INDIANAPOLIS – After an even first quarter, the Butler Bulldogs pulled away in the middle two periods to win Sunday's non-conference game against the Milwaukee Panthers, 67-53.
 
The Bulldogs outscored the Panthers 45-22 in the middle two quarters to take a 56-33 lead into the fourth. Milwaukee made a late push, outscoring Butler 20-11 in the final period, but the deficit proved too much to overcome.
 
Jorey Buwalda led Milwaukee with 11 points, while Rita Gomes and Izzy Pugh each finished with nine. Buwalda and Payton Rechlicz shared the team lead with six rebounds apiece, while Micayla Silas and Sophia Rampulla each recorded a team-high three assists.
 
The Panthers received 36 points from their bench, including the contributions from Gomes and Pugh. Silas added seven points, while Kendall Barnes chipped in four.
 
"It was nice to see some of our bench step up big against Butler today," noted head coach Kyle Rechlicz. "Rita has been lights out all week, so we weren't surprised when she came in and hit back-to-back threes. Izzy also gave us a huge lift off the bench by finishing around the rim."
 
Turnovers once again proved to be costly for the Panthers, who finished the game with 20 giveaways leading to 32 Bulldog points. Butler also shot over 45 percent from the field, while holding the Panthers to just 33.3 percent overall and 26.7 percent from three.
 
The first quarter mirrored last season's overtime matchup at the Klotsche Center with the teams even at 11 through the opening 10 minutes. Grace Lomen scored Milwaukee's first four points, and a Madison Fitzgibbon basket gave the Panthers a 7-6 edge with 2:37 remaining.
 
Pugh pushed the lead to 9-6, but Milwaukee couldn't hold the advantage, as Butler scored five points in the final 1:11 to tie the game at 11.
 
The Bulldogs opened the second quarter with nine straight points and led by as many as 15 before halftime. They carried a 34-21 advantage into the break and continued to extend the margin in the third, taking a 56-33 lead into the final frame.
 
In the fourth, a nine-point run, bookended by a pair of threes from Gomes, helped Milwaukee trim the deficit, but Butler did enough late to maintain its double-digit cushion and secure the 67-53 victory.
 
Four Bulldogs scored in double figures, led by Lily Zeinstra's 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Saniya Jackson and Addison Baxter each added 12, while Caroline Dotsey chipped in 10 points, including two three-pointers, along with a team-high six rebounds.
 
"We knew this week was going to be tough for us, playing two Big East opponents back-to-back," added Rechlicz. "I believe these games are only going to make us stronger as we head to California this week."
 
Milwaukee returns to action on Friday at the Tiger Turkey Tip-Off in Stockton, California, taking on host Pacific at 5:30 p.m. (CT).