Game Notes

Butler at Georgetown
Live Stats | Watch
 
Gameday Information
Date: Friday, February 17, 2017 / 7:00 PM
Location: Washington, D.C. / McDonough Arena
Live Stats: GUHoyas.com | Watch: BEDN / Fox Sports
Series History: Butler leads the all-time series against Georgetown 4-3
Last Meeting: Georgetown defeated Butler 58-52 on Jan. 22, 2017
 
Butler at Villanova
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Gameday Information
Date: Sunday, February 19, 2017 / 1:00 PM
Location: Villanova, Pa. / The Pavilion
Live Stats: Villanova.com | Watch: BEDN
Series History: Villanova leads the all-time series against Butler 7-1
Last Meeting: Villanova defeated Butler 70-69 in overtime on Jan. 20, 2017
 
INDIANAPOLIS – The final true BIG EAST road trip of the season will take place this weekend with Butler battling Georgetown and Villanova. The Hoyas will host BU on Friday night at McDonough Arena. The game will tip at 7 PM. Sunday's matinee at Villanova will get underway at 1 PM. Each contest will stream live on BEDN. The Georgetown contest will also air on Fox Sports Networks. Click here to view your network choices.
 
Bulldog Bits
- Sydney Shelton hit six 3-pointers vs. DePaul to notch a career-high 23 points
- Shelton was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week after averaging 18 ppg
- Butler shot 50% from 3-point range against DePaul going 8-for-16 from distance
- Shelton and Sydney Buck combine for 72 of Butler's 124 3-point FG on the year
- Buck ranks 7th all-time at Butler with 159 made 3-point field goals in her career
- Tori Schickel just missed a double-double Sunday with 9 points and 9 rebounds
- Schickel has led BU in rebounding in each game this season, averaging 11.2 rpg
- Schickel is the only Bulldog to start in all 25 games this season
- Michelle Weaver ranks 3rd in steals amongst BIG EAST players (1.8 per game)
 
BIG EAST Standings
1) DePaul 12-1, 20-5
2) Creighton 11-2, 17-6
3) Marquette 8-5, 17-7
4) Villanova 7-5, 12-11
5) St. John's 8-5, 16-8
6) Georgetown 6-6, 14-8
7) Seton Hall 4-9, 11-13
8) Xavier 3-9, 11-12
9) Providence 2-11, 10-14
10) Butler 2-10, 5-18

Shelton Earns BIG EAST Freshman of the Week Honors
Against two of the top three teams in the BIG EAST standings, Sydney Shelton averaged 18.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and drained 42.9 percent of her attempts from beyond the arc in Butler's homestand against Marquette and No. 18/16 DePaul. Friday against the Golden Eagles, the rookie guard totaled 13 points, four boards and a trio of triples before matching Brooke Schulte's game high with 23 points, including six three-pointers, and four boards against the nationally ranked Blue Demons on Sunday. Shelton ranked fourth in the BIG EAST in scoring last week and was the top-scoring freshman, outscoring the next highest rookie by 5.0 points per game.
 
All-Time Series vs. Georgetown
The Hoyas will try to even the all-time series on Friday night with Butler currently holding onto a 4-3 advantage. Georgetown has won two-straight with a 58-52 win earlier this season at Hinkle Fieldhouse and a 49-35 victory a year ago at McDonough Arena. Butler's last win came during the first meeting of the 2015-16 season as BU claimed an 82-76 win on their home court. Butler swept the action the year before (2014-15) in Coach Godlevske's first season at the helm.
 
Georgetown at Butler Recap
Dionna White was the driving force behind Georgetown's victory at Butler on Jan. 22 as the crafty guard scored a game-high 29 points on 11-of-18 shooting. White added eight rebounds and five steals in 38 minutes of action which led to the 58-52 outcome. The Bulldogs faced a 28-21 deficit at the half, but outscored GU 18-10 in the third quarter to grab a one-point lead. The momentum would shift back to the Hoyas over the final 10 minutes of action with Georgetown winning the fourth quarter 20-13 to seal the win. Butler was led by Tori Schickel who posted 22 points and 15 rebounds in a losing effort. The Bulldogs also received 18 points from Sydney Buck who hit all six of her shots from behind the arc.
 
All-Time Series vs. Villanova
Butler's lone win over Villanova in the all-time series came during the first meeting of the 2014-15 season. The Bulldogs won on their home court 72-58. The other seven games favored the Wildcats. Villanova's average margin of victory over their seven wins is 14.5 points. Three have been by 20 points, yet the most recent was just a one-point overtime win 70-69.
 
