GAME NOTES
 
INDIANAPOLIS – The Bulldogs will get back to work this weekend with games at St. John's and Seton Hall. BU defeated each team earlier this season inside Hinkle Fieldhouse and will look for regular season sweeps against their conference rivals on Friday and Sunday.
 
Bulldog Bits                                                                                                                       
- Michelle Weaver did not commit a turnover in 30 minutes of action vs. Marquette
- Weaver had a season-high seven steals the last time Butler faced St. John's
- Whitney Jennings has recorded at least one steal in 12-straight games
- Kristen Spolyar has scored in double figures in three-straight games
- The last time Tori Schickel led Butler in scoring was Jan. 4 against Seton Hall
- Schickel, Jennings, Spolyar and Weaver have started in all 20 games this season
- Jennings is responsible for 40 percent of Butler's made 3-point field goals this year
- Emilia Sexton hit three 3-pointers vs. Marquette in just seven minutes of action
- Kat Strong will miss the remainder of the season due to injury (Knee)
- Butler has not won at Seton Hall since January 4, 2014
- Butler's season-low point total from the 2017-18 season came at St. John's (38)
 
Scouting St. John's                                                                                                         
St. John's picked up a 59-51 win vs. Georgetown over the weekend to notch their second conference win of the season. The Johnnies are 2-7 vs. league foes and 9-11 overall. Qadashah Hoppie, Akina Wellere and Alisha Kebbe all score in double figures for head coach Joe Tartamella. Tiana England is another big part of the STJ starting five lineup. England made the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday after scoring a season-high 18 points against Villanova. England leads the team in assists, steals and minutes played. England and Hoppie led St. John's in scoring when the Red Storm played at Hinkle Fieldhouse earlier this season. Butler's defense was the key to victory however as the Johnnies shot just 33.3 percent from the field.
 
Scouting Seton Hall                                                                                       
The Pirates are 13-7 on the year with 10 of their 13 wins coming at Walsh Gymnasium. Shadeen Samuels is the player to keep an eye on for Seton Hall. The reigning BIG EAST Player of the Week averaged 27.5 points and 12.5 rebounds last week against Villanova and Georgetown. SHU lost to Villanova on Friday 70-66, but won the Sunday matinee vs. the Hoyas 76-63. Samuels averages 18.1 points per game this season, shooting 52 percent from the field. She also leads the team in rebounds and steals. Samuels was held to just eight points in the first meeting vs. Butler. SHU was led in the scoring column by reserve guard Kaela Hilaire. She came off the bench to supply Seton Hall with 15 points, six assists, three rebounds and two steals.
 
No Bad Losses                                                                                                 
The Bulldogs have lost three of their last four games, but all four setbacks this season came against quality opponents that rank in the Top-100 of the latest NCAA RPI Poll. Marquette comes in at 11 in the new poll and both Indiana (35) and DePaul (37) fall in the Top-50. The triple overtime loss at Providence was the first conference loss of the year for BU. The Friars have improved this year with five conference wins at the halfway point and are currently ranked 87 in the RPI.
 
Strong Out For Season                                                                                 
Katherine Strong will miss the rest of the 2019 season due to a knee injury. Strong was averaging 11.9 points per game vs. BIG EAST opponents. She scored in double figures in six of the nine conference games this season before the injury occurred.
 
Schickel At Seton Hall                                                                                   
Tori Schickel has played well at Walsh Gym over her career. As a sophomore, Schickel scored 16 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in her first game at Seton Hall. As a junior, she improved her totals to 24 points and 14 rebounds. Schickel has scored in double figures 76 times in her BU career and has topped 20+ points in 22 games.
 
Spolyar Showing Signs                                                                                 
Kristen Spolyar is averaging 15.3 points per game over Butler's last three games. She has 45 double digit scoring games in her career and nine with 20+ or more points.
 
Double-Double Watch                                                                                 
Tori Schickel posted her 10th double-double of the season against DePaul with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Schickel ranks second in the BIG EAST in double-doubles and 20th in the NCAA.
 
Ways To Win On The Road                                                                                         
Rebounding and 3-point shooting are two critical factors for Butler this weekend as they enter a two-game road trip. The Bulldogs average 40.4 rebounds per game and are +10.4 in rebound margin this year when they win. Over four losses, BU is pulling down just 33.5 rebounds per game, losing the margin -3.5. Spreading the floor offensively will also be key in games against Seton Hall and St. John's. The Bulldogs have knocked down 30% of their 3-point attempts in wins this year and just 18.2 percent in losses.
 
Fresh Start to February                                                                                
Butler has not won their first game in the month of February since 2014. The Bulldogs posted four wins in February that year and have only notched five wins in February since.
 
Halfway Point                                                                                                  
Butler has already matched their BIG EAST win total from a year ago and have surpassed their overall win total from the 2017-18 season. 16 wins is Godlevske's highest total since he took over the program in 2014-15. The Bulldogs still have at least 10 games remaining on the schedule. Their last winning season came in 2012-13 (17-14, 8-6 A-10 Conference).
 
Recipe for Success                                                                                                          
Butler leads the BIG EAST in scoring defense (55.5), steals (245), steals per game (12.3) and turnovers forced (20.2).
 
Michelle Making Plays                                                                                 
Michelle Weaver has placed her name into the Butler record book in two separate categories this season. The senior leads the team, the BIG EAST and ranks seventh in the NCAA in steals (70) moving her career total to 189. She ranks eighth all-time at Butler in total steals and is just four steals away from seventh place. Weaver also leads the team in assists with 89. She ranks ninth all-time at BU with 289 career assists.
 
Schickel Goes After Rebound Record                                                     
Tori Schickel is just 18 rebounds away from the all-time rebound record at Butler. Elza Purvlicis pulled down 1,050 rebounds during her career at Butler from 1980-84. Schickel heads into the weekend ranked second all-time at BU with 1,033 rebounds. She has 177 rebounds this season, averaging 8.9 boards per contest.
 
Schickel Climbs Scoring List                                                                        
Tori Schickel has scored 1,485 points in her Butler career, a total that places her into a tie for fourth place all-time on the BU scoring list. She shares the fourth spot with Jennifer Marlow who played at Butler from 1995-99. Third place belongs to Elza Purvlicis (1,517). Schickel has scored 248 points over 20 games this season to average 12.4 ppg.
 
Rim Protector                                                                                                   
Tori Schickel ranks fourth all-time at Butler in career blocked shots (153).
 
Up Next                                                                                                                              
Three-straight home games will follow this road trip for Butler. The Bulldogs will host Xavier on Friday, Feb. 8 at 7 PM. The following weekend will feature Creighton and Providence playing at Hinkle Fieldhouse.