INDIANAPOLIS – Butler led DePaul 67-56 at the end of three quarters, but a 17-2 Blue Demon scoring run in the fourth would allow DePaul to win the final quarter 30-11 and complete the comeback 86-78. Butler moves to 16-3 on the year with a 6-2 mark against conference foes. DePaul is now 5-3 in the conference and 14-6 overall.
Each team dominated two quarters of action on Friday night to bring excitement to a group of 1,758 fans inside Hinkle Fieldhouse. Butler won the first quarter 27-17, but DePaul would own a one-point lead at the half by winning the second quarter 24-13.
Second half action was more of the same as BU would win the third 27-15, but a 30-11 scoring run in the fourth quarter would be the difference as DePaul would find the win column on the road.
Kristen Spolyar led Butler with 22 points and
Tori Schickel would post her third-straight double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Whitney Jennings was responsible for three of Butler's four made 3-point field goals on the evening to end the game with 11 points. She also led BU in assists with six. The final 'Dawg to score in double figures vs. the Blue Demons was
Katherine Strong with 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting.
3-point shooting would be huge in this one as DePaul knocked down 16 of their 32 attempts from behind the arc. Chante Stonewall went 6-for-7 from distance to lead all players with 25 points. Stonewall was also at the top of the DePaul press which helped Doug Bruno's team force 21 turnovers.
The start of the game couldn't have gone much better for the Bulldogs.
Shae Brey scored back-to-back buckets before the first media timeout to give Butler an early 10-8 lead. After the break, Butler would come up with a five-point play.
Whitney Jennings hit a 3-pointer, and with the ball in the air, a whistle would blow signaling a call against DePaul.
Naira Caceres would be rewarded with two free throws and the score would quickly move to 18-11.
A 10-point first quarter lead would quickly disappear in the second quarter with DePaul scoring the first five points in a hurry. Spolyar broke up the streak with a 3-pointer, but Stonewall would answer with her first triple of the game on the next trip down for DePaul.
A 7-0 DePaul scoring run would knot the score at 36-36 and the Blue Demons would hang on for a one-point lead at the half 41-40.
Butler got back to the basics and slowed the game down in the third quarter. The two evenly matched teams were separated by three points at the media timeout with 4:39 remaining, but a 14-2 BU scoring run over a three-minute stretch would give the 'Dawgs a 67-56 lead heading into the fourth.
The momentum would shift once again over the final 10 minutes and the Blue Demons would storm back with a 17-2 scoring run which allowed them to win the game 86-78. Butler was down two players in crunch time with
Shae Brey and
Katherine Strong sidelined. Brey exited the game with an ankle injury and Strong was suffering from calf cramps.
Different lineups would cause different rotations for head coach
Kurt Godlevske in the final 10 minutes of play. Stonewall took advantage and scored nine of her team-high 25 points in the fourth quarter to help seal the win. She hit all three of her 3-point attempts.
Butler will regroup and shift their focus to Marquette for a Sunday afternoon showdown. The Golden Eagles won at Xavier on Friday 90-44 to remain undefeated in league play. Tip-off between Butler and Marquette is set for 2 PM.
