Box Score

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A slow start from Butler on Wednesday night helped Arkansas build a large lead in Bud Walton Arena. The Razorbacks doubled up the Bulldogs in the first quarter 19-8, allowing them to win the contest by the final score of 68-50. Arkansas remains undefeated with the victory (9-0) while Butler slips to 2-7 on the year.
 
"The start of the game hurt us," Head Coach Kurt Godlevske said after the contest. "We got some good looks, but we didn't convert offensively. I think that led to us playing stagnant defensively and when you factor in how well they shot the ball throughout the evening it put a tremendous amount of pressure on our young team."
 
Arkansas shot 60 percent from the field (14-23) in the first half and were credited with an assist on 12 of their 14 made field goals. They led by as many as 19 points after 20 minutes of action taking a 34-21 lead into the half.
 
Butler's first half was highlighted by the 3-point shooting of Taylor Buford. The sophomore came off the bench to knock down a pair of 3-point field goals, helping BU go on an 8-0 run. Buford scored eight first half points in just seven minutes, but the slow start would give the edge to the home team.
 
The Bulldogs continued to fight and were able to cut the lead to just eight points with roughly eight minutes to play in the third. The tail end of that quarter would kill any chance of a comeback however as the Razorbacks went on a 12-1 scoring run over the final 3:49.
 
Butler's second large scoring run of the game would come midway through the fourth quarter. Tori Schickel, Kristen Spolyar and Buford would all get going offensively to spark a 10-0 run that cut the deficit to 11 points. Jessica Jackson and Arkansas would weather the storm however and go on to win by 18 points.
 
"I thought our kids continued to battle and we were able to show flashes of what we are capable of," Godlevske added. "We just have to continue to grow and hopefully get over the hump."
 
Jackson led all players with 19 points and nine rebounds. She was one of four Razorbacks to hit double figures in the scoring column. With Jackson working in the paint, Head Coach Jimmy Dykes relied on Keiryn Swenson to attack from the outside. The strategy worked with Swenson ending the game 6-of-7 from the field with 15 points off the bench.
 
Butler was led by Tori Schickel who finished the night with a team-high 16 points to go along with seven rebounds, five steals and an assist. Schickel shot 7-of-11 from the field and added two points from the charity stripe.
 
"Tori has been so consistent for this team," Godlevske stated. "She started off a little bit slow and I know she was frustrated after missing a few shots early, but she continued to play hard for us."
 
Butler also welcomed back Brittany Ward who had missed every game up to this point with a foot injury. Ward scored the first two points of the night for BU with a nice move on the block. Ward contributed with seven points off the bench while Buford led the way with 11.
 
Butler will return to action this Sunday afternoon at 2 PM when they host the Indiana State Sycamores. The game will stream live on ButlerSports.com.