Game Notes
 
Butler at St. John's
Live Stats | Watch
 
Gameday Information
Date: Friday, January 27, 2017 / 7:00 PM
Location: Queens, N.Y. / Carnesecca Arena
Live Stats: RedStormSports.com | Watch: BEDN
Series History: St. John's leads the all-time series against Butler 5-2
Last Meeting: St. John's defeated Butler 62-41 on January 5
 
Butler at Seton Hall
Live Stats | Watch
 
Gameday Information
Date: Sunday, January 29, 2017 / 2:00 PM
Location: South Orange, N.J. / Walsh Gym
Live Stats: SHUPirates.com | Watch: BEDN
Series History: Seton Hall leads the all-time series against Butler 4-3
Last Meeting: Butler defeated Seton Hall 79-58 on January 2
 
INDIANAPOLIS – Butler will end the month of January with two road games against BIG EAST opponents. The Bulldogs will flip the conference schedule at the halfway point and play at St. John's on Friday night at 7 PM. Sunday's matinee will be played at Walsh Gym against Seton Hall at 2 PM. Each game will stream live on BEDN.
 
Bulldog Bits
- Tori Schickel averaged 25 points and 17.5 rebounds per game last week
- Schickel was tabbed BIG EAST Player of the Week for the first time this year
- Sydney Buck hit a season-high six 3-point field goals vs. Georgetown
- Buck averaged 18.5 points per game last week, coming off the bench for BU
- Buck ranks 7th all-time at Butler with 146 made 3-point field goals in her career
- Michelle Weaver collected a career-high seven rebounds vs. Georgetown
- BU only had 10 turnovers vs. Nova (season-low), but made 24 vs. Georgetown
- BU was outscored 50-29 in the 4th last week... They led after 3 in each game
- Butler is 1-8 on the road this year... They won at Xavier 65-62 in overtime
 
BIG EAST Standings
1) DePaul 8-1, 16-5
2) Creighton 8-1, 14-5
3) Marquette 7-2, 16-4
4) Villanova 6-3, 11-9
5) St. John's 5-4, 13-7
6) Georgetown 4-5, 12-7
7) Xavier 2-7, 10-10
8) Seton Hall 2-7, 9-11
9) Butler 2-7, 5-15
10) Providence 1-8, 9-11

Schickel Named BIG EAST Player of the Week
Tori Schickel was extraordinary last weekend, averaging 25.0 points and 17.5 rebounds per game in single-digit setbacks to Villanova and Georgetown. In Friday's one-point overtime loss to the Wildcats, Schickel totaled 28 points and 20 rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass, for her second 20-20 game of the season and third of her career. The impressive play continued on Sunday with 22 points and 15 rebounds against the Hoyas. The double-doubles were the seventh and eighth of the season for the sophomore, second-most in the BIG EAST, while she bumped her season rebounding average to 11.2 per game to lead the league and rank 10th nationally.
 
All-Time Series vs. St. John's
St. John's holds a 5-2 lead over Butler in the all-time series. The two programs split the regular season series over the last two years, but the Red Storm swept BU in 2013-14. St. John's recorded a 62-41 win over BU earlier this season. Butler's first win over STJ came in the first meeting of the 2014-15 season 55-50. The victory came at St. John's, marking the team's only victory inside Carnesecca Arena. Butler's second win was posted a year ago inside Hinkle Fieldhouse 62-58.
 
St. John's at Butler Recap
The Red Storm used a balanced offensive attack to defeat Butler inside Hinkle Fieldhouse earlier this season on Jan. 5. Aaliyah Lewis (11), Alisha Kebbe (10), Akina Wellere (10) and Imani Littleton (10) combined for 41 of St. John's 62 points. The fifth member of the starting unit, Jade Walker, led the team in rebounds with seven. Butler got 10 points from Tori Schickel and 10 more from Kristen Spolyar. BU got off to a rocky start (16-5 1st Q) and ended the game being outscored 17-6.
 
