UALR women beat Denver 49-46

DENVER -- Shanika Butler scored 14 points including two clutch free throws late as the UALR women held off Denver for a 49-46 victory Sunday afternoon at Magness Arena.
Butler made 5 of 6 field goals, 2 of 3 three-pointers and both of her free throws to go with 5 assists and 4 steals as the Trojan women won their fifth consecutive game. Chastity Reed never really got in the flow offensively, making 5 of 17 field-goal attempts to finish with 10 points.
Janette Merriex made three three-pointers to finish with 9 points, while Asriel Rolfe and Marian Kursh each had 8.
It was a tight game throughout with UALR surging head for a 27-23 halftime lead. The Trojans took the lead for good on a three-pointer by Rolfe for a 24-23 lead with 1:26 left in the half.
UALR never fell behind in the second half. After Denver tied the game 29-29 on a jump shot by Britteni Rice, Reed hit a jumper at the other end for a 31-29 lead. Denver tied it again before Asriel Rolfe hit a three-pointer with 14:43 left for a 34-31 lead.
  UALR got the lead to 38-31, but couldn’t put Denver away. A three-pointer by Quincey Noonan cut the lead to 47-46 with 2:30 left. Neither team could score down the stretch and Denver fouled Butler with 16 seconds left. She made both free throws to give UALR a 49-46 lead.

  Reed then made her biggest contribution of the game, blocking Rice's three-point attempt to preserve the victory.
Denver outshot UALR 49 percent to 39 percent and held a 28-22 advantage in rebounds. The difference statistically was three-point shooting. UALR