Senior guard Caroline Strande led the Dawgs with 12 points against DePaul on Jan. 31. Photo courtesy of Butler Athletics.
SAWYER GOLDWEIN | STAFF REPORTER | sgoldwein@butler.edu
The women’s basketball team suffered a 67-57 defeat at the hands of the DePaul Blue Demons on Jan. 31. The loss dropped the Dawgs to a 9-12 record overall, and 1-9 in conference play.
DePaul was just 10-12 entering the game, and one spot ahead of Butler in the Big East standings. As a result, losing to the Blue Demons stings a little more than usual for head coach Austin Parkinson.
“This is the most disappointing game in our conference,” Parkinson said. “I thought we turned the corner as far as trying to play the right way.”
Hustle and ball security
The Bulldogs had fewer steals and rebounds than DePaul, and also lost the turnover battle. Some of the more frustrating sequences came in the first quarter, including DePaul getting four shots up in one possession because of their efforts on the offensive glass.
The Blue Demons also put on a full court press for the better part of the first frame, rattling the Bulldogs and running up their turnover count.
Parkinson was not pleased with his team’s overall effort on the night.
“[On] rebounds, they just ripped it from us,” Parkinson said. “They got to every loose ball. I just thought they were a team that was a lot hungrier and a lot tougher than us.”
First-year frenzy
First-year forward Cristen Carter logged her fifth straight start for Butler, while first-year wing Riley Makalusky made it three in a row.
First-year guard Karsyn Norman came off the bench to play 17 minutes for the Dawgs.
Parkinson is proud of the way his youngsters have played this season, but he’d still prefer not to lean on them as much as he has.
“The freshmen have done a good job,” Parkinson said. “They’re playing probably too many minutes, but the reality is we have injuries and we’re lacking depth right now. But I am encouraged with the direction they’re going. It’s tough to win the Big East playing that many freshmen, but they’ve shown a lot of positive things.”
Makalusky got the most playing time, logging two points, four rebounds and two steals in 28 minutes on the floor.
Carter put up six points and grabbed four boards, while Norman scored five and dished out three assists.
Up next
The Dawgs will play No. 22 Creighton at home on Feb. 4. The teams last met on Jan. 10 in Omaha, where the Blue Jays topped the Dawgs 89-53.
