Kristen Spolyar goes up for a shot against Lipscomb. Spolyar tied for the team lead with 12 points. Collegian file photo.
CHRIS BROWN | STAFF REPORTER | cbbrown@butler.edu
A big first quarter powered the Butler University women’s basketball team to a 56-45 road victory over Illinois State University on Dec. 3.
The Bulldogs dominated from the outset, limiting the Cardinals to just five points in the first quarter while scoring 17. The Butler defense would continue to shut down Illinois State in the second and third quarters, limiting the Cardinals to 11 and 12 points, respectively, en route to the victory.
Butler hold Illinois State to just 16 first half points. Weaver has 8 pts, Schickel added seven pic.twitter.com/LfoEL9fMfJ
— Butler W Basketball (@ButlerUWBB) December 3, 2017
Offensively, the Bulldogs received major contributions from many places, with five players scoring eight or more points. Junior guard Michelle Weaver, junior center Tori Schickel, and sophomore guard Kristen Spolyar all scored 12 points for Butler.
With a game-high 11 rebounds, Schickel picked up her fourth double-double in the last five games, while Weaver set a personal season-high in points.
Redshirt junior guard Whitney Jennings tallied nine points and four rebounds, while graduate student and guard Iman Lathan collected eight points and six rebounds.
For the game, both teams shot 27 percent from 3-point range, although Butler limited Illinois State to 25 percent from the field. Butler also led Illinois State in steals (12 to 5) and assists (11 to 6) in the contest. The Bulldogs will return to action at home on Dec. 8 against the University of Wisconsin.