The Butler men’s basketball team started off the Horizon League tournament with a 70-52 victory over Wright State at Hinkle Fieldhouse Tuesday night.

It was a tale of two halves for the Bulldogs (19-13), who headed to the locker room with a one point lead.

“I thought in the first 10 minutes we were just timid,” coach Brad Stevens said. “That’s part of playing your first tournament game.”

Photo by Taylor Cox

Butler came out in the second half and went on a 13-0 run behind the play of sophomore forward Khyle Marshall.

Marshall scored all nine of his points in the second half, including six during the run.

Junior center Andrew Smith tallied a career-high 25 points and seven rebounds for the Bulldogs.

“Ever since the Valpo game, we’ve been focusing on people doing their jobs,” Smith said. “If we can do that, we’re a tough team to beat.”

Senior guard Ronald Nored recorded nine points on the night, along with three rebounds and six assists.

Nored is two assists shy of breaking Butler basketball’s all-time assist record, which is held by Mike Green.

Freshman forward Roosevelt Jones added 11 points, and sophomore guard Chrishawn Hopkins contributed 10.

The starters combined for 64 of the team’s 70 points.

For the Raiders (13-19), sophomore forward Cole Darling paced the offense with 12 points, while junior guard Julius Mays added 11.

From here, the Bulldogs will face the No. 4 seed, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, in the quarterfinals of the league tournament.

The contest will take place on Friday at 8:30 p.m. at Valparaiso’s Athletics-Recreation Center.

Because the Crusaders won the Horizon League regular season title, the remainder of the tournament’s games will take place in Valparaiso for as long as the Crusaders stay alive in the tournament

The winner of that game will face Valparaiso on Mar. 3 in a game that will be televised on ESPNU.

The Butler women’s basketball team suffered a 78-53 loss at #12 Green Bay (25-1, 15-1) on Saturday.

The Bulldogs (12-15, 8-8) were led by sophomore guard Mandy McDivitt, who recorded 12 points in the game. Sophomore guard Jenna Cobb added nine points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals for Butler.

“I gave it my best effort, but there is always room for improvement in a lot of areas,” Cobb said. “ We just tried working to spread the offense and on defense we wanted to force them to shoot more 3-pointers.”

The Bulldogs ended the game with 32.7 percent shooting and 34 rebounds to Green Bay’s 55.7 percent shooting and 38 rebounds.

“We just need to work on executing on offense and knowing where people are on the floor to help our shooting,” Cobb said.

The team also lost at Wisconsin-Milwaukee (9-18, 5-11) 54-52 in a close matchup.

Both Cobb and freshman guard Hannah Douglas scored 11 points in the loss.

“[Douglas] has helped our team so much this season, especially coming in as a freshman,” Cobb said. “The best part of her game is her pull up jumper. When she has it, no one can stop her.”

The team will return to Hinkle Fieldhouse tomorrow to take on Detroit at 7 p.m.

The Butler women’s basketball team ended the week on a high note after beating Milwaukee (6-13, 2-7) 76-63 at home on Saturday.

According to Butler coach Beth Couture, working hard for rebounds and assists was crucial for the Bulldogs (8-12, 4-5).

Butler ended the game with 40 rebounds to Milwaukee’s 19.

“I think we were aggressive,” Couture said. “I was really pleased with their fight. At halftime I told them we really have to pick up the defense, and I think that was the difference.”

Sophomore center Sarah Hamm had her best outing of the season, posting a career-high 30 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks.

Photo by Taylor Cox

After the Panthers cut their deficit to one point with 7:04 remaining, Hamm scored two quick field goals to give Butler momentum and a 63-58 lead.

Hamm attributed her success on the floor to her teammates, including junior forward Becca Bornhorst, who had 10 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, and sophomore guard Jenna Cobb, who also posted a career-high 16 points with six assists.

“I think we have to play hard to get out of those kinds of situations,” Hamm said. “I think what really helps me are the playmakers who make things happen and get me points.”

Couture said she also recognized Bornhorst’s positive impact on the game.

“[Bornhorst] having six [defensive rebounds] and four [offensive rebounds] is what we need her to do,” Couture said. “Her 10 points were great, but at the end of the day we really need her rebounds, so I thought she was really good.”

Bornhorst said she tried to find a good formula to help her make good plays for her team.