All-Time Series vs. Seton Hall
Seton Hall leads the all-time series against Butler 4-3. The Bulldogs put themselves in a position to knot the series this weekend by defeating the Pirates earlier in the year 79-58. BU won the first two meetings during the 2013-14 season, but would drop four-straight from 2014-16. The first win over SHU was a 75-69 result at Walsh Gym. The sweep was a two-point affair with BU winning 74-72.
 
Seton Hall at Butler Recap
Kristen Spolyar, Tori Schickel and Sydney Shelton combined to score 67 of Butler's 79 points in the 21-point victory at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Both Spolyar and Schickel ended the game with double-double performances. Spolyar added 10 boards and three steals while Schickel led the team with 16 rebounds and three blocked shots. JaQuan Jackson was the top performer for Seton Hall with 25 points on 8-of-18 shooting. Jackson also had three steals and three rebounds in 36 minutes of playing time.
 
Polar Opposites
Preparation for this weekend will be challenging as St. John's and Seton Hall play two totally different styles of basketball. St. John's leads the league in scoring defense, holding the opposition to just 54.2 points per game. Seton Hall on the other hand wants to get up and down the court which has them ranked 10th in the conference in scoring defense. The Pirates allow 71.7 points per game. BU scored 79 points in the win over SHU in the first meeting, but was limited to just 41 points in the setback to St. John's.
 
Keys to Success
The Bulldogs will have to grind out a win in Queens when they face St. John's. The Red Storm defend as well as any team in the conference, but they struggle from behind the arc. Heading into the weekend, STJ ranks 10th in the BIG EAST in 3-point shooting (4.1 per game). The Johnnies made five from long range vs. BU in the first meeting with Butler only connecting on three. Friday night will be a different story with Sydney Buck back in action for BU. Buck has 10 made 3-pointers over her last two games. She was sidelined with a foot injury in the first meeting.
 
Butler will need to beat Seton Hall on the glass Sunday afternoon to improve their chances of winning. The Pirates are last in the BIG EAST in rebound margin (-7.4) allowing 42.8 rebounds per game to the opposition. In the first meeting, Butler outrebounded Seton Hall 44-32. That helped Butler score 20 second chance points compared to just five for SHU. Turnovers will also be important when the two clubs meet. Seton Hall leads the conference in steals (10.4 per game) and Butler is coming off a game vs. Georgetown where the Hoyas recorded 14 steals resulting in 24 BU turnovers.
 
National Rankings
Tori Schickel ranks fifth in the NCAA in total rebounds (223) and comes in at 10th in the country in rebounds per game (11.2). The BIG EAST rebound leader averages a double-double and therefore ranks 36th in the nation with eight double-doubles on the year.
 
BIG EAST Rankings
Tori Schickel finds herself ranked in the top-five of multiple BIG EAST statistical categories. Schickel leads the BIG EAST in rebounding (11.2), is 3rd in minutes (34.5), 3rd in steals (2.1), and 5th in field goal percentage (49.3). A closer breakdown shows Schickel leading the league in both offensive rebounds (4.4) and defensive boards (6.8). The sophomore forward also ranks 8th in blocked shots (1.3) and 9th in scoring (14.4).
 
Schickel Eyes Single-Season Rebound Record
Tori Schickel is currently on pace to break the Butler school record for most rebounds recorded in a single-season. Through 20 games, Schickel has pulled down 223 rebounds. Her recent 20-rebound game at Xavier (1/8), followed by her 20 rebound performance against Villanova is the highest total by any player in the BIG EAST Conference during the 2016-17 season. Schickel will chase the BU school record of 302 which was set by Beth Piepenbrink during the 1981-82 season.
 
No Sophomore Slump For Schickel
Tori Schickel has recorded 546 points over 42 games during her two-year career at Butler. The standout sophomore is on pace to become just the 22nd player in Butler women's basketball history to reach 1,000 career points. She has already recorded more field goals, free throws, rebounds, assists and steals this season through 20 games than what she recorded all of last year. Schickel played in 22 games with four starts during 2015-16. 
 
Up Next
Butler will host their travel partner next week on Saturday, Feb. 4. The tip between BU and Xavier will go up at 1 PM on BEDN. Two more home games will follow with Butler hosting (RV) Marquette on Feb. 10 and #21 DePaul on Feb. 12.