GAME NOTES
 
INDIANAPOLIS – Butler has two challenging tasks upcoming on the schedule with Marquette and #14 DePaul visiting Hinkle Fieldhouse this weekend. The 'Dawgs and Golden Eagles will play on FS2 on Friday night. The first 1,000 fans that show up for the 6:30 tip will receive a free white t-shirt. Sunday's game vs. the Blue Demons will get started at 2 PM.
 
Bulldog Talk
- Butler has won three-straight conference road games.
- Butler has now won their last three games played at Villanova and at Georgetown.
- BU limited Nova to just one made field goal in the second quarter to win that frame 20-4.
- BU only made five second half field goals at Georgetown, but pulled out the 47-46 win.
- Butler recorded a season-high 50 rebounds vs. Nova. Shae Brey led the team with 13.
- Katherine Strong scored a season-high 14 points at Villanova. She has reached double figures in four of Butler's five BIG EAST games.
- Kristen Spolyar ranks third in the BIG EAST and 41st in the NCAA with an 18.2 scoring average.
- Spolyar has scored in double figures in 15 of Butler's 16 games this season.
- The RPI Poll has DePaul at 11, Marquette at 32 and Butler at 133 this week.
- Butler ranks ninth in the NCAA in free throws made (255).
- BU ranks 28th in the nation in steals per game (10.8).
- Butler went 3-1 last year on national TV (FS1/2)
 
Scouting Marquette                                                                              
The Golden Eagles are 12-4 heading into Friday night's tilt at Hinkle Fieldhouse with a 3-2 mark against conference opponents. First-year head coach Megan Duffy has three student-athletes averaging double figures in the scoring column. Reigning BIG EAST Player of the Week Selena Lott leads the way with a 16.0 scoring average. Lott scored a career-high 34 points vs. St. John's last week and nearly reached a double-double the next game with 19 points and eight rebounds vs. Seton Hall. BU will need to keep a hand up when Lott, Isabelle Spingola, and Jordan King have the ball on the perimeter. That trio accounts for 90 of Marquette's 94 made 3-point field goals on the year.
 
All-Time Series                                                                                       
Marquette owns a 13-8 advantage over Butler in the all-time series. The Bulldogs won the last meeting with a 61-57 victory at Marquette when the Golden Eagles were ranked #11 in the NCAA polls. The outcome snapped a nine-game losing streak against Marquette.
 
Scouting DePaul                                                                                                   
The preseason favorites are off to a 5-0 start in conference action behind seniors Chante Stonewall and Kelly Campbell. Stonewall is right behind Spolyar, averaging 18.1 points per game. She is one of four Blue Demons to average double figures in the scoring column, joining Lexi Held, Sonya Morris and Deja Church.
 
All-Time Series                                                                                       
DePaul has never lost to Butler (17-0). The first-ever meeting came back during the 1984-85 season with each program competing in the North Star Conference. Since joining the BIG EAST, Butler is 0-13 vs. DePaul. The closest game during that time came on Jan. 15, 2016 when DePaul beat BU by seven 61-54. Last year's meeting at Hinkle was also a close one with DePaul winning 86-78.
 
Worlds Collide                                                                                        
DePaul leads the league in scoring offense (86.1), while Butler is the league leader in scoring defense (58.6). DePaul averages 11 made 3-pointers per game and have hit nearly 100 more on the season than Butler (188-89). The Bulldogs will look to counter by attacking the rim and getting to the free throw line. They have made more free throws (255) than any other BIG EAST team.
 
Best of the Best                                                                                     
DePaul and Butler are two of the best teams in the BIG EAST in creating turnovers. DePaul leads the conference in steals per game (12.4) and Butler ranks second (10.8). Marquette and Butler are two of the best rebounding teams in the BIG EAST. Marquette is +9.2 in rebound margin, the next closes team is Butler at +2.9. BU remains undefeated (9-0) when they outrebound their opponent.
 
2-0 Week Puts Spolyar on BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll 
Kristen Spolyar led the Bulldogs to a 2-0 road swing, averaging a team-high 15.0 points along with 4.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.5 steals. In Sunday's win at Georgetown, Spolyar scored 15 points and was credited with a game-high four steals, sinking the game-winning free-throw with less than a minute to go as Butler won its third straight and improved to 3-2 in conference play.
 
Spolyar Shoots Up All-Time Scoring List at BU                                
Kristen Spolyar ranks 12th on the Butler all-time scoring list (1,291). She is 30 points shy of 11th place (Sarah Schuetz, 94-98). Spolyar's top scoring performance this season came against Detroit Mercy when she tied the BU single-game point's record with 37.
 
Up Next                                                                                                                  
Butler will travel to Providence on Friday, Jan. 24 to play the Friars at 7 PM. The weekend will come to a close with a 1 PM contest at Creighton on Sunday, Jan. 26.