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INDIANAPOLIS – The second game of the regular season will bring the Western Illinois Leathernecks to campus. Each team heads into the 12 PM tip on Saturday with a 0-1 record. Butler suffered a setback to #8 Indiana on Wednesday night and Western Illinois fell to Notre Dame on Thursday.
 
Bulldog Bits
- Butler set a new attendance record Wednesday night when the Bulldogs hosted #8 Indiana. 2,360 fans attended the season opener.
- Butler freshmen accounted for 53 of the 63 points against the Hoosiers.
- Alex Richard and Zoe Jackson combined for 38 points vs. IU. Combined they shot 17-for-23 (74%).
- The Bulldogs shot 50% from the field on Wednesday.
- Sydney Jaynes led Butler with two blocked shots in her collegiate debut.
- Kendall Wingler and Zoe Jackson were the only Bulldogs with more assists than turnovers vs. IU.
- BU scored 34 of their 63 points in the paint. Four different players were responsible for their four made 3-point field goals.
- Genesis Parker left the Indiana game with an injury in the third quarter. There is no update on her status heading into the weekend.
 
Scouting Western Illinois                                                                     
The Leathernecks opened the 2021-22 season in South Bend by playing (RV) Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish recorded a 76-50 victory behind a total team effort. Danni Nichols led Western Illinois with 22 points. Western Illinois was picked seventh in this year's Summit League preseason poll. They went 8-16 a year ago with six of their eight wins coming against conference opponents. Nine players are back in the mix this season highlighted by Danni Nichols and Evan Zars. Nichols averaged 11.4 ppg a year ago and is now just 91 points shy of 1,000 for her career. Zars will patrol the paint after averaging nine rebounds and nearly two blocks per game last season.
 
All-Time Series                                                                                       
The Bulldogs are up in the all-time series vs. Western Illinois 3-1. The first-ever meeting came during the 1990-91 season in the Western Illinois Westerwinds Classic. Butler won that day 92-74. The Bulldogs would then edge the Leathernecks in the second meeting by the final score of 63-60. BU went on the road to claim that win during the 2000-01 season. Western Illinois would return to Hinkle the following year and defeat BU 75-45. Butler however won the last meeting in 2018 by 41 points.
 
Last Meeting vs. Western Illinois                                                       
The Leathernecks came to Hinkle Fieldhouse on Nov. 17, 2018 and were defeated by the Bulldogs 92-51. Five different BU players reached double figures to lift the home team to victory. Butler would own a 20-8 lead after the opening 10 minutes and would never look back. Tori Schickel led all players with 17 points. As a team, Butler shot 53 percent from the field.
 
#8 Indiana Defeats Butler in Season Opener                    
The Bulldogs shot 50-percent from the field but it wasn't enough to top the nation's eighth-ranked squad in Wednesday's season opener. Alex Richard finished with 20 points off 10-of-13 shooting in her Butler debut, while Zoe Jackson dropped 18 off 7-of-10 shooting in her first game as a Bulldog. Butler was within nine midway through the third quarter, but 52-percent shooting by the Hoosiers helped them pull away late.
 
National Signing Day                                                                            
The Butler women's basketball coaching staff added three talented student-athletes to the program on Wednesday. Chloe Jeffers, Mya Hansen and Jordan Meulemans all signed a National Letter of Intent to become Bulldogs. Jeffers is an Ohio native that attends Delaware Hayes H.S. Hansen will come to Indianapolis from her home in Montana where she plays at Billings Central H.S. Meulemans attends DePere H.S. in Wisconsin. All three players are guards and will be eligible to play at the start of next season.
 
Alright Alex                                                                                                           
Alex Richard didn't miss a shot in the first half vs. Indiana to lead Butler with 12 points in 12 minutes of playing time. Zoe Jackson was also a spark off the bench for BU in the first scoring nine of her 18 points over the opening 20 minutes.
 
Get To the Rim                                                                                       
Shots were not falling for Butler in the third quarter so the team made an adjustment and started to attack the rim. The Bulldogs were just 1-for-1 from the charity stripe in the first half, but made eight of their 10 attempts in the third quarter. Zoe Jackson led the charge with a 3-for-4 effort from the line.
 
10 More!                                                                                                 
Kurt Godlevske has recorded 90 wins at Butler since taking over the program in 2014-15. That total ranks him fourth all-time at BU, 10 shy of 100, and 25 back from June Olkowksi who sits in third place all-time with 114 wins from 1993-1999.
 
Up Next                                                                                                                  
Butler will host Ball State next Tuesday, Nov. 16 at 7 PM. The Cardinals are currently 1-0 after defeating Milwaukee at Worthen Arena in overtime 84-75. They host Purdue Fort Wayne Friday night at 6:30 PM. Butler leads Ball State in the all-time series 16-11. Ball State however won the last meeting in 2019-20.