GAME NOTES | LIVE STATS vs. DENVER | FLOHOOPS | LIVE STATS at ILLINOIS | BTN+ | Tickets
 
INDIANAPOLIS – The Butler women's basketball team will be busy over the weekend. The Bulldogs will host Denver on Friday, Dec. 10 for a 6 PM tip. BU will then travel to Illinois to play the Fighting Illini on Sunday, Dec. 12 at 3 PM. Friday's game can be viewed on FloHoops.com and the Sunday matinee is available on Big Ten Network Plus.
 
Bulldog Bits
- Celena Taborn posted the first double-double of the season for Butler at Marquette with 14 points to go along with 10 rebounds.
- Alex Richard leads the BIG EAST and ranks 13th in the NCAA in field goal percentage (61.0).
- The Bulldogs rank fifth as a team in the BIG EAST, shooting 43.1 percent from the field.
- Trinity White has hit a 3-pointer for Butler in every game this year (10-for-33, 30%).
- Zoe Jackson ranks 10th in the BIG EAST in assists per game (3.5).
- Butler opened the second half on an 11-0 scoring run at Marquette to tie the game at 34-34.
 
Scouting Denver                                                                                                   
Butler and Denver will meet for the first time on Friday at 6 PM. The Pioneers are 4-5 on the year after defeating Colorado Christian on Tuesday night 89-62. Second-year head coach Doshia Woods has an experienced starting five unit that includes three juniors, one senior and one graduate. Forward Uju Ezeudu leads the team with a 14.7 scoring average. She is one of three players to average double figures for Denver. The Pioneers lead the Summit League in blocked shots (56) and free throw percentage (79.4) . They also rank second in made 3-point field goals (80).
 
Scouting Illinois                                                                                      
Illinois will open up Big Ten action on Thursday night. The Fighting Illini will visit the Breslin Center for a 7 PM tip against the Michigan State Spartans. Heading into Thursday, Illinois owns a 4-4 record with a recent win over Eastern Kentucky. They played a common opponent to Butler in SIUE. The Cougars defeated Illinois on their home court 71-62. Head Coach Nancy Fahey is a Hall of Famer that enters her fifth season at the helm of the Illinois program. She guided Washington (St. Louis) to five NCAA Division III National Championships prior to joining the Illini. The top scorer on the roster is sophomore Aailyah Nye. The 5-11 guard is averaging 13.3 points heading into the weekend. Nye shoots 42 percent from long distance and is also the team leader in steals with 16.
 
All-Time Series vs. the Illini                                                                  
Illinois has won two of the three meetings in the all-time series vs. Butler. The first-ever meeting came during the 1996-97 campaign with the Illini winning on their home court 94-62. Butler posted a win over Illinois in the 1998 San Diego Masry and Vititoe Classic. The 'Dawgs won 81-65 to even the series. The last meeting marked the start of the 2006-07 season. The Bulldogs traveled to Champagne, and fell in the season opener 65-47.
 
Last Meeting vs. Illinois                                                                        
Butler trailed Illinois by six at the half and the Illini would outscore BU 32-20 over the final 20 minutes to win at Assembly Hall. Butler had three players score in double figures. Cassie Freeman and Candace Jones tied for the team lead with 11 each. Illinois was led by forward Lacey Simpson. She scored a game-high 17 points and added seven rebounds.
 
Steals and Shooting                                                                              
Butler senior Emilia Sexton has a steal in five-straight games. She leads the team with 11 steals this season. Sexton set a new career-high with four steals vs. Austin Peay on Nov. 20. Sexton is also the top 3-point shooter on the roster with 14 triples in 43 attempts (33%). 14 of her 18 made field goals this season have been from behind the arc.
 
Fantastic Freshmen                                                                                                                                        
Butler freshmen have scored 308 of the 460 Bulldog points this season (66.9%). BU first-year players accounted for 26 of Butler's 45 points at Marquette. A freshman has led BU in scoring five times this year. Four freshmen have started in three games; three freshmen have started in four games. Two freshmen started in the season opener vs. IU.
 
Block Out                                                                                                               
The Bulldogs outrebounded Marquette on Sunday 40-34. The 40 BU rebounds marked the second-highest total of the season for the team. BU grabbed 43 rebounds against Western Illinois. The reason the 40 rebounds against Marquette is significant is because the Golden Eagles lead the BIG EAST in both rebound margin (+14.2) and rebounds per game (44.6).
 
Taborn Take Over                                                                                                
Celena Taborn notched her first double-double as a Bulldog on Sunday with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Taborn has now scored in double figures three times this season (5 games). She is just 14 points shy of 1,300 career points! The Furman grad transfer only had eight total rebounds over her first four games. 10 at Marquette moved her career total to 609. Taborn also has 2+ assists in four-straight games.
 
Starting Five Shuffle                                                                              
Butler used six different starting lineups over the first seven games of the 2021-22 season. The group of Taborn, Richard, Jackson, White and Wingler started in each BIG EAST game over the weekend.
 
Games Played vs. Games Missed                                                                     
Butler only has five players on the roster that have appeared in all eight games this season. (Emilia Sexton, Trinity White, Tenley Dowell, Zoe Jackson and Sydney Jaynes). Jamilyn Robinson, Oumou Toure, and Rosemarie Dumont have not played at all.
 
Shooting Percentages                                                                           
Butler shot 50% from the field in the season opener vs. Indiana. Their best shooting display came vs. SIUE (57%). The team has shot 43% or better in three of their last four games.
 
Up Next                                                                                                                  
The Bulldogs will end their non-conference slate on Dec. 22 by hosting the Evansville Purple Aces. Action inside Hinkle Fieldhouse will begin at 1 PM.