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INDIANAPOLIS – Butler heads into the 2021 BIG EAST Conference Tournament as the No. 10 seed and will face No. 7 seed Providence on Friday afternoon at 2 PM. This will be Butler's first trip to Mohegan Sun Arena.
Bulldog Bits
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Okako Adika scored a career-high 29 points in her Butler debut vs. Providence on Dec. 5.
- Butler defeated #25 DePaul for the first time in program history on Monday night (21st Meeting)
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Emilia Sexton tied her season-high scoring total at #25 DePaul with nine points. She ranks third in the BIG EAST in 3-point field goal percentage (.432).
- Butler has made 24 3-pointers over their last two games; 14 vs. #1 UConn and 10 vs. #25 DePaul.
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Ellen Ross recorded a career-high five rebounds vs. DePaul in just 11 minutes of playing time.
Scouting Providence
The Friars ended the regular season at 6-13 overall which included a 4-10 mark against BIG EAST competition. Two of their four conference wins came against the Bulldogs. The other two were recorded against Creighton (60-48) and St. John's (76-53). Mary Baskerville and Kyra Spiwak are the top two scoring threats on the roster. Baskerville shoots 54 percent from the floor to average 13.3 points per game. Spiwak is more of an outside threat to chip in with 11.2 points per game. Spiwak has 33 made 3-pointers this season more than double of anyone else on the roster. Point guard Chanell Williams and stretch forward Alyssa Geary are also players to keep an eye on. Geary ranks third on the team with an 11.1 scoring average and Williams is the team leader in assists with 57.
All-Time Series vs. Providence
Butler leads the all-time series over Providence 11-6. The Friars swept the season series this year. BU swept PC in 2019-20 with a 50-47 win at Alumni Hall followed by a 51-42 decision at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Last Meeting vs. the Friars
Providence defeated Butler 62-50 in the last meeting. The Friars led 17-4 after the first quarter and would hang on the rest of the way for the win.
Okako Adika led BU with 14 points and six rebounds. Chanell Williams was the top performer for the home team with 16 points and eight rebounds.
2018 Conference Tournament
Butler and Providence met in the first round of the 2018 BIG EAST Tournament. The Bulldogs notched a 73-67 overtime win to advance to the quarterfinals. Chanell Williams and Olivia Orlando started in that game with Kyra Spiwak coming off the bench. Butler assistant coach Whitney Jennings was also in action with 20 points and six assists. Jennings,
Kristen Spolyar and Tori Schickel would account for 58 points in the win.
March Madness
Butler pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the year Monday night at Wintrust Arena. Based on win probabilities calculated from HerHoopStats ratings, DePaul had a 98% chance of winning the head-to-head match-up. The only bigger upset over the last four seasons came when Coppin State beat Norfolk State in 2017. Coppin State had just a 1% chance of winning leading into that game.
Starting Five
Butler has used nine different starting lineups this season. No Bulldog has started in all 19 games and only
Tenley Dowell has appeared in all 19. Head Coach
Kurt Godlevske has been able to use the same starting five of Adika, Diew, Parker, Dowell and Atosu over the team's last five games.
Starting to Click
The turning point of the season may have come at halftime of the Villanova game. Butler scored just seven points in the second quarter, but finished the final 20 minutes outscoring the Wildcats 48-31. They finished the game with 74 points in the setback, but entered the contest only averaging 52 points per game. The 'Dawgs moved forward to beat Xavier, 73-61, they scored more points against UConn (68) than any other BIG EAST opponent this season, and recently upset #25 DePaul on the road 86-81. Over their last four games, BU is averaging 75.2 points per game.
Senior Stepping Up
Upe Atosu missed five games in the middle of the season with an injury, but has been terrific for Butler since returning on Feb. 10. Over the first eight games of the year, Atosu averaged 7.8 points per game. Over Butler's last six games she is averaging 15.3 ppg. Top performances include a season-high 23 points in the win over Xavier and 22 points in the upset over #25 DePaul.
BIG EAST Rankings
Okako Adika ranks 13th in the conference with a 13.6 scoring average and Parker is close behind in 19th (12.9). Adika is a proven threat inside and out. She has made more field goals than any other Bulldog (92) and ranks second in the BIG EAST in 3-point field goal percentage (.435). Butler's other weapon from behind the arc is Parker. She ranks fifth in the league averaging 2.1 3-point makes per game.
Nyamer Diew has 11 blocks over Butler's last three games and now ranks seventh in the BIG EAST in blocked shots per game (1.2).
Dowell vs. the Blue Demons
Tenley Dowell logged a career-high 29 minutes of action against #25 DePaul and didn't miss a shot in the victory. She went 5-for-5 from the field, including 3-for-3 from 3-point range. The red-shirt sophomore also provided BU with five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Godlevske Gets Win #90
Kurt Godlevske had guided Butler to three wins over ranked opponents during his tenure. The first came in 2018 at #21 Villanova (76-53), the second followed in 2019 at #11 Marquette (61-57) and Monday was the third at #25 DePaul (86-81).
Alexander Has Been Inactive
Butler guard
Jaia Alexander missed three of Butler's first four games and now has been inactive for BU over their last four games. There is no timetable for her return.
Up Next
The winner of today's game will face No. 2 seed Marquette in the evening session of the BIG EAST Quarterfinals. The 6 PM tip will air live on FS2.
