Butler’s women’s basketball team played two games in three days at Hinkle over the weekend, defeating Creighton on Feb. 15 and losing a heartbreaker to Providence in overtime on Feb. 17.
The Bulldogs started the weekend by defeating Creighton 66-46. The Bulldogs started out slowly, as they led by four heading into the second quarter. During the second quarter and on the Bulldogs displayed another impressive defensive performance. The Bulldogs held the Blue Jays to 28 percent shooting and 26 percent shooting from 3-point range while also forcing the Blue Jays to commit 20 turnovers.
On the offensive end, the Bulldogs shot 50 percent from the field and had four starters in double figures. They were led in scoring by Kristen Spoyler with 13 while Tori Schickel led the team in rebounding with seven. The Bulldogs had one day off before hosting Providence.
The first time these two teams met, Providence defeated Butler in triple overtime. A close game was played in the second meeting too, as the Bulldogs and Friars went back and forth with Butler leading by three at halftime. Providence tied it up going into the fourth quarter and with the score tied at the end of regulation, they went into their fourth overtime against each other this season. The Friars got the best of the Bulldogs as Butler only scored 2 points in overtime. Providence defeated Butler 66-63.
Butler was led by leading scorer Whitney Jennings with 23 points and played a team-high 43 minutes. Kristen Spoyler added 22 points and Tori Schickel was the only other Bulldog in double figures with 10 points and she also brought down 19 rebounds.
The Bulldogs have almost a week off before they travel to Milwaukee to face off against nationally-ranked and Big East leaders Marquette on Feb. 22. After that, they will head to Chicago to battle second in the Big East DePaul on Feb. 24. A win against one of these teams would be a huge resume builder as the Bulldogs are trying to make the NCAA Tournament.
The game against Marquette is an 8 p.m. tip and the DePaul game is a 3 p.m. tip. Both games will be aired on the Big East Digital Network.
