Redshirt sophomore guard Saniya Jackson scored 22 points against DePaul. Photo by Drew Kosmak.
NHU-HAN BUI | SPORTS CO-EDITOR | hbui@butler.edu
The women’s basketball team rebounded from a tough loss at Villanova with a scrappy 73-67 home win over DePaul. The Bulldogs move to 9-11 overall and 3-7 in the Big East.
After committing a turnover just 14 seconds into the game, Butler’s defense was able to hold the Blue Demons at bay for most of the first quarter. Sophomore guard Devin Hagemann scored two consecutive three-pointers to get DePaul going, but the Blue Devils’ momentum was quickly halted by an eight-point run from the Dawgs. Redshirt sophomore guard Saniya Jackson scored five of the eight points and sophomore guard McKenna Johnson closed the quarter out with five of her own.
Junior guard Kennedy Langham scored a jumper to open the second quarter, but Butler was unable to generate much offense as the Blue Demons’ defense came alive. The Dawgs were held to 28.6% shooting from the field and missed all three of their attempts from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, redshirt freshman guard Ally Timm scored six points for DePaul to pull it within four, including a buzzer-beating three-pointer to end the half.
While the Bulldogs were successful in keeping the Blue Demons’ leading scorer, junior Kate Novik, off the scoresheet for the first half, the guard opened the third quarter with her first two points. However, even Novik could not kickstart DePaul’s offense, as the team was held to 7-of-16 from the field. The Blue Demons had a little more success beyond the arc, nailing two of their three attempts.
Butler’s offense was once again led by Jackson, who scored six points — four of which came from the free throw line. The guard was also the first player in the game to reach double-digit points, followed by Langham. However, the Bulldogs once again missed all their three-pointer attempts.
DePaul’s key players started to break out in the fourth quarter, as Novik, Timm, graduate forward Michelle Ojo and redshirt freshman guard Alayna West each scored six points to shrink the Dawgs’ lead.
However, the Bulldogs answered with stellar scoring of their own, as Jackson went on to reach 20 points and 10 rebounds — her first career double-double. The guard ended the game leading all players with 22 points, and notched a steal as well.
Head coach Austin Parkinson praised Jackson’s performance, made more impressive by the fact that Jackson did not play last season due to injury.
“She made so many key plays,” Parkinson said. “When she stays out of foul trouble, she does some really good stuff. But, you know, it’s a neat story, because she tore her ACL last year and really didn’t have a lot of expectations [coming into this year], and she’s kind of become our most important player. It’s neat to see her have such a big game.”
The end of the fourth quarter saw both sides start getting feisty, as DePaul committed three consecutive fouls to give Butler four points. After the Blue Demons were given a technical foul for a lengthy challenge, the Bulldogs scored another pair of free throws before quickly returning to the line just a second later.
The Blue Demons also scored from the free throw line, but with two seconds left, they were unable to do anything as the Dawgs got possession of the ball.
Langham scored 16 points, and sophomore guard Lily Zeinstra rounded out the Bulldogs’ double-digit scorers with 13.
Ojo and Timm were the Blue Demons’ top scorers with 12 points, while West and Novik followed with 11 and 10 points, respectively. This is the second consecutive game where DePaul had four players finish in double digits.
After a game where Butler committed a season-high 31 turnovers, the team was able to limit mistakes, turning it over 15 times.
“We took care of the basketball a lot better than we have been,” Parkinson said. “We had one little stretch in the game, but I mean, 31 turnovers last game, 15 [this game]. We got more shots on goal, but we’re sharing the basketball. We got in the paint, got to the foul line tonight, and we’re getting a lot of contributions from a lot of people.”
The Bulldogs close off their brief homestand on Jan. 25 as they host Marquette at 2 p.m.
