MELBOURNE, Fla. – The upset-minded Bulldogs held a one-point lead over #11 West Virginia with just 2:17 left in the fourth quarter, but back-to-back Mountaineer 3-pointers one minute apart would lift West Virginia to victory. Butler moves to 3-2 on the year with each setback coming against a nationally-ranked opponent. The Mountaineers improve to 4-0.
 
The game got off to a rough start for Butler as West Virginia came out of the locker room to score the first 10 points of the contest. Butler lost the first quarter 16-7, but would fight back in the second with a 7-0 scoring run. Whitney Jennings would tie the game at 21-21 after hitting her first 3-point field goal and the Bulldogs would take their first lead of the game after a bucket from Kristen Spolyar.
 
Spolyar provided Butler with a spark off the bench and finished the contest with 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Jennings led all players with 24 points in the first game of the Paradise Jam (Island Division). She shot 7-for-13 from the field including 5-for-7 from 3-point range.
 
Jennings stayed hot in the third quarter, scoring 12 of her game-high 24 points in the frame. She got Butler within three points with a triple at the 3:59 mark and moments later another 3-pointer from the Iowa transfer would give BU a two-point lead at 48-46. The lead wouldn't last however as West Virginia went on a 6-0 scoring run to end the third.
 
Jennings from three continued to be the Butler theme in the opening stages of the fourth quarter as her triple tied the contest at 56-56 at the 7:31 mark. West Virginia would move the advantage back up to five with 5:42 to play, but an old fashioned 3-point play from Tori Schickel would tie the game for the fifth time.
 
Schickel went back to the line to give Butler a two-point lead under the four-minute mark, but the Mountaineers would force a turnover and knot the score at 64-64 after a layup from Kristina King.

Schickel would answer with a jumper to give Butler a slim one-point lead, but the difference maker in this game would follow on the next trip. Teana Muldrow stepped out and hit her first shot of the second half from 3-point range for West Virginia. Butler was unable to score on their next trip and West Virginia would knock down another triple on their next possession, this time by Chania Ray.

Back-to-back 3-pointers would give West Virginia a five-point cushion with just 58 seconds to play. Jennings would score the final two points of the game for Butler, but four made free throws from Muldrow in the final 20 seconds would seal the outcome.
 
Jennings and Spolyar did the heavy lifting in the score column, but the Bulldogs also got great effort from Michelle Weaver and Tori Schickel. Weaver ended the game with seven points, six assists, five steals and three rebounds. BU's top rebounder was Schickel with nine. She scored 12 points in 39 minutes while dishing out three assists.
 
West Virginia recorded 20 assists on 27 made field goals. All five of their starters ended the contest scoring in double figures. Muldrow led the Mountaineers with 18 points while teammate Naomi Davenport posted a double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds. West Virginia is the first team to outrebound Butler this year (35-28).
 
Butler will return to action tomorrow for game four of the Paradise Jam. The team will take on Virginia Tech at 6 PM.