Butler University Athletics

INDIANAPOLIS - Butler defeated the North Dakota State Bison 68-61 Thursday evening at Hinkle Fieldhouse, led by a game-high 18 points from Judit Valero. With the win, Butler is 4-0, while NDSU is 1-3. This is the first time BU has started 4-0 since the 2018-19 season when Butler opened the year 5-0.
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​BULLDOG HIGHLIGHTS

• Valero led all scorers with 18 points on 7-for-13 shooting from the floor. She added two assists and a rebound to her stat line.
• Taya Ellis was vital for Butler, posting 14 points and nine rebounds while adding an assist and a steal.
• Nevaeh Jackson rounded out the Bulldogs in double figures with 11 points. The guard also had five rebounds and a steal.
• Tamar Singer paced the offense with nine assists in the game. The junior added nine points, five rebounds and three steals.
• Butler shot 48.2 percent (27-56) from the floor and shot 35 percent (7-20) from behind the arc.
• Butler forced 13 NDSU turnovers and turned them into 19 points.

 
NDSU HIGHLIGHTS

• Marisa Frost led the Bison with 14 points in the contest. She added four assists and a steal.
• Karrington Asp recorded a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
• Sophie Hawkinson rounded out the Bison in double figures with 13 points.
• NDSU shot 39.7 percent (23-58) from the floor and shot 16.7 percent (3-18) from beyond the arc.
• The Bison outrebounded the Bulldogs 36-31.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Butler opened the game on a 5-1 run as neither side was able to make shots early. Lili Krasovec and Saniya Jackson found themselves in foul trouble early, forcing the Bulldogs to go to the bench early in the first. Both sides continued to go back and forth throughout the quarter, but it was Butler that held the narrow 9-7 advantage at the end of the first.
• The Bulldogs opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer from Valero as the Bulldog lead grew to five (12-7). NDSU responded with back-to-back buckets as the Bison cut the deficit to one. BU answered right back, hitting three-consecutive buckets, which forced the visitors to take a timeout with the Dawgs ahead, 19-14. The Bulldogs continued to hit shots down the stretch, as the BU lead ballooned to as many as nine (29-20) with just under a minute left in the half. Butler took the nine-point advantage into the break.
• Both sides opened the quarter trading buckets. Ellis scored six of Butler's first eight points in the frame as the Bulldog lead stood at eight (37-29) at the media timeout. A Weisbrod 3-pointer followed by a layup from Singer gave Butler its largest lead of the game at 13 (49-36). BU took the 49-38 lead into the final quarter of action.
• NDSU started the fourth hot and was able to cut the deficit to seven. A Valero 3-pointer brought the Bulldog lead back to double digits with just over five minutes left in the quarter. NDSU wouldn't go away as the Bison kept hitting shots down the stretch. BU held an eight-point advantage (61-53) with just over two minutes remaining. Butler was able to fend off the Bison's comeback efforts, securing the 68-61 victory at the final whistle.

 
​​UP NEXT
Butler will once again hit the road this weekend and will travel to Martin, Tenn., to take on the UT Martin Skyhawks. Tip-off at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.