INDIANAPOLIS – The Bulldogs moved to 3-0 on the young season by defeating Lipscomb on Friday night 70-58. The Bulldogs erased a seven-point halftime deficit in the opening stages of the third quarter to get back into the game. Butler would outscore Lipscomb 27-4 in the third frame to take control of the action. They opened the third on a 15-0 scoring run.
Halftime adjustments would make the difference in the outcome on Friday night as Butler picked up their intensity on the defensive end. The Bulldogs applied a full-court press on the Lady Bisons to start the third frame and the strategy would pay off. Butler quickly took a 31-30 lead in the third after scoring the first eight points of the quarter. The scoring run would grow to 13-0 before a Lipscomb timeout and eventually would come to an end at 15-0.
The momentum swing would push Butler to 3-0 on the year, marking the first 3-0 start for the program since the 1990-91 campaign.
Tori Schickel and
Whitney Jennings each came up big to help BU complete the comeback win. Schickel scored 15 points and pulled down a season-high 17 rebounds. Jennings was in the box score with a team-high 20 points to go along with eight rebounds and six assists.
The third member of the BU scoring trio was graduate
Iman Lathan who scored a season-high 12 points. Lathan was active with six rebounds, two assists, and a steal in 19 minutes of playing time.
BU would get off to a slow start, scoring just 10 points in the opening 10 minutes. The second quarter was more of the same action with Lipscomb scoring 15 more points and Butler hanging around on the scoreboard with 13.
The Bulldogs shot 31 percent from the field in the first half and were 1-for-13 from 3-point range. They flipped a switch defensively to drive Lipscomb off the 3-point line and on the offensive side Butler would become much more aggressive. They ended the game with 34 points in the paint compared to just four for the Lady Bisons. Lipscomb would go cold from 3-point range in the second half as well. They ended the contest 11-for-39 from behind the arc.
Butler will now shift their focus to #22 South Florida. The Bulls host the Bulldogs on Monday, Nov. 20.
