With a raucous and energetic Kids Day crowd in Hinkle Fieldhouse, the women’s basketball team started its season off on the right foot with a 108-71 win over Tennessee Tech.
The opening quarter saw Butler jump out to a quick 5-0 lead, but the Golden Eagles halted the Bulldogs’ momentum before they could gain steam with a three-pointer from junior guard Savannah Davis. After that, however, it was all Butler as the Dawgs scored 11 unanswered points.
Senior guard Karson Martin and first-year guard Evie Freeman scored two points each to end Butler’s scoring run, but six late free-throw chances for the Bulldogs ensured they led 31-14 at the end of the quarter.
The Golden Eagles managed to pull the game within 17, but failed to make key baskets. Tennessee Tech made 11-of-33 shots from the field and only 2-of-11 from beyond the arc. Graduate guard Morgan Sieper and Davis had nine of the 11 three-point attempts and each made one.
The Dawgs continued to capitalize on Tennessee Tech mistakes, going 15-of-21 from the free throw line and scoring 17 points off 12 turnovers. Led by junior guard Tamar Singer, the team also attacked quickly in transition, scoring 15 fast break points and extending the lead to 56-30 at halftime.
For head coach Maria Marchesano, recording 26 assists and out-rebounding Tennessee Tech 48-30 were key to the Dawgs’ victory.
“A lot of [our assists] came in transition, and 10 of them came from [Singer] alone,” Marchesano said. “The willingness to share the ball and the rebounds [were exciting to see]. Obviously, we had a pretty good size advantage [and] a pretty decent athleticism advantage, and I think when you see that going into a game, you should dominate the boards. We didn’t box out very well, but our jumping ability is pretty elite, and we just went and got [the ball] most of the time.”
Coming out of the locker room, Martin became the game’s dominant scorer, putting up 10 points in the third quarter alone. Despite her team’s shooting troubles, Martin made 3-of-5 shots from the field and nailed two three-pointers. The guard would finish the game leading all players with 25 points.
Sophomore guard Karina Bystry and senior forward Lili Krasovec stepped up for the Bulldogs in the fourth quarter, scoring 11 of the team’s 26 points as the Dawgs eclipsed 100 points. Krasovec nailed Butler’s second three-pointer of the game to swing the momentum, and two free-throw misses from Tennessee Tech ensured the Bulldogs came away with an emphatic win.
Senior forward Taya Ellis finished just shy of a double-double, leading Butler with 19 points and eight rebounds. Redshirt junior guard Saniya Jackson had 18 points, senior guard Nevaeh Jackson had 13, and Singer and senior guard Judit Valero rounded out the Dawgs’ top scorers with 10. Additionally, almost every player who entered the game for Butler made a basket.
Despite the positives on offense, there is still room for improvement defensively.
“Our baseline out-of-bounds defense was not good, I think we gave up good looks off of that,” Marchesano said. “Our aggressiveness to gamble out of position burnt us a couple times across the board. It’s one of those things where we know we can get a lot of those steals, so we get a little bit greedy instead of being solid. [Communicating] today was hard with how loud it was, but that’s something that has to grow.”
The Bulldogs will stay home to host Lipscomb on Nov. 5 at 6:30 p.m.