Butler was held to its lowest point total of the season against DePaul. Photo courtesy of Butler Athletics.
SAWYER GOLDWEIN | ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR | sgoldwein@butler.edu
The women’s basketball team headed into Big East play with reason for confidence, fresh off a dominant win over Saint Francis. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, they walked out of Chicago with their heads hung, having been handed a 66-43 loss to DePaul.
The Dawgs were outplayed from the jump, facing an eight-point deficit by the end of the opening quarter. That margin grew to 13 by halftime, as turnovers had Butler struggling to get any momentum offensively.
The Bulldogs gave the ball up 12 times compared to just four DePaul turnovers in the first half. Still, the giveaways were not the primary issue for the Dawgs, as they followed up a 24-point first half by scoring just 19 in the second.
A woeful shooting performance was the main culprit for Butler’s offensive disappearing act against a team whose defense has been decidedly average thus far this season. The Dawgs shot 33% from the field, 16% from long range and just 53% from the free throw line.
Not only could Butler not convert on its opportunities, it could not get many shot attempts to begin with. The combination of their 15 turnovers and minus-12 rebounding differential resulted in the Bulldogs putting up just 49 shots to the Blue Demons’ 61. The lack of rebounding also left Butler without a single second-chance point.
For the Blue Demons, junior guard Taylor Johnson-Matthews paced the team with 22 points, while graduate forward Jorie Allen stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
First-year guard Lily Carmody was the leading scorer for Butler with 12 points and six rebounds. Sophomore guard Riley Makalusky scored seven, all in the first half. Underscoring Butler’s scoring struggles, only one Bulldog shot over 50% from the floor: Sophomore guard Cristen Carter, who finished with six points and three rebounds.
Butler is still adjusting to life without graduate guard Caroline Strande, who went down with an injury during the first half of the Dawgs’ loss to Wisconsin. There is no grace period, though, so the Bulldogs will need to establish a new offensive rhythm quickly if they want to be competitive in Big East play.
A blowout loss at the hands of DePaul is a bad omen after a season of encouraging signs. The Blue Demons were ranked ninth in the Big East Preseason Coaches’ Poll, one spot behind the eighth place Bulldogs. Butler will face much tougher tests than DePaul, so its play will need to improve.
Next up for the Dawgs is their Big East home opener against Seton Hall on Dec. 29.
