The Bulldogs kicked off their season with a 32-point win over the Trojans. Photo by Drew Kosmak.
DOROTHY LAKSHMANAMURTHY | ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR | dlakshmanamurthy@butler.edu
With a retooled roster and fresh energy inside Hinkle Fieldhouse, the women’s basketball team opened the 2025–26 campaign in dominant fashion, defeating Taylor University 95–63 in an exhibition matchup on Oct. 28.
Fourth-year head coach Austin Parkinson trotted out a lineup featuring mostly newcomers, with nine fresh players, and the result was an encouraging offensive showcase. The Bulldogs shot 50% from the field and forced 20 Taylor turnovers.
“It was just great for this group to get out there,” Parkinson said. “For most of these players, it was their first time putting on a Butler uniform. I’m really proud of our group.”
Junior guard Saniya Jackson, playing her first competitive game in two years, impressed immediately. She filled the stat sheet with 19 points, four rebounds and two steals in her 23 minutes of play.
Jackson’s effort has been anything but unnoticed by Parkinson.
“Saniya has been really stable in practice,” Parkinson said. “We moved her into the starting lineup about a week ago, and since then, she’s looked really good. For not playing for a year and to come out and play like that, it’s really cool.”
Alongside Jackson’s notable performance, the win proved to be a full team effort with every Butler player who saw the floor contributing to the scoreboard.
First-year guard Addison Baxter made a strong first impression, contributing 13 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists — narrowly missing a triple-double. Sophomore guard Lily Zeinstra led in minutes played and put up 14 on the board, while senior forward Lilly Stoddard made the most of her minutes with four points and four rebounds off the bench.
The Bulldogs’ offensive flow was evident from the start, scoring 27 points in the opening quarter and never trailing after the first two minutes.
However, Parkinson also expressed that the defensive intensity was inconsistent for the Dawgs, particularly in the first half.
“Defensively, we didn’t do very well from the standpoint that we did a lot of gambling,” Parkinson said. “But we were also active with our hands and got some steals. The full-court pressure made them take time off the clock, but we’ve got to do a better job of keeping people in front of us.”
In particular, Parkinson noted Trojan first-year guard Kaycie Warfel, who led all scorers with 21 points, to have an early impact on Butler’s defense.
“She has double figures in the first quarter, which means we didn’t follow the scouting report very well,” Parkinson said. “We had to say, ‘Hey, number 12 is their main player. We need to be toward the ball on her.’ We did a better job coming out of the half and figuring that out.”
The Butler squad looks to improve from this exhibition match and secure another win at its season opener against Wright State on Nov. 3.
