godlevske stated. "It's a growing process for our younger kids, which is nearly everyone on this roster with the exception of Sydney Buck. I am very proud of the way we responded in the second half."
 
Butler held on to a single digit lead for the remainder of the game. Spolyar came up with back-to-back field goals down the stretch to keep the BU cushion and solid free throw shooting down the stretch would give Butler their second-straight win.
 
"Overall it's a good start for this young team," Godlevske said. "Now we enter the process of figuring out how to play on the road. Wisconsin is a big team that can shoot it and play up-tempo. It will be a good challenge and if we come ready to play it should be a great basketball game."
 
The Bulldogs return to action Sunday in their first road game of the season against the Wisconsin Badgers.  Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.