“I just let the game come to me, and I finally found a rhythm and just played relaxed,” Bornhorst said. “Our team played well all around, and we executed offensively and hit shots.”

The game served as a stark contrast to the team’s 60-36 home loss to No. 9 Green Bay on Thursday.

Despite losing the contest, the Bulldogs kept the Phoenix (19-0, 9-0) to their lowest score of the season. Their previous low was 65 points against Wisconsin.

“I thought in the first five minutes we played really good defense but could not score,” Couture said.

After being down 42-13 at halftime, the Bulldogs attempted to make a comeback in the second half, outscoring the Phoenix 23-18. It bore resemblance to Butler’s 60-57 comeback win over Loyola of Chicago on Jan. 21 but ultimately had a different result.

“We just got back to the gameplan [in the second half],” Couture said. “When you play the No. 9 team in the country, and they play like that, it is hard to make a comeback.”

The Bulldogs will start a two-game road swing tomorrow night at Cleveland State before heading to Youngstown State on Saturday.

Two weekends ago, the Butler men’s basketball team won two games on a road trip to Chicago. The squad hoped to do the same in Wisconsin last weekend.

That did not happen.

The Bulldogs (12-11, 6-5) lost at Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Green Bay over the weekend, dropping to just a game over .500 in the process.

Saturday night in Green Bay, Butler freshman forward Roosevelt Jones tied a career high with 16 points, but the Bulldogs’ defense could not contain the Phoenix (9-12, 5-6) in an 80-68 loss.

Butler had allowed 80 points just one other time this season, an 80-77 overtime loss to Evansville on Nov. 12.

Green Bay’s top performer was junior center Brennan Cougill, who finished with 21 points and eight rebounds.

The Bulldogs hung with the Phoenix for the first half and trailed 33-32 at the break.

The second half was a different story for Butler, as the Bulldogs started slow and could not topple Green Bay.

In addition to leading the team in points, Jones also recorded a team-high eight rebounds for the Bulldogs.

”[Jones] is really good,” Butler coach Brad Stevens said. “He’s a hard-nosed, competitive kid.”

Senior guard Ronald Nored was the only other starter in double figures for Butler, finishing with 13 points. He also had another perfect showing from the free throw line, draining all six of his attempts.

Nored said he tries to play hard, smart and focused basketball, which rubs off on his teammates.

”Ron has been a huge hand in the last four years, more than statistics show,” Stevens said.

The Bulldogs also received a combined 27 points off the bench from sophomore guard Chrishawn Hopkins, sophomore forward Erik Fromm, freshman guard Jackson Aldridge and freshman forward Kameron Woods.

In the end, those efforts were not enough to stop Green Bay, who received 19 points from sophomore center Alec Brown and 14 points from freshman guard Keifer Sykes in addition to the 21 points from Cougill.

The Bulldogs continued to struggle from beyond the arc, shooting 4 of 13, while the Phoenix made seven of their 14 3-point attempts.

On Thursday night, junior center Andrew Smith led the Bulldogs with 11 points in a 53-42 loss to Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

The Panthers (14-8, 7-3) were led by junior forward James Haarsma’s game-high 12 points and senior guard Ryan Allen’s nine.

Butler struggled to sink shots throughout the contest, shooting just 19.2 percent from the field in the second half and 27.6 percent for the game.

Beyond the arc, the Bulldogs made only one 3-point basket in 17 attempts.

Both scrappy and sloppy play were seen in the Horizon League matchup, as the teams totaled 27 turnovers and 34 fouls.

Butler received quality minutes from freshman Elliot Kampen, who finished with five points and the Bulldogs’ lone 3-point basket.

“It wasn’t enough to get the win, so I have to play harder,” Kampen said.

Butler will return to Hinkle Fieldhouse tomorrow night against the Wright State Raiders (11-12, 6-5) before squaring off with the Detroit Titans (12-11, 6-5) at Hinkle Saturday afternoon.

The Butler men’s basketball team pushed its winning streak to three games with a win over Horizon League opponent Loyola of Chicago Saturday afternoon.

The Bulldogs (12-9, 6-3) beat the Ramblers (5-15, 0-9) 63-57 to end a pivotal conference road trip that began with a 57-49 Butler victory over Illinois-Chicago earlier in the week.

Against Loyola, Butler looked to senior point guard and defensive leader Ronald Nored for a strong performance.

“Down the stretch, Loyola played really well, and I played with poise and toughness,” Nored said.

