STORRS, Conn. – The Butler women's basketball team took a 103-35 loss at #3 UConn on Tuesday night.
Okako Adika led the 'Dawgs with a game-high 18 points.
Adika and
Genesis Parker combined to score 33 of Butler's 35 points against the Huskies. The other two points went to
Tenley Dowell in the closing minutes of the third quarter.
The game got off to a great start with
Jaia Alexander finding Adika on a backdoor cut for the first two points of the contest. Adika would then drive baseline and use a reverse layup for her second field goal of the game.
UConn led 12-7 at the first media timeout, but the bigger story for BU was Adika picking up her second personal foul. She would head to the BU sideline and UConn would take advantage of the substitution by making five of their final seven shots of the first quarter to post a 10-point lead over Butler 25-15.
Adika and Parker had all 15 in the first, so head coach
Kurt Godlevske would put Adika back in the game despite the foul trouble. The gamble was worth it with Adika reaching 14 points at the half. Parker would add six to get Butler to 20. The UConn junior class was responsible for 36 of the team's 45 points over the opening 20 minutes.
UConn shot 56 percent from the field in the first half and would force BU into 17 turnovers resulting in 24 points. They also won the points in the paint battle 24-8. Butler kept playing hard and would out-rebound UConn in the first half 16-14.
The second half featured more of the same action. Adika picked up her fourth foul with six minutes to play in the third and the offense would have trouble scoring from that point forward. UConn reached the bonus with 5:39 remaining in the third, helping them get 13 points from the free throw line.
In the fourth, the Huskies emptied the bench to get 25 points from their reserves and Butler would get all their active student-athletes on the court for the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
Butler will travel back to Indianapolis tonight and start to prepare for #18 DePaul. The Blue Demons will visit Hinkle Fieldhouse on Thursday night for a 7 PM tip.
