The third time was the charm for Butler (10-20) as the 9th seeded Bulldogs won a tight one down the stretch against the 8th seeded Xavier Musketeers (17-13), 48-47. The win Saturday afternoon was Butler’s first women’s Big East tournament victory since joining the conference two years ago.
Butler’s pesky 2-3 zone defense gave the Musketeers fits throughout the afternoon, especially in the first half and towards the end of the 4th quarter. Butler’s zone only let up 15 points in the first half and made key defensive stops down the stretch when the Bulldogs desperately needed stops.