Nored did not disappoint, finishing one assist shy of a double-double with 16 points and nine assists.

The nine assists marked a career-best for Nored.

“I felt like Ron was the best player on the floor,” coach Brad Stevens said.

Butler’s big men were also key in the victory, as sophomore forward Khyle Marshall and junior center Andrew Smith scored 14 and 12 points, respectively.

Marshall shot 6-of-7 from the floor in the second half to erase a scoreless opening half.

“Instead of getting frustrated about it, I focused on the second half,” Marshall said.

Photo by Taylor Cox

Smith also collected 13 rebounds, giving him his third double-double of the season.

The Bulldogs went into halftime with a 25-23 lead, but they would fall into a 28-28 tie two and a half minutes into the second half.

At that point, Butler went on a 7-1 run to take the lead.

Sophomore guard Chrishawn Hopkins and freshman forward Kameron Woods hit field goals and junior guard Chase Stigall added a 3-point basket to fuel the run.

Following the surge, the Bulldogs would hold off the Ramblers the rest of the way and pick up the victory.

Loyola was led by senior forward Walt Gibler and freshman guard Joe Crisman with 14 points each.

In addition to having three players finish with double-digit points, Butler received 12 points off the bench from the duo of Hopkins and Woods.

The Bulldogs also shot 68.2 percent from the free-throw line, with Nored making all eight of his attempts.

The showing improved Butler’s team percentage from the free throw line to 62.0 percent.

The Bulldogs also had a strong performance defensively, recording nine blocks and five steals.

In the first game of the Chicago trip, Butler defeated UIC 57-49 behind a strong performance from freshman forward Roosevelt Jones.

Jones finished with 16 points and five rebounds before fouling out of the game.

Nored was the only other Bulldog in double figures, with 10 points and seven assists.

Despite shooting just 4-of-17 from beyond the arc, Butler got two triples from Woods, who came off the bench and finished with eight points.

The Flames (6-12, 2-6) pulled to within four points with 41 seconds remaining, but the Bulldogs hung on to grab a conference victory.

“You just have to play,” Stevens said. “[The Flames] did just that and fought through to the end of the game.”

Freshman guard Marc Brown and junior guard Gary Talton scored 11 points each to lead UIC.

Butler will move on from the Chicago trip and head to Wisconsin this week.

The Bulldogs will take on Wisconsin-Milwaukee (13-8, 6-3) Thursday before facing Green Bay (7-12, 3-6) Saturday.

Despite a career-best eight saves from sophomore goalkeeper Julie Burton and a stonewall defense, the Butler women’s soccer team saw its season come to an end with a 1-0 loss to No. 15 Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the semifinals of the Horizon League Soccer Championships.

“We played extremely well,” sophomore Ali Backscheider said. “It didn’t work out in our favor, but we’re happy with how we played.”

Milwaukee junior midfielder Helen Steinhauser scored the lone goal of the match in the 35th minute, and it was enough to let the Panthers (18-2-0, 8-0-0) slip by with the win.

On the goal-scoring play, freshman midfielder Kelsey Holbert ran the ball into the box and then found Steinhauser at the near post. Steinhauser took advantage, finding the back of the net with a one-touch shot.

The Bulldogs (8-10-2, 3-5-0) shut down the Panthers’ attack in the second half but were not able to generate an effective offensive effort.

Photo by Maria Porter

By the end of the match, Milwaukee held a 17-6 advantage in shots and had seven corner kicks to Butler’s one.

Freshman forward Elise Kotsakis recorded Butler’s lone shot on goal.

“We have to score to win, and we didn’t score,” Backscheider said.

Despite the loss, the Bulldogs were able to silence Milwaukee All-American forward Sarah Hagen throughout the match. Hagen is second in the nation with 24 goals.

“We shut her down and took her out of the game,” junior forward Katie Griswold said. “[Sophomore midfielder] Anna [Ventimiglia] completely dominated her.”

The Bulldogs also had three fewer fouls and seven more saves than the Panthers.

With the season over, the Bulldogs already are looking forward to next fall.

“We played really well with just one senior, and that just shows what kind of team we’re going to have next year,” Griswold said.

In a game for Butler’s history books, the women’s soccer team came back from a 2-0 deficit to beat Valparaiso and move on in the Horizon League tournament.

The game, played Tuesday in Valparaiso, featured 20 minutes of extra play and eight rounds of penalty kicks.

