GAME NOTES | LIVE STATS | CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
 
INDIANAPOLIS – The Butler Bulldogs will face the Creighton Bluejays in the quarterfinals of the 2019 BIG EAST Women's Basketball Tournament. Lisa Byington and Sarah Kustok will have the call on FS2. Tip-off is set for 9:30 Eastern / 8:30 Central.
 
Gameday Information                                                                                  
Date: Sunday, March 10, 2019 / 9:30 PM EST
Location: Chicago, Ill. / Wintrust Arena
Live Stats: BIGEAST.com 
Watch: FS2
Series History: Creighton leads the all-time series 8-6
Last Meeting: Butler defeated Creighton 66-46 on Feb. 15, 2019
 
Bulldog Bits                                                                                                                       
- Michelle Weaver is the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year (100 steals)
- Kurt Godlevske is the 2018-19 BIG EAST Coach of the Year
- Tori Schickel was named Second Team All-BIG EAST (12.2 ppg, 8.9 rpg)
- Whitney Jennings was named All-BIG EAST honorable mention (14.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg)
- Butler's best seed in the conference tournament before this season was a #6 seed
- Butler swept Creighton during the regular season (75-43 Away / 66-46 Home)
- Butler has won a tournament game in three-straight postseasons (Xavier 2X, PC)
- Bracketology with Charlie Creme has Butler listed on the bubble (first four out)
- Butler comes in at #59 in the most recent RPI Poll (March 4)
- The Bulldogs are 5-1 this year in games decided by five points or less (2-2 in OT)
 
BIG EAST Standings
Marquette 15-3, 24-6    
DePaul 14-4, 23-7            
Butler 11-7, 21-8              
Villanova 9-9, 18-11        
Georgetown 9-9, 15-14 
Providence 8-10, 16-14 
Creighton 8-10, 14-15    
Seton Hall 7-11, 15-14   
St. John's 7-11, 14-15     
Xavier 2-16, 11-18
 
Butler at Creighton Recap                                                                           
Katherine Strong finished with a career-high 23 points off 9-14 shooting, adding three rebounds and a pair of assists. BU's impressive defense shined once again, forcing 22 Creighton miscues which it turned into 28 points. Whitney Jennings added 18 points while Tori Schickel collected her ninth double-double of the year with 10 points, 12 rebounds. Audrey Faber led Creighton with 12 points, five rebounds and four assists.
 
Creighton at Butler Recap                                                                           
Butler went on a 25-0 scoring run in the second half to notch a 20-point win over Creighton. The Bulldogs' run started with 4:26 left in the third as Kristen Spolyar knocked down a jumper to lead 38-32, and lasted until 4:57 in the fourth as BU built up a 29-point advantage. Four Bulldogs finished in double figures, with Spolyar finishing with a game-high 13 points. Jaylyn Agnew led the Bluejays with 12 points and eight boards.
 
All-Time Series                                                                                                
Creighton leads the all-time series against Butler 8-6. The two programs split the regular season series in 2017-18 with each team winning at home. The Bluejays are 2-0 against Butler in the BIG EAST Conference Tournament. They eliminated BU in 2013-14 by posting a 61-52 win. Their latest battle in the postseason came in 2016-17 (64-55).
 
21 Wins                                                                                                                              
The 2018-19 Bulldogs are just the 11th team in program history to notch 20 wins in a single-season. 21 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.
 
Weaver Named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year                 
Weaver capped off the regular season with 100 steals, a total that leads the team, the BIG EAST and ranks 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 219, 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.
 
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 68 made 3-point field goals, the sixth-best total in a single-season in BU history. Jennings has hit 148 3-pointers in her BU career to rank eighth all-time. At the line, Jennings has hit 83 of her 95 free throw attempts (87.4). She ranks 25th in the NCAA and second in the BIG EAST in free throw percentage. Jennings also ranks 27th in the country in minutes played (1,038). Season-high totals for Jennings includes a 29-point outing at St. John's and an eight-rebound game in a win at Villanova.
 
Tournament Talk                                                                                                            
Quarterfinals wrap up when No. 3 seed Butler faces No. 6 seed Creighton. The Bulldogs claim their highest seed since joining the BIG EAST prior to the 2013-14 season, besting their previous mark of No. 6. Butler finished the regular season alone in third place with a program-best 11-7 mark in BIG EAST play. The Bulldogs earned a bye into the quarterfinals for the first time since 2015. Creighton heads straight into the quarterfinals for the third consecutive year, coming in as a 6-seed for the first time. Butler swept Creighton during the regular season, one of just two teams to do so this season along with Villanova. The Bluejays were the only conference team this season to earn wins over the top two seeds in the BIG EAST Tournament (Marquette, DePaul). Creighton and Butler have met twice previously in the conference tourney, with the Bluejays winning both (2017QF, 2014QF).
 
Recipe for Success                                                                                                          
Butler leads the BIG EAST in scoring defense (57.8), field goal pct defense (.366), steals (320), steals per game (11.0) and turnovers forced (18.8).
 
Michelle Making Plays                                                                                 
Michelle Weaver leads the team in assists with 132. She ranks eighth all-time at BU with 332 career assists.
 
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 33rd in the NCAA and second in the BIG EAST with 12 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.
 
Schickel Sets All-Time Rebound Record at Seton Hall     
Tori Schickel broke the Butler women's basketball all-time rebound record at Seton Hall (Feb. 3) by pulling down a team-high 10 rebounds. That performance moved her career total to 1,052, giving her two more rebounds than Elza Purvlicis (1980-84). The all-time great now has 1,115 rebounds in her career.
 
Most Minutes                                                                                                 
Tori Schickel has logged 3,816 minutes of playing time in her career to set a school record.
 
Rim Protector                                                                                                   
Tori Schickel ranks second all-time at Butler in career blocked shots with 169.
 
Schickel Ranks Third On All-Time Scoring List                     
Tori Schickel ranks third all-time on the Butler women's basketball scoring list (1,590). Lade Akande ranks second all-time with 1,705 points and topping the list is former BU assistant coach Julie Shelton (VonDielingen) with 2,018 points.
 
Up Next                                                                                                                              
Tonight's winner will likely face No. 2 seed DePaul in the semifinals. The Blue Demons will play the winner of the Providence vs. Xavier game from the first round. The second semifinal game will be played at Wintrust Arena on March 11 at 6:30 PM.