SELINSGROVE -- When one watches the Susquehanna University women's basketball team play in this early part of the 2008-09 season, there are times where it's very easy to tell that the Crusaders are very inexperienced, with no seniors and three juniors on their 16-player roster.
Then there are times during the game when one sees why head coach Jim Reed is very excited about his team's future.
"It's frustrating to watch sometimes, but you can really see the potential in this team," Reed said. "The more experience we get, the better we are going to be. Some of this stuff is just growing pains."
In Wednesday night's nonleague contest against Wilkes, the good certainly outweighed the bad. Freshman Jennifer Butts came off the bench to score game-high 16 points in the Crusaders' 62-50 victory over the Colonels at O.W. Houts Gymnasium.
Susquehanna (3-0) never trailed in the game, but struggled to put Wilkes away.
"I think that another part of the experience factor. We've been in the same situation in all three games with sizable leads in the second half, but we don't make the right decision sometimes, yet," Reed said.
A big key in the Crusaders' win was their defensive effort on Wilkes guard Sam Lynam. The sophomore from Quakertown High School scored 33 points in the Colonels win over Penn State-Hazleton on Monday night, but Susquehanna limited her to just 11, seven of which came in the last nine minutes of the game.
"We knew she could shoot the 3-pointer, but was also able to get to the basket," Reed said.
"We needed somebody athletic to stay with her and tall enough to bother her shot. That's why Rachel (Hughes) and Ashley (Watkins) were on her. They did a great job."
Susquehanna opened up an early six-point lead as both teams struggled from the floor. Wilkes pulled within 10-9, but teams managed only one bucket, a jumper by Susquehanna's Sam Cartwright, over the next five minutes.
The Crusaders would push their lead to 10 on a foul shot by Erika Barron with 2:37 left. Samantha Jansson had a layup and a putback to key Susquehanna's spurt.
After a basket to start the second half, Wilkes managed to cut the lead to five on a Lynam jumper with 17:39 left in the game. Susquehanna put the game away with a 17-6 spurt to open up a 41-25 advantage on two Butts foul shots with 12:00 left.
That capped seven consecutive points by the freshman, who played at North Schuylkill. Butts had missed all three of her shots in the first half, but bounced back to hit 5-of-6 shots in the second half, including 2-of-4 on 3-pointers.
"I don't think the first half shook her confidence. She's not gun-shy, that's why she's playing so much, so early," Reed said. "She's very aggressive and has no fear about playing at this level."
Wilkes never got the margin back below double digits, but the Crusaders weren't able to put them away either, as the 16-point lead was Susquehanna's largest of the contest.
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