Caroline Strande had 26 points and seven rebounds in the 69-44 win over UMass Lowell. Photo by Jada Gangazha.
DAVID JACOBS | ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR | drjacobs@butler.edu
The women’s basketball team secured their second win of the week with a 69-44 triumph over UMass Lowell on Nov. 24.
It was a slow start for the Bulldogs, as the Riverhawks put up a big fight in the first half — even holding a lead midway through the second quarter. However, an 8-0 run led by senior guard Kilyn McGuff in the last 2:19 of the second quarter bolstered the Dawgs into the second half.
With a 31-23 lead heading into halftime, the Bulldogs did not look back. Head coach Austin Parkinson stuck with his starting five for most of the contest to outscore UMass Lowell 38-21 in the second half.
This move is rare for Parkinson, who has preached his use of depth throughout the season. However, foul trouble from first-year guard Lily Carmody and senior forward Sydney Jaynes would force Parkinson’s hand into sticking with his first group throughout the game.
Despite just 12 points of bench production, the starting guards of McGuff, graduate Caroline Strande and sophomore Riley Makaluksy combined for 49 points — paced by 26 points from Strande and 10 rebounds from McGuff. The trio were the lone three-point makers for the Dawgs, which came to life in the fourth quarter by hitting three-of-five from the perimeter during crunch time.
Strande’s 26 points mark a season-high in scoring and her fifth consecutive game in double digits after scoring just eight points in the season opener over Chicago State.
Outside of the guard play led by Strande, the Dawgs excelled in transition, turning 16 turnovers into 24 points — including 16 on the fast break. Additionally, Butler shut down the paint with a scoring margin of 40-24 in the area while sophomore forward Cristen Carter shut down the lane defensively with three blocks.
One blemish in the starting lineup was another zero-point outing from sophomore guard Karsyn Norman, who has now gone three games without scoring a point. While Norman brings much more to the team than just scoring, it is concerning to have no scoring from your starting point guard — especially with Carmody coming off the bench.
Norman has made an incredible leap in her playmaking ability and has continued to bring energy on the defensive end but at some point, either the shot — which sits at 3-of-18 on the season — needs to start falling or a lineup change might need to occur.
While it was far from pretty for the Dawgs, 5-1 is the best start the program has seen since the 2018-19 season when Butler started the season 6-0 before ending the season 23-10.
The Dawgs will be traveling to Bonita Springs, Florida to play in the Gulf Coast Showcase — starting with a matchup against Santa Clara on Nov. 29.
