The Bears were set for conference action in the Den on Tuesday night as Butler hosted the El Dorado Springs Bulldogs.
The Lady Bears opened the evening with possession and wasted no time getting on the board, scoring on a cutting Kiersten Dubray. After the Bulldogs answered with a single free throw, Carmichael drilled a triple to give Butler early momentum. Kylee followed with back-to-back interior buckets, but El Dorado’s early accuracy allowed the Lady Bulldogs to stay within striking distance. Kylee found pay dirt once again, forcing El Dorado to burn a timeout trailing 11–7. Out of the break, Butler forced a turnover and capitalized on a strong drive by Carmichael. The Lady Bears carried a 17–11 lead after the opening eight minutes.
Carmichael opened the second-quarter scoring by sinking her second three of the contest. Butler began the period on a quick 5–0 run, but El Dorado answered with a shot from beyond the arc. The Bears responded emphatically, ripping off a 6–0 spurt fueled by three consecutive post scores from Kylee. Butler headed into the locker room firmly in control with a 28–14 advantage.
Out of the break, Butler continued to ride its momentum, scoring with ease against an exploited Bulldogs defense. El Dorado found itself trailing 38–16 with 4:30 remaining in the third, prompting another timeout from the visitors. With 1:32 left in the quarter, Dubray etched her name into the record books by scoring the 1,000th point of her career. The Lady Bears never let up, taking a commanding 45–22 lead into the final frame.
Carmichael splashed a deep three to open the fourth-quarter scoring, and Butler never looked back. Despite an attempted push by El Dorado, the Lady Bears closed the night with a dominant 59–29 blowout victory.
Kylee led all scorers with 31 points. Gabby added 16, finishing red-hot from distance.
Photos by the talented Erin Dubray.
