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Butler Ends Season With An 86-51 Loss To UW-Green Bay
March 7, 2003 GREEN BAY, WIS. - Top-seeded UW-Green Bay outscored No. 9 Butler 44-19 in the first half en route to a 86-51 victory over the Bulldogs in the quarterfinals of the Horizon League Championships at the Phoenix Sports Center. This was the third straight season that Butler had fallen to the Phoenix in the league tournament, as the Bulldogs conclude their season with a 6-23 record. UW-Green Bay, which is ranked 22nd nationally, improves to 25-3 and will play the winner of the Wright State/Loyola quarterfinal matchup. "Our kids played hard and put forth great effort, but their balanced offense really caused problems for us," said head coach Beth Couture. "You can't focus on just one player on their team, because as soon as you do, someone else will beat you." Four players scored in double figures for the Phoenix, which are seeking their second straight NCAA appearance. Chandra Johnson paced Green Bay with 15 points, while Kristy Loiselle (14), Sara Boyer (12), and Scharlow (11) also scored in double figures. Every player that played for the Phoenix scored in the game, as UW-Green Bay's bench outscored Butler's, 33-8. It didn't take long for the Phoenix to take control of the game, as Abby Scharlow's three-pointer at 14:56 gave the hosts a 15-5 edge. A pair of Nancy Bowden free throws cut the gap to eight, but a 7-0 Green Bay run propelled the Phoenix to a 22-7 lead. UW-Green Bay took its first 20-point lead off of Natalie Yudt's jumper at 5:02, and the Phoenix would continue to roll from there. UW-Green Bay, which shot an impressive 71.4 percent (15-21) from the field in the first half, held Butler to just six field goals during that period. Butler was just 6-of-27 (.222) from the field, with Lisa Pryor connecting on five of the team's shots. Butler would come no closer than 24 points in the second half, as UW-Green Bay's lead reached as high as 40 points before each team cleared their respective benches. The Bulldogs shot 30.2 percent (16-53) on the game, while the Phoenix finished with a season-best 31-of-51 performance (.608). "We knew we would have to play our best game of the season and they would have to have an off-night for the outcome to turn out differently," added Couture. "Obviously, neither of those things happened, as was reflected by the score." Pryor led Butler in scoring for the third straight game, finishing with 19 points. Cortney Urquhart added 11 points, while leading the Bulldogs with seven rebounds. Butler was outrebounded by the Phoenix, 38-27. |
