INDIANAPOLIS – The Bulldogs improved to 8-1 on Monday night with a 72-49 win over Indiana State. Butler outscored the Sycamores 24-12 in the second quarter to take control of the action.
Whitney Jennings led all players with a game-high 16 points.
Jennings went 3-for-5 from 3-point range to help net her 16 points. Sharing the scoring load was
Kristen Spolyar with 13 and
Naira Caceres off the bench with 14. Spolyar battled foul trouble early in the first quarter and was limited to just 18 minutes of action, but she still managed to record five rebounds to go along with her 13 points.
Caceres allowed BU to open up a five-point lead after the first quarter thanks to nine points over the opening 10 minutes. She hit five of her eight field goal attempts while adding three more points from the charity stripe.
Butler shot 45.3 percent from the field as a team and limited Indiana State to just 31 percent shooting. Ashli O'Neal paced the Sycamores with 16 points.
Other 'Dawgs to impact the outcome included
Tori Schickel and
Michelle Weaver. Schickel just missed a double-double with eight points and a game-high nine rebounds. Weaver once again stuffed the box score with nine points, five assists, four rebounds and six steals.
Points in the paint favored Butler 32-12. The Sycamores were not able to attack the rim with Schickel in the lineup. The senior forward blocked a career-high seven shots to move to fourth place all-time at Butler in the category. Schickel entered the game ranked seventh in career blocks, but was able to pass Liz Stratman, Beth Piepenbrink and Lade Akande with her outstanding performance on Monday.
Nine rebounds also moved Schickel into third place all-time in career rebounds. Schickel's total now rests at 946 which passed former assistant coach Julie Shelton (VonDielingen) who pulled down 939 boards in a Bulldog jersey.
Gritty team defense has been the recipe for success for Butler in 2018. They held Indiana State to 12 points or less in three of the four quarters tonight, limiting the Sycamores to just 49 total points. It marks the fifth game this season where the BU opponent has not reached 50 points in a game.
Offensively, Butler used a 12-2 scoring run in the second quarter to build on their early lead. The nail in the coffin came in the third quarter with BU outscoring Indiana State 14-2 over a seven minute stretch.
Butler will return to action later this week when they compete in the 2019 West Palm Beach Invitational. Games on the schedule include a tilt vs. Ohio State and a matchup vs. Eastern Michigan.
