Despite heading into the fourth quarter with a three-point lead, Marquette women’s basketball saw it’s three-game win streak come to a halt after falling to the Butler Bulldogs, 61-55 Friday evening.
The Bulldogs used a 12-2 run in the last four minutes of the fourth quarter to lift themselves past MU.
It was a slow start offensively for both teams in the first quarter. Marquette shot 28% while Butler shot just 21%.
The second quarter saw more offensive success. Both squads shot above 40%, but the Golden Eagles trailed 29-25 heading into halftime.
Marquette’s offense peaked in the third quarter, shooting 42% from-the-field and scoring 20 points. The Golden Eagles led 45-42 heading into the final frame which was their first lead since leading 2-0 in the first quarter.
The Bulldog’s strong defense down the stretch held MU’s offense to just 30% from the field in the fourth quarter.
Junior guard Selena Lott notched a team-high 15 points on 5-for-12 shooting and added five rebounds and three assists.
Senior guard Kristen Spolyar led the way for the Bulldogs tallying 30 points on 11-for-18 shooting.
Overall, MU shot 36% from the field and a 13% from beyond the arc.
Butler struggled from the charity stripe throughout the match going 13-for-21. Marquette was slightly better as it went 9-for-13.
Redshirt junior guard Lauren Van Kleunen went down in the third quarter after falling hard to the ground. She returned to Marquette’s bench late in the fourth but didn’t play the remainder of the match.
The Golden Eagles three conference losses match its loss total in conference play from last season. Butler earned its fourth straight victory and improved to 4-2 in conference play.
Marquette (12-5, 3-3 BIG EAST) takes on Xavier in Cincinnati, Ohio on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Central Standard Time.
This story was written by Tyler Peters. He can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter @_tylerpeters_.
