GAME NOTES
 
INDIANAPOLIS – Butler will face No. 13 DePaul and Marquette this weekend in BIG EAST action. Friday night's 8 PM matchup puts the top scoring offense up against the best defense in the league. It doubles up as a showdown between the first place team and second place team in the league standings. On Sunday, Butler will look for their third-straight win over Marquette on BEDN at 3 PM.
 
Bulldog Talk
- Butler ranks 93rd in the RPI Poll. They have six wins over teams in the top 100 of the poll.
- Butler has not played at McGrath-Phillips Arena since 2016-17 (Wintrust Arena).
- Winners of five-straight, Butler has the longest current winning streak of any BIG EAST team.
- Butler's only loss in 2020 came vs. DePaul...Butler hasn't lost a true road game since Nov. 23.
- Butler leads the league in scoring defense (58.7) and field goal percentage defense (.367).
- Butler ranks 10th in the NCAA in steals per game (11.5). 10+ steals in six-straight games.
- Freshman Oumou Toure leads the BIG EAST in steals per game (2.4) and ranks 7th in blocks (1.0).
- Spolyar ranks third in the BIG EAST and 26th in the NCAA with a 19.0 scoring average.
- Spolyar leads the BIG EAST and ranks sixth in the NCAA in made free throws (129).
- Butler leads the league in free throw attempts (513) and made free throws (346).
- Butler and Georgetown are the only two teams to outrebound Marquette in BIG EAST play.
- BU outscored Marquette 18-8 in the fourth quarter last year to post a win at the Al McGuire Center.
 
Scouting #14 DePaul                                                                             
Contrasting styles will clash on Friday night between the top two teams in the BIG EAST standings. DePaul leads the league in scoring offense (84.9) and the Bulldogs lead the way in scoring defense (58.7). Butler will try to slow down Chante Stonewall. The senior finished as the BIG EAST's No. 2 scorer last week, leading DePaul to a pivotal 2-0 swing at St. John's and Seton Hall. She averaged 22.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists, including a double-double of a career-high 29 points and 10 rebounds against the Pirates on Sunday.
 
All-Time Series                                                                                       
DePaul has never lost to Butler (18-0). The first meeting came during the 1984-85 season with each program competing in the North Star Conference. The closest game since BU joined the BIG EAST came on Jan. 15, 2016 when DePaul beat Butler by seven 61-54.
 
DePaul at Butler                                                                                                   
The Bulldogs challenged the 14th-ranked Blue Demons throughout, but a 25-point third quarter for DePaul gave the Blue Demons an insurmountable advantage. DePaul saw five score in double figures led by a team-high 22 points for Sonya Morris, while Deja Church notched a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Butler's Kristen Spolyar scored a game-high 25 points, making 8-of-14 attempts from the field, including 2-of-3 from deep.
 
Scouting Marquette                                                                              
The Golden Eagles split a pair of games last weekend to move their conference record to 9-4. They currently sit in third place of the conference standings with Butler one spot ahead in second. Selena Lott is the player to keep an eye on for Marquette. She averages a team-best 14.8 points per game and is one of the best defensive players on the roster.
 
All-Time Series                                                                                       
Marquette owns a 13-9 advantage over Butler in the all-time series. The Bulldogs won the last meeting at Marquette (61-57) when the Golden Eagles were ranked #11 in the NCAA polls. That outcome went down as one of the biggest wins in program history for Butler and snapped a nine-game losing streak against Marquette.
 
Marquette at Butler                                                                              
Kristen Spolyar scored a game-high 30 points to lead Butler past Marquette in the first meeting at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The back-and-forth battle saw 11 ties and seven lead changes, with Genesis Parker breaking the game's final tie with 1:46 to go thanks to a pair of free-throws. Parker and Spolyar combined for a 6-of-6 mark from the charity stripe inside the final 106 seconds to hold off the Golden Eagles. Selena Lott led MU with 15 points, while Spolyar also collected a game-high nine rebounds.
 
Spolyar Named to BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll                             
Kristen Spolyar led the Bulldogs to a 2-0 weekend, averaging 17.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 4.5 steals, highlighted by a 25-point, six-steal showing in Sunday's win over Villanova.
 
Spolyar Shoots Up All-Time Scoring List at BU                                
Kristen Spolyar ranks eighth on the Butler all-time scoring list (1,437). She is now 12 points shy of seventh (Barb Skinner, 79-83). Spolyar's top scoring performance this season came against Detroit Mercy when she tied the BU single-game point's record with 37. The senior averages 19.0 points per game. Only one Bulldog in program history has averaged 20.0+ points per game during a full season, former assistant coach Julie Shelton (VonDielingen).

Spolyar Eyes Free Throw Record                               
Kristen Spolyar has made 129 free throws this season, the fourth-most ever at Butler in a single-season. Sarah Schuetz (97-98) ranks third with 133 makes from the charity stripe. Former assistant coach Julie Shelton (VonDielingen) holds the top two spots with 149 makes in 92-93 and 151 made free throws in 90-91.
 
Up Next                                                                                                                  
Butler's final home games of the regular season will be played at Hinkle Fieldhouse next weekend. BU will host Creighton on Friday, Feb. 21. Senior Day for Kristen Spolyar, Katherine Strong, Shae Brey, Sarah Humphrey and Ashanti Thomas will be on Sunday, Feb. 23 when the 'Dawgs host the Providence Friars.