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INDIANAPOLIS – Butler's final home non-conference game of the season will be played Monday night against in-state rival Indiana State. Tip at Hinkle Fieldhouse will go up at 7 PM.
 
Bulldog Bits                                                                                                                       
- Kristen Spolyar scored a season-high 20 points in the win over the Zips
- Spolyar stuffed the box score with four rebounds, four assists and four steals
- Tori Schickel has recorded a double-double in three-straight games (six total)
- Schickel has led Butler in total rebounds in seven of eight games this year
- Schickel scored 11-straight points in the 3rd quarter to help BU win the frame 24-12
- Schickel moved to ninth place at Butler on the all-time scoring list (1,345 points)
- BU leads the BIG EAST and ranks 4th in the NCAA in scoring defense (50.6 ppg)
- Michelle Weaver leads the BIG EAST in assist/turnover ratio (3.6)
- Whitney Jennings holds the second-best free throw percentage (90%) in the BIG EAST
 
BIG EAST Standings
Butler 7-1
Xavier 7-1
Marquette 7-2
Seton Hall 7-2
Villanova 7-2
DePaul 7-3
St. John's 6-3
Providence 5-3
Georgetown 5-5
Creighton 4-4
 
Scouting Indiana State                                                                                 
Indiana State is 5-3 overall after dropping two of their last three games. The Sycamores snapped a two-game skid on Dec. 8 with a 60-53 home win over UIC. Tamara Lee scored a career-high 23 points in the win to boost her scoring average to 10.9 points per game. Lee made five of her six shots from behind the arc and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Others to reach double figures in the scoring column were Daijah Smith and Ashli O'Neal. Smith came off the bench to net her 11 points in just 16 minutes. O'Neal continued to play at a high level despite an off shooting night. She went just 3-for-13 from the field, but ended the game with 10 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals. O'Neal leads the team in points, assists and steals this season. She logs the second-highest amount of minutes on the court next to forward Regan Wentland. The 6-1 senior leads the team in rebounds per game (6.9) and field goal percentage (51.2).
 
Keys To the Game                                                                                                          
Points in the paint may play a large factor when Butler and Indiana State come together on Dec. 17. Butler outscored Akron 38-16 inside during their last game while UIC dominated the interior against Indiana State 32-8. One year ago when Indiana State hosted Butler, the Bulldogs won the points in the paint battle 28-10.
 
Last Year at Indiana State (12/21/17)                                                     
Butler pulled out a 60-51 win at Indiana State last year behind a strong performance from Tori Schickel. Schickel scored a game-high 23 points while adding five rebounds, four blocks and two steals in the victory. Whitney Jennings chipped in with 16 points and Kristen Spolyar would add 13 off the bench. Indiana State's top returners are Ashli O'Neal and Alexis Delgado. The two players shared the team lead in scoring with 15 points each.
 
Schickel Named to BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll               
Schickel posted back-to-back double-doubles in a 1-1 week for the Bulldogs, averaging 14.0 points and 12.5 rebounds, with the boards average the most in the BIG EAST last week by any player with multiple games under their belts. She totaled 13 points and 13 rebounds at RV/RV Indiana on Wednesday before adding 15 points and 12 boards in Saturday's win at Akron.
 
Double Up
Tori Schickel leads the BIG EAST Conference and ranks ninth in the NCAA with six double-doubles. The national lead is a three-way tie at eight double-doubles.
 
I'll Take That                                                                                                                     
The Bulldogs rank third in the NCAA in steals per game (15.0) and seventh in total steals (120). They lead the BIG EAST in each category.
 
Spolyar's Scoring Role                                                                                  
Kristen Spolyar scored a season-high 20 points at Akron to notch her seventh career game with 20+ points. Since joining the program in 2016-17, Spolyar has reached a double figure scoring total in 38 games. She is tied for the team lead in points this season alongside teammate Whitney Jennings. Each player has 111 points, an average of 13.9 ppg.
 
Streaks                                                                                                                
Tori Schickel has at least one steal in every game this year and has blocked a shot in five-straight games. Whitney Jennings has hit a 3-pointer in seven-straight games.
 
Weaver Impacting Wins                                                                                              
Michelle Weaver ranks second in the BIG EAST and 11th in the NCAA in steals per game (3.6). The senior guard also ranks 11th in the NCAA in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.5). Weaver has led the team in assists in seven of Butler's eight games. She also has recorded 2+ steals in every game this season.
 
RPI Update                                                                                                                        
Six BIG EAST teams landed in the top 70 in Monday's NCAA RPI. Marquette continued to lead the conference, coming in at No. 6 for its best ranking of the season. Following a 3-0 week, DePaul jumped 37 slots to No. 40, while Villanova used a 2-0 week to leap 17 spots to a season-best 56 ranking. Going 1-1 in a pair of road contests, Butler enjoyed the largest improvement of the week, jumping 47 spaces to No. 67. Xavier (No. 60) and St. John's (No. 69) are also listed in the top 70, with the Red Storm improving 28 slots from a week ago.
 
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 ninth on the all-time scoring list with 1,345 career points. She is now 30 points away from eighth place on the list which is currently held by Sue Morris (1,375, '81-'85).
 
Schickel Goes After Rebound Record                                                     
Tori Schickel has 937 career rebounds, a total that ranks her fourth all-time at Butler. She is now just three rebounds away from third-place all-time. Schickel 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).
 
Rim Protector                                                                                                   
Tori Schickel blocked two shots at Akron to move her career total to 137. She currently ranks seventh all-time at Butler in the category, but can move as high as fourth in the future by blocking just four more shots. One more block will tie Liz Stratman for sixth, two blocks will tie BU Hall of Famer Beth Piepenbrink, and three blocks will tie Lade Akande.
 
Winning Ways                                                                                                 
Butler averaged 84.7 points per game over their first four games, but that number has moved to just 57.7 points per game over their last four contests. Results have remained the same due to great team defense. Butler ranks fourth in the NCAA in scoring defense, seventh in steals, 16th in turnovers forced, and 32nd in field goal percentage defense.
 
Up Next                                                                                                                              
Butler will play two games in the 2019 West Palm Invitational. The Bulldogs will play Ohio State on Thursday, Dec. 20 at 12:15. Game two will be played against Eastern Michigan on Friday, Dec. 21. Those contests signal the end of non-conference action for Butler.