Sophomore forward Cristen Carter scored a career-high 15 points against Chicago State. Photo Courtesy of Butler Athletics.
SAWYER GOLDWEIN | ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR | sgoldwein@butler.edu
The women’s basketball team picked up a dominant 87-45 win over Chicago State in front of a record crowd for their season opener.
Butler allowed the Cougars to hang around early, with the score knotted at 18 apiece after one quarter. However, the Dawgs built a 15-point advantage in the second frame and never looked back, securing their most one-sided win since November of 2018.
Senior guard Kilyn McGuff was a standout, recording a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. The transfer from Belmont was brought in to give the Bulldogs tenacity, energy and leadership, and she did just that in her Butler debut.
Sophomore forward Cristen Carter also impressed, with 15 points and 10 rebounds, marking the first double-double of her early career. Carter appeared to be an imposing paint presence in Butler’s exhibition game against Taylor, and she looked the part again during her career night against the Cougars.
Besides McGuff and Carter, who took on the game’s starring roles, Butler used its depth and versatility to relentlessly wear down Chicago State on both ends of the floor. The Dawgs’ defensive persistence led to a staggering 29 Cougar turnovers, which resulted in 38 points off turnovers for the Bulldogs.
Butler’s activity on defense also helped the team gain significant advantages in fast break points and paint points. The only aspect of the Bulldogs’ offense not working consistently was three-point shooting, as the Dawgs shot just 24% from outside.
But despite their struggles from downtown the Bulldogs kept shooting, forcing the Cougars to respect the outside shot. Most importantly, Butler dominated the boards, with half of their 40 rebounds coming on the offensive end. With such rebounding prowess, Butler could afford to continue putting up shots without fear of wasting possessions.
It remains to be seen whether Butler can keep that trend going against the bigger, more physical opponents in the Big East, but the early success is an encouraging sign.
Perhaps the most important aspect of the Bulldogs squad this season is the development of their strong group of sophomores — including Carter — and things are looking good so far. Karsyn Norman continues to get more comfortable as the starting point guard, putting her playmaking skills on full display with a six assist, one turnover day against the Cougars. The last member of the trio — guard Riley Makalusky — struggled with only six points, but is a pure scorer and will be one of Butler’s key contributors throughout the season.
The Dawgs’ relatively young squad will look to carry the momentum of their blowout of the Cougars into their next game, a road matchup against Milwaukee on Nov. 9.
