First-year guard Addison Baxter notched a block and steal against Indiana. Photo courtesy of Butler Athletics.
NHU-HAN BUI | ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR | hbui@butler.edu
The women’s basketball team was unable to repeat last year’s success against Indiana University, falling 72-53 in a game that the Hoosiers dominated from the start.
Indiana controlled the game early, as the team scored 23 points in the first quarter and only allowed seven from Butler. Redshirt sophomore guard Lenée Beaumont led the way for IU with nine points, while senior guard Shay Ciezki added five rebounds to ensure the team maintained possession.
The Bulldogs were unable to generate any offense, as Indiana’s defense held them in tough scoring situations. The Dawgs only made 16.7% of their shots and went 1-4 on three-point attempts. Butler also could not capitalize off the Hoosiers’ mistakes, netting zero points off Indiana’s six turnovers.
Butler found its groove in the second quarter, bouncing back with 18 points. However, the Bulldogs were unable to contain Beaumont, who scored 10 points to reach double digits and extend the Hoosiers’ lead to 44-25 heading into halftime.
IU expanded its lead further after halftime as two more players — Ciezki and sophomore forward Zania Socka-Nguemen — joined Beaumont as double-digit scorers. Six of Butler’s 13 points in the third quarter were scored by junior guard Nevaeh Jackson, who also notched a steal that resulted in a layup.
Butler dominated the end of the game, scoring 13 in under five minutes in an attempt to close the gap with Indiana, while only allowing two points. During that run, the Hoosiers committed four turnovers, and the Bulldogs were able to cash those in for five points.
However, the Dawgs’ effort came too late as IU had already built a 30-point gap halfway through the quarter.
Two bright spots for Butler were Jackson and sophomore guard Lily Zeinstra, who led the team with 13 and 10 points, respectively. The Bulldogs also had three players — redshirt sophomore forward Mallory Miller, redshirt sophomore guard Saniya Jackson and senior forward Lilly Stoddard — who had five rebounds each, as the team finished with 33 total.
Beaumont, Ciezki and Socka-Nguemen controlled the game for Indiana, as the trio ended the night with a combined 45 points and 19 rebounds. Beaumont led all players with 21 points.
Despite limiting their mistakes and turning the ball over a season-low 13 times, the Bulldogs were unable to claw back from an early 16-point deficit. This is the first game this season where Butler was unable to score at least 10 points to open the game, and the team will need to find a way to avoid slow starts as conference play draws close.
The Dawgs seek to regroup in Hinkle as they face Milwaukee on Nov. 23 before traveling for the Fort Myers Tip-Off from Nov. 28-29.
