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Butler Snaps 17-Game Losing Skid With 81-73 Victory Over Loyola
Feb. 15, 2002 INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Sophomores Nancy Bowden and Sarah Bolten each poured in 18 points to lead the Butler women's basketball team to an 81-73 triumph over Loyola on Thursday (Feb. 14) at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The win snaps a 17-game losing skid for the Bulldogs, as Butler's last win came on Dec. 4, 2001. The victory also marks the first for Butler (2-23) in Horizon League action, as they improve to 1-13. Loyola, which has lost five straight, drops to 12-12 and 6-7 in league play with the loss. The Bulldogs took an early first half lead, as they held the Ramblers to just one field goal in the first eight minutes of play. Loyola would narrow the gap to 11-10 at 11:42 off of a layup by Tracy Hoffman, but Butler would go on to score the next 11 points, taking a 21-10 advantage. The Ramblers would again fight back as a layup by Ciara Henderson at 3:48 would bring her team to within 29-25. But, Butler ended the period on a 13-5 run to go into intermission up 42-30. The Bulldogs took an 18-point lead, their largest of the game, on a layup by Nancy Bowden with 13:20 left in to play. Loyola then went on a 13-3 run over the next six and a half minutes to pull within 65-61. But the Bulldogs would hit key shots down the stretch, en route to capturing their second win of the season. In addition to Bowden and Bolten's 18 points, freshman Maria Marchesano tied a career-high with 15 points, as she did all of her damage from long range. Freshman Angel Mason rounded out the Butler scoring attack with 14 points. Bowden added eight assists to her totals, while Bolten pulled down a team-best eight rebounds. Lauren Sirus led all scorers with 22 points, and Henderson chipped in 15 for the Ramblers. Maggie Toczylowski was one basket shy of a double-double, finishing with eight points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Butler shot a season-high 49 percent from the field, and posted a 47.6 percent clip from three-point range. Loyola, which held a slim 38-35 rebounding edge on the Bulldogs, shot 41.9 percent from the field on the game. Butler will return to action on Saturday (Feb. 16) when the Bulldogs host Illinois-Chicago in a 2 p.m. meeting at Hinkle Fieldhouse. |
