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Career-Night From Closser Paces Bulldogs Past Raiders, 68-56
Feb. 3, 2007
Indianapolis, Ind. - Senior guard Jackie Closser unleashed a barrage of three-pointers en route to a career-high 28 points and the Bulldogs led throughout the entire affair as Butler notched its second-straight Horizon League win over visiting Wright State, 68-56, on Saturday (Feb. 3) night at Hinkle Fieldhouse. A three-pointer by Susan Lester just 23 seconds into the game would give the Bulldogs their first and only lead of the night, as Butler (9-12, 6-3 Horizon League) held off several Wright State (5-15, 3-6 HL) charges to remain a half-game behind UIC for third in the league standings. Closser, the only Butler player to register double-figures on the night, was nearly unstoppable from beyond the arc, hitting five treys in the first half before adding a pair in the second in breaking her single-game career-high with seven makes. Her 28 points also surpassed her previous high-mark of 25 set last January against the Raiders. After pushing ahead to a nine-point advantage at 13-4 early on, Wright State roared back thanks to an 8-0 run to close to within one at 13-12. Back-to-back triples from Closser, however, extended the Butler lead back out to a comfortable seven points. The Raiders again rallied, closing to within in a point yet again at 24-23 with just over seven minutes remaining in the period, but the Bulldogs closed out the half on a 15-6 tear, keyed on two more makes from distance by Closser, and carried a 10-point margin into the locker room. Wright State made its final push out of the break, using an 11-3 trek over the opening six minutes to close to within a basket, but it would get no closer as Butler continued to post an answer for every Raider make. The Bulldogs held a dominant edge from three-point in the contest, connecting on 12-of-26 for 46.2 percent while holding Wright State to just 3-of-18 (16.7 percent). Butler also converted 13 Raider miscues into 24 points, compared to just nine WSU baskets off Bulldog turnovers.
Candace Jones came off the bench to add a spark on both sides of the ball, scoring eight points and notching five boards and two assists. Lester added eight points of her own and a team-high eight rebounds, while Lade Akande finished with seven points and four boards off the bench. Brittney Whiteside paced the Raiders with a double-double, notching 24 points and 10 rebounds, while Whitney Lewis added 13 points and eight boards. Butler hits the road on Thursday (Feb. 8) when it battles Loyola beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET at the Gentile Center. |
