Sophomore guard McKenna Johnson secured double figures, pouring in a career-best 16 points. Photo by Drew Kosmak.
DOROTHY LAKSHMANAMURTHY | SPORTS CO-EDITOR | dlakshmanamurthy@butler.
A lengthy postgame conversation between head coach Austin Parkinson and the women’s basketball team highlighted both the frustration and belief following Butler’s 67-57 loss to Villanova on Feb. 4 at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
“We’ve proven, outside of UConn, that every one of these teams we can beat,” Parkinson said. “But the problem is, in the second half, we don’t follow the scouting report and turn the basketball over, and so we make life easy for the other team.”
The game opened with both teams trading baskets, as neither side could create separation early. The score was tied at 10-10 midway through the first quarter before Butler closed the frame on a defensive surge, holding Villanova scoreless over the final 2:10 to take a 19-16 lead.
Offense was limited for both squads in the second quarter, with the teams combining for just three made field goals over the first six-and-a-half minutes. Butler continued to defend at a high level, but missed chances to extend its advantage, taking a 28-24 lead into halftime.
“I really felt like in the second quarter, when we were playing good defense, there was a chance for us to open a slightly bigger lead,” Parkinson said. “And we just kept kind of similar, taking difficult shots.”
Butler opened the third quarter with momentum as sophomore guard McKenna Johnson knocked down back-to-back buckets for the Bulldogs. The teams went back and forth through the middle of the period, but Villanova took advantage of late Butler turnovers, closing the quarter on a run to take a 48-41 lead into the final 10 minutes.
Villanova carried that momentum into the fourth quarter, starting the frame on a 7-0 run that forced a Butler timeout. The Bulldogs responded by hitting four of their next five shots, but another scoring drought down the stretch prevented a full comeback.
“When we move the ball and everybody touches it, we’re pretty good,” Parkinson said. “But when we’re dribbling across and they’re taking it from us, we are not giving ourselves enough attempts at the basket.”
Despite shooting 46.9% from the floor, Butler committed 16 turnovers, which Villanova converted into 22 points. Sophomore guard Jasmine Bascoe led all players with 27 points and five assists, while junior forward Brynn McCurry and first-year guard Kennedy Henry added 12 points each for the Wildcats.
Johnson paced Butler with a career-high 16 points on 6-for-11 shooting, while sophomore guard Lily Zeinstra and redshirt sophomore forward Mallory Miller also reached double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Redshirt sophomore guard Saniya Jackson and junior forward Caroline Dotsey led the Bulldogs on the glass with six rebounds apiece.
Parkinson also pointed to Zeinstra’s performance off the bench as a positive takeaway.
“I was really proud of Lily’s draw,” Parkinson said. “I thought she carried herself the right way and handled herself the right way.”
While the result marked another close loss against a veteran Big East opponent, Parkinson emphasized growth and perspective moving forward.
“There’s still plenty to play for to improve our seeding for the conference tournament,” he said. “We’re a young team. We’ve got to get some growth and momentum.”
The Dawgs will look to apply those lessons as they prepare to travel to Hartford, Conn. to face No. 1 UConn on Feb. 7, with tip-off set for noon.
