Butts Drops 36 In REDS Win

(FREDERICTON, NB) Katie Butts (Ottawa, ON) scored 36 points, including 22 in the first half, to lead the UNB REDS in a 95-77 victory over the Dalhousie Tigers on Saturday, in Atlantic University Sport women's basketball action at UNB's Richard J. Currie Center.

Butts explosive opening half pushed the REDS to a 50-32 half-time lead and the hosts never looked back, earning their first win of the season.

"It feels great," said Butts, named Tim Horton's Player of the Game. "It feels good to start our home schedule off right."

UNB rebounded from a slow start that saw Dal jump out to a 4-0 lead.

Both teams struggled with possession in the opening quarter and the visiting Tigers led 20-17 after ten minutes.

In the second, the pace slowed somewhat, and the REDS rallied, pulling out to a 34-28 lead just past the mid-way point of the quarter.

Led by Butts, UNB put together a 14-0 run in building their 18-point half-time lead.

The Tigers appeared to play with more urgency in the second half but could not overcome the massive deficit.

Along with her 36 points, which came on 13-for-18 shooting, Butts had 15 rebounds.

When asked what was behind her monster night, Butts didn't hesitate in responding.

"My teammates getting me the ball," she said. "I got nice post ups and my teammates were putting it in to me and when they did double-team me, I was able to get assists because my teammates were moving perfectly."

McKinley Bezanson (Hantsport, NS) and Maheva Ngassam (Saint Hubert, QC) each had 12 points for the REDS while Ann Bastien (Terrebonne, QC) added 10.

Kaitlin Ferrier (Calgary, AB) led the Tigers with 22 points. Simona Matic (Belgrade, SER) scored 14.

With the win, the REDS are now 1-and-2 while the Tigers are 0-and-3.

"A night like this shows exactly what we can do," said Butts. "We worked our butt off at Cape (Breton), but didn't get the results we wanted and tonight solidifies that we are so capable of whatever we want."

The two teams meet again Sunday afternoon in the finale of their two-game weekend series. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00pm.

RECAP BY: Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics

PHOTOS BY: James West/for UNB Athletics