VILLANOVA, Pa. – Head Coach
Kurt Godlevske earned his first win at Butler over a Top-25 opponent on Tuesday night with the Bulldogs knocking off #21 Villanova at Nevin Field House 76-53. With the win, Butler moves to 9-5 overall and 1-1 in the BIG EAST Conference.
#21 Villanova lost for just the second time this season behind a balanced BU attack that featured four players in double figures.
Tori Schickel was the player of the game for the Bulldogs. The junior center scored a game-high 26 points on 10-of-11 shooting. Schickel added seven rebounds, six assists and two blocks to her stat line in 35 minutes of action.
Guard
Whitney Jennings ended the game with 16 points, six boards and two assists. She shot 50 percent from the field (7-14) and knocked down a pair of 3-point field goals. Butler's top option from long range was sophomore
Kristen Spolyar. All four of Spolyar's field goals came from behind the arc at Villanova. She added a free throw to end the game with 13 points off the bench.
Michelle Weaver scored 11 points and pulled down five rebounds while teammate
Iman Lathan added eight points and three boards. The BU scoring total was rounded out by
Kaela Hodges who scored two points.
Butler shot 52.8 percent from the field (28-53) and crushed Villanova on the boards 43-19.
The start of the game was all Villanova as the home team raced out to an 11-2 lead before a Butler timeout. Adjustments were made midway through the first quarter and Butler would hold a slim two-point advantage at 16-14 after the first 10 minutes of play.
The second quarter was dead even at 15-15 giving BU a two-point cushion at the break. The outcome was determined in the third quarter with Butler outscoring Villanova 27-11.
Tori Schickel nearly outscored the Wildcats by herself, going off for 10 of her game-high 26 points in the third frame.
Butler never let up over the final stages of the contest and would end the game after winning the fourth quarter 18-13.
BU will take this momentum into the weekend when they return to action at Georgetown on Friday night. Tip-off between the Bulldogs and Hoyas will go up at 7 PM.
