Upe Atosu drives to the paint in a game last season. She returned to the lineup versus Marquette on Feb. 10, after missing five consecutive games.  Collegian file photo.

HENRY BREDEMEIER | ASST. SPORTS EDITOR | hbredeme@butler.edu 

The Butler women’s basketball team was unable to snap their losing streak as they fell to Marquette, 77-48, on Feb. 10. Butler is now 1-13, while Marquette improves to 13-4. After missing five consecutive games, Upe Atosu returned to the court and scored 16 points. Genesis Parker matched Atosu’s 16 points thanks to a scorching start, scoring 11 in the first quarter.

Noticeably missing from the Bulldogs lineup was leading scorer Okako Adika, who missed her first game this season. She was clearly missed, both due to her scoring ability and her defensive presence.

The Bulldogs found themselves down 7-0 early, but Parker’s hot shooting got Butler right back into the game. She went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc in the first quarter, scoring 11 of Butler’s 16 points in the first quarter. Atosu scored the other five, including a three of her own. Butler was down just 20-16 after the first quarter, well within striking distance of one of the Big East’s best teams.

Jaia Alexander — who scored 22 points in Butler’s last game versus Marquette — scored on the Bulldogs’ first possession of the second quarter to cut the lead to one possession. What followed was a stretch that has come to define the season for this team. Butler did not score for the next six minutes of play, resulting in a 12-0 Golden Eagles run. The quarter ended with a 14-point Marquette lead, quickly squashing Butler’s hopes of an upset win.

To add insult to injury, Marquette opened the half on a 6-0 run to extend their lead to 20. Atosu snapped the run with a pair of free throws, and a minute later, Parker hit her fourth three of the game. On the next possession, Nyamer Diew blocked a Marquette layup and Atosu hit a layup on the other end, cutting the Marquette lead to 44-29. A 7-0 Marquette run ensued right after, and Butler found themselves down by 21 at the end of the third.

After falling down by 29 mid-way through the fourth, Butler went on a 9-0 run — going 7-for-7 from the line — to cut the lead back down to 20. Although the game was virtually over, it was a positive sign that Butler went on a run like that against a good team. Unfortunately, Marquette all but nullified that progress, finishing the game on a 10-2 run — the lone Bulldog bucket coming from Rosemarie Dumont, who, like Atosu, made her return from injury.

Butler will return to action at Hinkle Fieldhouse this Saturday, Feb. 13 at 1 p.m. versus St. John’s.