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INDIANAPOLIS – Butler will host Ball State on Sunday, Dec. 2 at 2 PM. Fans wearing ugly Christmas sweaters will receive a discounted ticket price of just 5$. There will also be a snowflake making station and ornament coloring area for the kids in attendance.
 
Bulldog Bits                                                                                                                       
- Butler used an 11-0 scoring run to come back and defeat Illinois State 58-56
- Michelle Weaver tied her career-high totals with seven assists and seven rebounds
- Weaver added 10 points in 37 minutes of action and did not commit a turnover
- Weaver has led Butler in assists in every game this season (5.8 assists per game)
- Whitney Jennings led the Bulldogs with 17 points, scoring seven in the 4th quarter
- BU forced 24 Redbird turnovers which resulted in 23 points
- Tori Schickel pulled down eight rebounds to give her 900 in her career
- Coach Godlevske reached 50 career wins with the victory over Illinois State
- The 2018-19 team is one of just six teams in program history to start 5-0
 
2018-19 BIG EAST Standings
1) Butler, 5-0
2) Seton Hall, 6-1
3) Marquette, 5-1
4) St. John's, 4-1
5) Xavier, 4-1
6) Villanova, 4-2
7) DePaul, 4-3
8) Georgetown, 4-3
9) Providence, 2-2
10) Creighton, 1-4
 
Scouting Ball State                                                                                         
The Cardinals defeated Cincinnati 75-63 on Wednesday night to collect their second win of the season. Ball State used a 17-5 scoring run in the second quarter to open up a lead that would hold the rest of the way. It marked their first win over the Bearcats since 1995-96. Anna Clephane led the team in scoring with 22 points. She ranks second on the team in points, averaging 9.3 this year. Ball State's point and rebound leader is 6-1 forward Oshlynn Brown who supplies the team with 12.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Ball State's other win this year came against Cleveland State 67-62.
 
Last Year vs. Ball State                                                                                 
Ball State posted an 87-75 win on their home court last year inside Worthen Arena. The Cardinals only used seven players in the outcome, four of which will be on the court Sunday when the Bulldogs host the Cardinals. Jasmin Samz had a solid stat line in the last meeting with 15 points, three rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal. Butler was led by Whitney Jennings who scored a game-high 26 points on 9-of-21 shooting. Jennings hit five of her nine shots from 3-point range. Teammate Tori Schickel was limited to only one made field goal. She still ended the night with nine total points by shooting 7-of-8 from the free throw line. Schickel impacted the game with 10 rebounds and three steals.
 
Close Call                                                                                                                           
Butler erased a three-point halftime deficit vs. Illinois State to record their fifth win of the season. The first four games of 2018 heavily favored the Bulldogs with Butler winning by 35, 21, 41 and 53 points. Defense has been key in each victory. After five games, Butler leads the BIG EAST in scoring defense allowing just 49 points per game. They also rank first in steals averaging 15.8 per contest.
 
Great Start                                                                                                                         
Butler is 5-0 at the start of the 2018 season after starting 3-0 one year ago. The best start in BU history came in 1990-91 when Butler won their first 10 games of the year.
 
RPI Revealed                                                                                                                    
The first NCAA RPI was unveiled on Tuesday, with six BIG EAST teams debuting in the top 100. Marquette led the way at No. 12, followed by No. 22 Butler and No. 27 DePaul. St. John's came in at No. 39, with No. 82 Xavier and No. 100 Villanova rounding out the top 100. The BIG EAST was listed as the No. 7 league and finished the 2017-18 season ranked sixth.
 
Friendly Roll                                                                                                     
Playing five-straight games inside Hinkle Fieldhouse has helped the Bulldogs shoot 49.2 percent from the field early on in the 2018-19 season. Butler shot better than 50 percent from the floor in each of the first four games of the season, but was limited to 34.5 percent shooting in their last game out vs. Illinois State. BU still leads the BIG EAST in field goal percentage and ranks second in scoring margin (+30.4).
 
Perfect Month                                                                                                 
Head Coach Kurt Godlevske helped Butler finish the month of November undefeated at 5-0. In his first season at the helm, Godlevske guided the 2014-15 Bulldogs to a perfect 8-0 record during the month of January. It was the first time BU had gone undefeated during a full month in 17 years.
 
Make It Count                                                                                                  
Whitney Jennings is shooting 92.3 percent from the free throw line this year. She has made 12 of her 13 attempts to rank third in the BIG EAST. Two players, each playing for DePaul, are still perfect from the charity stripe this year.
 
Weaver Impacting Wins                                                                                              
Michelle Weaver leads the BIG EAST in both total steals (21) and steals per game (4.2). The senior guard also ranks second in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.1).
 
Schickel Climbs Scoring List                                                                        
Tori Schickel reached 1,000 career points on Jan. 10, 2018 against St. John's to become just the 22nd player in Butler women's basketball history to reach 1,000. Schickel now ranks 11th on the all-time scoring list with 1,306 career points. She is now 14 points away from 10th place on the list which is currently held by Sarah Schuetz (1,320, '94-'98).
 
Schickel Goes After Rebound Record                                                     
Tori Schickel heads into Sunday afternoon with 900 career rebounds, a total that ranks her fourth all-time at Butler. She will attempt to become just the third player in school history to reach 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in her BU career, joining Elza Purvlicis (1980-84) and Beth Piepenbrink (1980-83).
 
Enjoy The Experience                                                                                   
Head Coach Kurt Godlevske has three seniors in his starting five lineup for the first time in his BU coaching career. Butler didn't have a single senior on the roster in 2016-17. Schickel will play in her 91st career game vs. Ball State and Weaver will suit up for her 83rd.
 
Up Next                                                                                                                              
Butler's first road trip of the season will be played at Indiana on Wednesday, Dec. 5. Tip-off at Assembly Hall will go up at 7 PM.