The Bulldogs ended the 2024 Gulf Coast Showcase with a third-place finish after defeating Boise State 70-64 at Hertz Arena on Sunday evening. Caroline Strande and Kilyn McGuff combined to score 45 of Butler's 70 points in the victory.
 
The one-two punch of Strande and McGuff along with great 3-point shooting pushed Butler past Boise State. Butler shot 43 percent from distance and limited the Broncos to just two made 3-pointers on 13 attempts (15%).
 
McGuff was excellent for Butler in the first half while Strande came to life in the second. After a full 40 minutes, Strande posted a game-high 23 points and McGuff went in the box score with a double-double recording 22 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Boise State led Butler by two at the first media timeout, but would push their lead to 21-15 at the end of the opening quarter. The Bulldogs were credited with six assists on their first six made field goals, but five turnovers over the final four minutes would put the Bronocos in front. The driving force behind the BSU offense was Abby Muse. She had eight early on 4-for-5 shooting helping the Broncos to score 18 of their 21 points in the paint.
 
Second quarter action opened with Boise State going on a 4-0 run which led to a quick Butler timeout. After facing a 10-point deficit, the Bulldogs used the 3-point shot to get back in the game. Kilyn McGuff made her first four attempts from behind the arc to ignite the Butler offense. BU used a 7-0 run to get back within one at 29-28, but the Broncos led at the break 36-33.
 
Each team shot 50 percent from the field in the first half. McGuff led all players with 12 points and the trio of Hutton, Muse and Thompson accounted for 18 of Boise State's 36.
 
Butler's best basketball came in the third quarter. A 7-0 run would knot the score at 40-40 and BU would take a 52-48 lead into the fourth by winning the third frame 19-12. Caroline Strande had 10 points in the third taking her to 17 in the game. She stayed hot and opened the final quarter with her third 3-pointer of the game.
 
Butler's lead stayed at seven points near the midway point of the fourth quarter, but a Boise State 3-pointer by Natalie Pasco with 2:45 to play trimmed the Bulldog lead to just two at 62-60. Butler kept their cool and would score their final eight points of the game from the free throw line to seal the win.
 
Up Next
Butler is back in action on Thursday night with a home game against UT Martin. The Skyhawks are currently in Hawaii playing in the American Savings Bank Rainbow Wahine Showdown. They played #1 UCLA, host Hawaii and Fresno State while on the island. Once they return, they will visit Hinkle Fieldhouse at 7 p.m. Fans can stream the game on FloSports.com.