Butler had six players in double figures in its first tournament matchup against Dayton. Photo by Jonathan Wang.

DOROTHY LAKSHMANAMURTHY | ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR | dlakshmanamurthy@butler.edu 

The women’s basketball team spent its Thanksgiving break in Florida for the fourth annual Fort Myers Tip-Off from Nov. 28-29. 

The Dawgs opened the tournament with their most explosive offensive performance of the season, powering past Dayton for a 92-66 win supported by a 59.3% shooting effort. Eleven Bulldogs scored, seven reached at least eight points and the team knocked down 15 threes while piling up 38 bench points.

Sophomore guard Lily Zeinstra set the tone with an efficient 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting, hitting three triples. Junior forward Caroline Dotsey followed with 12 points and five rebounds, while redshirt sophomore guard Saniya Jackson added 11 on 4-of-5 shooting, including a perfect 2-for-2 from deep.

The Bulldogs’ offense sharpened quarter by quarter. After an 8-of-18 start in the first, Butler erupted for a 27-point second quarter and shot at least 57% in each of the final three frames. They added 32 points in the paint, 18 points off turnovers and 13 in transition, complementing their perimeter success with steady pressure and ball movement.

The Flyers were led by junior guard/forward Ajok Madol’s 17 points and junior center Fatima Ibrahim’s 14, but they struggled early, shooting under 30% in each of the first two quarters and finishing 5-of-13 from three. Despite a strong third-quarter push, they could not slow the Dawgs’ sustained efficiency.

On day two of the tournament, Butler faced a physical and efficient Georgia squad and fell 80-54 despite another strong outing from Zeinstra and Dotsey. The Bulldogs shot 33.3% from the field and 26.1% from three, unable to match Georgia’s 54.2% field performance.

Zeinstra and Dotsey led Butler with 12 points apiece, while junior guard Kennedy Langham delivered one of the team’s highlights with 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting and a perfect 4-for-4 from the line. Redshirt sophomore forward Mallory Miller added 10 points and four rebounds, connecting on both of her three-point attempts.

Butler stayed within reach through three quarters, shooting at least 40% in each of the first three frames. However, Georgia’s depth and efficiency — 33 bench points, 42 points in the paint and 16 fast-break points — ultimately proved too much to overcome.

Georgia was powered by junior guard  Enjulina Gonzalez’s 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting and sophomore forward Mia Woolfolk’s 14-point, six-rebound performance. The Georgia squad shot 50% from three and 84.6% at the line.

The Dawgs now look forward to facing their first fellow Big East team this season, Seton Hall, for an away game on Dec. 4.