In the first 40 minutes, offense was the theme of the game, with all four goals coming in the first half.

Junior Rachel Scott scored on a rebound off a shot by fellow junior Katie Griswold, and sophomore Olivia Colosimo scored on a free kick.

After a defensive second half that featured several saves from Bulldog goalkeeper Julie Burton, the game went to overtime.

After no offensive action in two overtimes, the game went to a shootout, which Butler won by a count of 5-4.

Valparaiso had two opportunities to win in PKs, but both were shut down.

The match featured 37 shots and 37 fouls between the two teams.

Burton had seven saves in the marathon of a match.

Bundled-up fans came out to the Butler Bowl on Oct. 28 for the team’s last conference match against Loyola.

They watched the Bulldogs (8-9-1, 3-5) work to come back from a 2-0 first- half deficit.

In the 10th minute, Rambler freshman defenseman Valerie Gonyo headed a Loyola free kick into the net to put them up 1-0.

“You fall behind early, the game changes, and you have to chase it a little bit,” Butler coach Tari St. John said.

Loyola tallied another goal just less than 28 minutes later when junior forward Ana Michelini broke away on a run and chipped the ball over Burton.

“We put the effort in, we were connected, and I think we played really well with each other,” freshman foward Elise Kotsakis said. “We just couldn’t get it in the back of the net.”

Kotsakis, who had a career-high nine shots during the match, changed that in the 74th minute, scoring the only goal of the second half.

The goal-scoring play started with a pass from  Griswold to Kotsakis, who buried the ball in the net from 12 yards out.

Butler’s offense could not find the net again, and the Bulldogs finished the regular season with a sub-.500 record.

By the end of the match, Butler had outshot Loyola 18-8 and had eight shots on goal to the Ramblers’ six.

“We always like to win just for pride,” Burton said. “I think it’s good that we can come back from two goals and make those changes.”

The Bulldogs next play on Nov. 4 against Horizon League regular-season champion Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the semifinal round of the conference tournament.

The Panthers (16-2-0, 8-0-0) defeated the Bulldogs 4-1 in a match earlier this season.

Photo by Maria Porter

A dreary skyline provided a fitting backdrop to what turned out to be a lackluster afternoon for the Butler men’s soccer team on Saturday.

The Bulldogs (4-3-1, 0-1-0) fell 3-1 to Horizon League foe Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the conference opener for both teams at the Butler Bowl.

The defeat snapped Butler’s 10-match Horizon League regular season winning streak.

The  Panthers (4-4-0, 1-0-0) wasted little time seizing momentum. Sophomore defenseman James Aschcroft buried a pass into the back of the net off a corner kick in the match’s fourth minute, handing Milwaukee an early 1-0 advantage.

The Bulldogs have given up the first goal in six out of their eight matches this year. It is a stark contrast to last season’s squad, which allowed only three goals in its first eight games.

Freshman midfielder Zach Steinberger got Butler on the board in the 38th minute when he scored his first collegiate goal on a pass from sophomore forward Adekunle Oluyedun.

“Toward the end of the first half we really showed that we could come together and figure out some stuff on the field,” junior defenseman Jared Isenthal said.

The 1-1 tie at halftime would be the last bright spot of the match for the Bulldogs.  The Panthers opened up the second half like the first, scoring just three minutes in.

Senior midfielder Robert Refai was able to put the ball past Butler sophomore goalkeeper Jon Dawson on a play that caught the Bulldogs off guard,  allowing the Panthers to grab a 2-1 lead.

Milwaukee sealed its victory in the 71st minute when freshman forward Nick Langford deposited a header into the net.

“For them to score that third goal after we were pressing was just frusturating,” Dawson said.

The game saw its fair share of physical play. The Panthers committed 17 fouls, including four yellow cards and one red card, while Butler committed eight fouls.

Steinberger led the Bulldogs with two shots on goal, and Dawson recorded a career-high five saves in the loss.

On Sept. 21, the Bulldogs took down Indiana University-Purdue University-Fort Wayne 3-1 to pick up their fourth win of the campaign.

Oluyedun, junior defenseman Justin Sass and sophomore midfielder Adam Glanzer all contributed goals for Butler. The Mastadons (3-6-1) received a goal from senior midfielder Colin Helmrich.

Butler’s next match will pit the Bulldogs against Loyola on Saturday.