Villanova at Butler Recap
Butler dominated the opening quarter in the first meeting to grab a 19-5 lead, but a fourth quarter meltdown would push the contest to overtime as the Wildcats outscored the Bulldogs 30-16 over the final 10 minutes of regulation. The final score would favor Nova by a single point with the Wildcats winning the overtime period 11-10. Butler was led by Tori Schickel who went off for 28 points and 20 rebounds. Sydney Buck was yet another impact performer for the Bulldogs with 19 points in just 25 minutes of playing time. Villanova got a huge lift off the bench with the high level of play from Mary Gedaka and Grace Stant. Gedaka led the team with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Stant hit four 3-pointers to help generate 14 points. The Bulldogs did a nice job defensively on Adrianna Hahn who was limited to just nine points, but Alex Louin would come up clutch with three late free throws at the end of regulation to push her scoring total to 16. Louin was active in multiple phases of the game by adding 10 rebounds, three blocks, three steals and two assists.

Tune-In Television
Four BIG EAST women's basketball games will be featured on the FOX Sports Networks this weekend, including two nationally televised tilts. Butler and Georgetown tip things off on FOX Sports Regional Networks on Friday at 7 p.m., in Washington, D.C. The Hoyas will clinch a BIG EAST Tournament First Round bye with a win (or Xavier loss), while the Bulldogs will aim to climb out of its current tie for ninth place for a more favorable matchup. FS1 takes over at 7:30 p.m., with Xavier at Villanova live from The Pavilion. The Wildcats can finish no lower than sixth but can still rise as high as the No. 2 seed, depending on other outcomes. The Musketeers need to win out (four games) in order to have a shot at a first-round bye. Action continues on Sunday with a notable rematch of No. 17/15 DePaul and Marquette. Tipoff in Milwaukee is slated for 2 p.m. on FS2. The two longtime foes played one of the highest scoring games in BIG EAST history on Jan. 21, with the Golden Eagles handing the Blue Demons their lone BIG EAST loss of the season, 102-101 in overtime. The television slate wraps up at 6:30 p.m., in Omaha, as a rematch of the 2016 BIG EAST Tournament title game pits RV/RV Creighton versus St. John's on FOX Sports Regional Networks. The Red Storm will look to add to its tally of five top-50 wins while the Bluejays still have regular-season title aspirations.

Tournament Talk
The 2017 BIG EAST Women's Basketball Tournament will take place in Milwaukee, Wis. this year from March 4-7. The Bulldogs will play in the First Round although their seed is still up in the air. If the regular season ended today, Butler would play as the No. 10 seed at 6:30 PM (March 4) against the No. 7 seed Seton Hall Pirates. The First Round would also include Xavier and Providence going head-to-head at 4 PM. First Round action will stream live on BEDN. The 8/9 seed will jump into the top of the bracket to face the No. 1 overall seed which currently goes to DePaul. The 7/10 winner would try their luck against Creighton who currently represents the No. 2 seed.

Postseason Picture
With just three or four regular-season games remaining per team, the postseason picture gets clearer as each contest ends. The regular-season title and the top seed in the  BIG EAST Tournament presented by Jeep can only go to No. 17/15 DePaul or RV/RV Creighton, with the Blue Demons holding a crucial season sweep of the Bluejays and a two-win lead in the standings. Seton Hall, Providence and Butler are all locked into playing in the Tournament's First Round, while Georgetown can solidify Xavier's spot on Day 1 with just one more win, leaving the Hoyas out of the reach of the Musketeers. National postseason berths also remains up for grabs, with DePaul, Creighton, Marquette, Georgetown and Villanova all listed in the top 50 of the NCAA RPI, while St. John's is three wins shy of yet another 20-win season.

Keys to The Game
Butler has to finish in order to win on the road. The Bulldogs held a lead heading into the fourth quarter against both Georgetown and Villanova in the first meeting. The Hoyas picked up a six-point win by outscoring Butler 20-13 over the final frame and Villanova pushed their first meeting against Butler to overtime by winning the fourth 30-16. Butler hasn't outscored an opponent in the fourth quarter since Jan. 29 when they edged Seton Hall by two at Walsh Gym. The Pirates hit a shot at the buzzer to earn the victory.
 
National Rankings
Tori Schickel ranks sixth in the NCAA in total rebounds (281) and comes in at 9th in the country in rebounds per game (11.2). The BIG EAST rebound leader averages a double-double and therefore ranks 34th in the nation with 10 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 2nd in minutes (34.8) and 5th in field goal percentage (48.9). A closer breakdown shows Schickel leading the league in both offensive rebounds (4.1) and defensive boards (7.1). The sophomore forward also ranks 6th in steals (1.7), 9th in blocked shots (1.2) and 10th in scoring (13.9).
 
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 25 games, Schickel has pulled down 281 rebounds. Her first 20-rebound game this season came at Xavier (1/8), with her second coming against Villanova. 20 boards in a single-game 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. She currently ranks fourth all-time on the single-season top ten list. She most recently passed Daress McClung (Current BU Director of Basketball Operations) who recorded 280 rebounds during the 2012-13 season. Schickel is just eight rebounds shy of third place. Elza Purvlicis pulled down 288 rebounds for Butler during the 1982-83 campaign.
 
Up Next
Butler will close out the regular season next weekend by hosting Providence and Creighton. Friday night's tilt vs. the Friars will tip at 7 PM. The regular season finale against the Bluejays will get underway at 1 PM. Each contest will stream live on BEDN.