Bulldogs Pull Out Victory Over Raiders To Advance In Horizon League Tournament

Feb. 27, 2002

Box Score

CHICAGO - Five players scored in double figures for the Bulldogs as the Butler women's basketball team knocked off Wright State, 74-61, in the play-in game of the Horizon League Tournament on Wednesday (Feb. 27) at Loyola's Joseph J. Gentile Center. The Bulldogs, who were seeded ninth in the Tournament, improved to 3-25 overall, while the No. 8 seeded Raiders ended their 2001-02 campaign with a 6-22 overall record. The victory puts the Bulldogs in tomorrow's first-round game against top-seeded UW-Green Bay. Game time is slated for 6:30 p.m. (EST).

Back-to-back baskets by Tiffany Smith would give Butler an early 11-6 lead. The Raiders would fight back and would tie the game up at 21-21 off of a layup by Danyelle Sawyer. The two teams would alternate baskets until the end of the half, with Wright State holding a slim 32-31 edge at intermission.

The Raiders and the Bulldogs continued to battle it out early in the second stanza as the score was tied 45-45 with 13:11 remaining. But, Butler would go on an 11-1 run to stretch its lead to 56-47. The Bulldogs lead would grow to as much as 14 points with under two minutes left to play as the Raiders fell victim to foul trouble, sending Butler to the line several times in the games' final minutes.

Sophomore Tiffany Smith tied her career-high by recording a team-best 21 points for the Bulldogs. Freshman Cortney Urquhart tallied her second double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomores Sarah Bolten and Nancy Bowden each scored 12 points and freshman Angel Mason finished with 11 points.

Tiffany Webb paced the Raiders with a game-high 22 points. Teammate Robin Swain added a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds, while Sawyer chipped in 14 points.

Fifteen Butler steals helped cause 28 Raider turnovers. The Bulldogs shot 43.9 percent from the field, including a 41.2 percent clip from long range. Wright State, which held a 39-30 rebounding edge over the Bulldogs, shot 42.6 percent from the field on the game.