VILLANOVA, Pa. – Butler outscored Villanova by four in the second half, but a strong performance from Maddy Siegrist was the difference in this Friday matinee which resulted in a 59-44 Wildcat victory. Trinity White came off the bench to lead Butler with 10 points. Alex Richard and Celena Taborn just missed out on double-doubles. Richard also came off the bench to score nine points and add eight rebounds. Taborn was in the box score with eight points and eight boards.
 
How It Happened
The Bulldogs got off to a slow start and that would allow Villanova to open the game on a 12-3 scoring run. BU only hit one field goal over their first eight attempts while Nova hit four of their first eight shots, including a pair from long range. The Wildcats also did a nice job of sharing the basketball. They were credited with four assists on their first four made field goals.
 
Butler played much better after the first media timeout. Tenley Dowell would cut the lead in half at 14-7 and the 'Dawgs would have five different players come up with points over the opening 10 minutes to make the game 19-13 after the first. Maddy Siegrist was the driving force behind the Nova attack, contributing with nine points in the first 10 minutes.
 
Head Coach Kurt Godlevske was forced to call a quick timeout at the start of the second quarter. Villanova opened the frame on a 5-0 scoring run and the 'Dawgs would head to the sideline with 8:24 on the game clock. The BU offense continued to struggle and Villanova would move forward to win the second quarter 17-4. Maddy Siegrist scored 19 first half points to give the home team a 19-point lead at the half. Nova ended the second quarter on a 12-0 scoring run.
 
The start third quarter was highly contested with each side scoring eight points over the opening five minutes. The Bulldogs continued to fight and would outscore the Wildcats by one in the third quarter 15-14. Celena Taborn had six points in six minutes during that stretch and BU would also come up with seven points from the free throw line.
 
Butler continued to click in the fourth quarter. They outscored Villanova 7-2 over a span of four minutes to move the game to 52-39. Trinity White and Alex Richard combined to give Butler all seven of their points during that stretch. Villanova would slow Butler down with a timeout and respond with four-straight points out of the stoppage. The Bulldogs continued to play hard over the final four minutes, but the 19-point first half deficit was too much to overcome.
 
Stat of the Game
Butler had 14 first half turnovers which resulted in 19 Villanova points. The Wildcats only turned the ball over two times over the opening 20 minutes.
 
Inside the Box Score
- Kate Tanner started for the first time in her BU career today
- Butler only shot 25 percent from the field in the first half
- The Bulldogs outrebounded the Wildcats 45-32
- Maddy Siegrist scored 23 points in 33 minutes of action
- Tenley Dowell scored six points for BU and grabbed six rebounds
- Emilia Sexton led BU with three assists and also hit a 3-pointer
 
Up Next
Butler will travel to Washington D.C. today and prepare for a 2 PM contest at Georgetown on Sunday at 2 PM.