First-year guard Lily Carmody tallied seven points, three steals and two blocks against Chicago State. Photo by Jada Gangazha.
SAWYER GOLDWEIN | ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR | sgoldwein@butler.edu
The women’s basketball team will look to keep its momentum rolling as it takes on Milwaukee on Nov. 9. The Bulldogs are fresh off their largest margin of victory in half a decade, taking down Chicago State in their season opener. Now the Dawgs will face their first road test of the season.
Here is what you need to know before Butler tips off against Milwaukee:
Who: Butler vs. Milwaukee
When: Nov. 9, 2:00 p.m.
Where: J. Martin Klotsche Center
How to watch: ESPN+
Depth and balance
The Bulldogs have more quality depth on their current roster than they have had in a long time. The team returns seven players who were in last year’s rotation — not including junior guard Jordan Meulemans, who is sidelined for the season with a knee injury. In addition, head coach Austin Parkinson welcomed senior transfer guard Kilyn McGuff and a crop of four first-years, all of whom are good enough to earn immediate minutes.
The Dawgs’ balance was on full display against Chicago State, with ten players getting into the scoring column. Not only does Butler have a plethora of players who can contribute, but they can also score from all over the floor.
Cristen Carter appears ready to take a sophomore leap, putting up a double-double in the opener, and looking dominant on both ends of the floor. Her dominance in the post combined with the three-level scoring ability of McGuff, graduate guard Caroline Strande and sophomore guard Riley Makalusky could be a highly successful recipe on offense.
Scouting the Panthers
After a nail-biting 84-81 overtime loss to St. Thomas in their season opener, Milwaukee got a bounce-back win over Division III Carroll University.
The Panthers are led by senior guard Kacee Baumhower and redshirt junior forward Anna Lutz, who are the team’s top two scorers and rebounders. Junior guard Kamy Peppler is also a key contributor, having made six of her 10 three-point attempts this season.
Milwaukee’s offense has been solid thus far, but it has struggled to take care of the basketball. The Panthers have turned the ball over 32 times in their two games, something Parkinson and his team will likely be looking to exploit after forcing 29 turnovers in their opener.
If the Dawgs can slow down Peppler from beyond the arc and win the turnover battle, they should be able to cruise past the Panthers.
