The Bulldogs maintained the lead for the entire game. Photo by Jonathan Wang.
DOROTHY LAKSHMANAMURTHY | ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR | dlakshmanamurthy@butler.edu
The women’s basketball team defeated Northern Kentucky in a wire-to-wire 73–56 victory on Nov. 16.
The Bulldogs opened the game with a 7-2 run sparked by early touches from junior forward Caroline Dotsey, and they never trailed after that. A disciplined offense and strong defensive start helped Butler hold the Norse to just eight first-quarter points before stretching the lead to 40-18 at halftime.
Dotsey finished with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting, already surpassing her shot volume from previous games. Head coach Austin Parkinson noted that the increase was intentional.
“She had six shots through the first three games,” Parkinson said. “She had eight tonight. That was purposeful. We wanted to get her the ball and put her in a better position to score.”
Sophomore guard Lily Zeinstra added steady scoring throughout, leading Butler with 14 points and closing the third quarter with a buzzer-beating three.
Meanwhile, redshirt sophomore forward Mallory Miller controlled the glass with 10 points and eight rebounds, helping Butler generate a 46-20 advantage in points in the paint. Butler’s efficiency carried throughout the game, finishing at 52.7% from the field and 90.9% at the free-throw line.
Northern Kentucky struggled to establish rhythm until the fourth quarter, when junior guard Noelle Hubert knocked down three consecutive triples to briefly trim the margin.
Parkinson explained that Northern Kentucky’s decision to switch into a zone contributed to some late slippage.
“They went zone and we probably weren’t super sharp on that,” Parkinson said. “I think we let off the gas a little bit. We haven’t been up that much this year. We stopped playing defense and turned the ball over.”
Turnovers presented an issue again, with Butler committing 20 or more of them for the fourth straight game.
“It continues to be the same thing for us,” Parkinson said. “They’re really unforced. We’ve got to buy into playing off two feet and making easy plays.”
Despite Northern Kentucky’s late push, Butler settled back in with key baskets from Zeinstra and Dotsey to close out the win.
After dropping two games in which they led in the fourth quarter, Parkinson emphasized the value of this win as the team looks to take on Indiana University on Nov. 19.
“It’s positive to get a win,” Parkinson said. “We were able to get some momentum, and that is good for our big game on Wednesday.”
