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INDIANAPOLIS – The Butler Bulldogs will host the Kent State Golden Flashes in the Second Round of the WNIT. Tip-off on Saturday night is set for 7 PM.
Bulldog Bits
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Whitney Jennings scored 29 pts vs. Northeastern moving her career total to 1,001
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Tori Schickel nearly posted a triple-double with 12 pts, 10 rebs and nine assists
- Butler scored 35 points in the second quarter vs. the Huskies (Shot 72.2% 13-18)
- The Bulldogs dished out 21 assists on 29 made field goals vs. Northeastern
- Butler forced Northeastern into 20 turnovers, resulting in 36 points
- This is the first-ever meeting between Butler and Kent State
- The Bulldogs are 13-4 at Hinkle Fieldhouse this season
- Butler is 3-0 this season when playing on Saturday
- BU made the Postseason WNIT field for the seventh time in program history (AQ)
- Butler advanced to the second round of the WNIT for just the third time
- Butler has never reached the Third Round of the WNIT
- Butler's last trip to the WNIT was in 2014 when they lost at South Dakota State
- Butler's first trip to the WNIT came in 1998 when they defeated Bowling Green
- The Bulldogs have never hosted a WNIT game before this season
Scouting Kent State
The Golden Flashes (20-12) are making their second WNIT appearance under the leadership of third-year head coach Todd Starkey and their fifth in program history. The victory at Green Bay went down as the program's first-ever WNIT win. The victory doubled as Kent State's 20th win of the season, marking their first 20-win campaign since the 2009-10 season. Guard Megan Carter (16.2 ppg) has scored at least 11 points in all but four games this season. Freshman Asiah Dingle (12.9 ppg) has provided a scoring threat at the point guard position. Forward Lindsey Thall (10.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg) leads Kent State with 64 three- pointers to go with a MAC-best 52 blocks. Merissa Barber-Smith is the team's top rebounder at 7.8 per game and has 37 blocked shots. Guard Alexa Golden (7.5 ppg) leads the team in steals (2.8 spg) and is second in rebounding (5.5 rpg).
Kent State Wins at Green Bay 64-59
Kent State scored an impressive 25 points in the fourth quarter against a tough defensive squad from Green Bay to rally and post the win in Round 1. Kent State (20-12) was down four points entering the final frame. Megan Carter had 21 points and hit 12 free throws. Green Bay (22-10) got 13 points from Frankie Wurtz.
Butler Defeats Northeastern 89-72
Butler used a 15-0 run just ahead of halftime to take control Thursday, with the Bulldogs easing past Northeastern in Round 1.
Whitney Jennings had 29 points and drained seven 3-pointers for Butler (21-9).
Kristen Spolyar added 21 points, and
Tori Schickel flirted with a triple-double in closing with 12 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Northeastern (20-11) got 21 points from Jess Genco.
WNIT Appearances
The Postseason WNIT began in March of 1998 and involved 16 teams from around the country. Butler made the field in 1998 and defeated Bowling Green 95-90 to advance. BU would be eliminated at Louisiana State in the next game 74-58. The Bulldogs also won a Postseason WNIT game in 2009 with a 59-58 victory at Duquesne. They lost in the next round at Marquette 58-49. Additional trips for Butler came in 2010 (L, at Illinois State), 2011 (L, at Wisconsin), 2013 (L, at Toledo), and 2014 (L, at South Dakota State).
Butler vs. WNIT Teams
Butler will represent the BIG EAST in the WNIT along with Villanova, Seton Hall, Georgetown and Providence. The 'Dawgs swept Villanova this year and split the regular season series against Seton Hall and Georgetown. Providence won two games against Butler this season. The first meeting at Providence went into triple overtime and the second tilt at Hinkle Fieldhouse was a single overtime setback. The final WNIT team that went head-to-head with Butler during the regular season was Ohio State. Butler posted a 66-53 win over the Buckeyes in the 2018 West Palm Invitational.
Weaver Named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year
Weaver capped off the regular season with 100 steals, a total that led the team, the BIG EAST and ranked sixth in the NCAA. She is just the fifth player in program history to reach 100 steals in a single-season. Her career total now stands at 223, the fifth-highest total in BU history. Weaver recorded 21 more steals than any other player in the conference. She came up with a season-high seven steals in the win over St. John's on Jan. 6 and matched that effort with seven more steals in a contest at Wintrust Arena vs. DePaul.
Kurt Godlevske Tabbed BIG EAST Coach of the Year
Godlevske helped guide Butler to 21 wins during the regular season, the highest Bulldog total since 2009-10. 11 BIG EAST wins is also the best total since entering the conference. The Bulldogs were picked seventh in the BIG EAST Preseason Poll, but finished third in the conference standings. BU got off to one of the best starts in program history. They used that momentum to win their first five BIG EAST games of the year, signaling their first-ever 5-0 start to the conference season. BU also received votes in the national polls for the first time as a member of the BIG EAST.
Schickel Named Second Team All-BIG EAST
Schickel was a Second Team All-BIG EAST selection after averaging 12.2 points and a team-best 8.9 rebounds. Schickel ranks 36th in the NCAA and second in the BIG EAST with 13 double-double performances. She scored a season-high 23 points in a win at St. John's and pulled down a season-high 19 rebounds at home vs. Providence.
Whitney Jennings Listed All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention
Jennings leads the team in points, 3-point shooting, free throws and minutes played. She leads the team with 77 made 3-point field goals, the fifth-best total in a single-season in BU history. Jennings has hit 157 3-pointers in her BU career to rank eighth all-time. At the line, Jennings has hit 87 of her 99 free throw attempts (87.9). She ranks 19th in the NCAA and first in the BIG EAST in free throw percentage. Season-high totals for Jennings includes a 29-point outing at St. John's. A total she matched Thursday night vs. Northeastern.
22 Wins
The 2018-19 Bulldogs are just the 11th team in program history to notch 20+ wins in a single-season. 22 wins are the highest total under head coach
Kurt Godlevske. 11 conference wins is also the best mark for Butler since entering the BIG EAST in 2013-14.
Recipe for Success
Butler leads the BIG EAST in scoring defense (58.3), field goal pct defense (.370), steals (340), and turnovers forced (18.6).
Michelle Making Plays
Michelle Weaver ranks eighth all-time at BU with 338 career assists.
Schickel Sets All-Time Rebound Record at Seton Hall
Tori Schickel broke the Butler women's basketball all-time rebound record at Seton Hall on Feb. 3. The all-time great now has 1,132 rebounds in her career.
Schickel Resets Record Book
Tori Schickel has logged 3,885 minutes of playing time in her career to set a school record. She ranks second all-time at Butler in career blocked shots with 172 and third on the all-time scoring list with 1,618 points.
Up Next
The Bulldogs will play either Cincinnati, Minnesota or Northern Iowa next in the WNIT. Minnesota will host Northern Iowa today at 6:30 PM CT. The winner will face Cincinnati.
