GAME NOTES
 
INDIANAPOLIS – Butler's final non-conference opponent appears on the schedule this Wednesday afternoon. The Bulldogs will play the No. 4 ranked Indiana Hoosiers inside Assembly Hall at 1 PM. Fans can catch the action live on Big Ten Network +.
 
GameDay
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 21
Time: 1:00 PM
Location: Assembly Hall
Live Stats: IUHoosiers.com – Statbroadcast
Watch: Big Ten Network +
 
Bulldog Bits
- Wednesday is just the 10th overall meeting between Butler and Indiana.
- Jessica Carrothers has scored in double figures five times this season for the Bulldogs. She is coming off a 14-point game at Marquette.
- Carrothers led Butler in scoring for the second time in her career on Sunday. The rookie guard also has 11 steals over Butler's last three games.
- Carrothers only hit one 3-pointer over her first nine games at BU, but has four over her last two starts.
- Jessica Carrothers ranks sixth in the BIG EAST in field goal percentage (55.4%) and Sydney Jaynes ranks ninth (54.1%).
- Tenley Dowell has hit at least one 3-pointer in three-straight games and led BU with five rebounds at Marquette.
- Dowell led BU in rebounding for the first time this season at Marquette.
- BU ranks third in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage defense (26.9).
- Anna Mortag ranks seventh in the BIG EAST in 3-point field goal percentage (42.9%) and Rachel McLimore ranks 10th (41.7%).
- BU averages 7.1 made 3-pointers per game, the fourth-best average in the BIG EAST.
- Butler ranks third in the BIG EAST in field goal percentage (45.1%) and second in 3-point field goal percentage (38.6).
- Butler only committed five fouls in Milwaukee and kept Marquette off the free throw line for the entire game.
- Anna Mortag and Kendall Wingler returned to action at Marquette.
- Wingler hit multiple 3-pointers in a game for the first time since the season opener vs. Chicago State.
- Sunday was just the third time this season BU was held under 20 made field goals.
- Butler's last win against a ranked opponent came on March 1, 2021 when the Bulldogs traveled to Chicago to defeat #25 DePaul 86-81.
 
Scouting #4 Indiana                                                                              
The No. 4 ranked Hoosiers improved to 11-0 for the third time in program history and for the first time under ninth year head coach Teri Moren on Sunday afternoon with a win over Morehead State. Indiana is 7-0 at home and have already claimed conference wins over Illinois and Penn State. They defeated No. 6 North Carolina 87-63 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and had an impressive non-conference win in Knoxville over No. 11 Tennessee (79-67). Mackenzie Holmes averages 19.8 points and 7.1 rebounds per game for the Hoosiers. She shoots 69 percent from the field and is also the team leader in blocked shots with 18. Nearly every member of the IU starting five averages double figures in the scoring column. Yarden Garzon and Sara Scalia are the top 3-point shooters on the team and Sydney Parrish leads the club in steals.
 
All-Time Series vs. Indiana                                                                                 
Indiana leads the all-time series against Butler 8-1. The first meeting came at Assembly Hall during the 1989-90 season with IU winning 75-57. Butler's lone win came inside Hinkle Fieldhouse on Dec. 9, 2012. The 'Dawgs topped the Hoosiers 59-56.
 
Last Meeting vs. Indiana                                                                                    
Indiana came to Hinkle Fieldhouse a year ago in the season opener and claimed an 86-63 victory over the Bulldogs. Two BU freshmen accounted for 38 of the team's 63 points that night in front of a Butler women's basketball program record 2,360 fans. Each team shot over 50 percent from the field, but the Hoosiers hit twice as many 3-pointers than the Bulldogs. Mackenzie Holmes nearly had a double-double with 11 points and eight rebounds while Butler got nine points, four rebounds and an assist from Trinity White.
 
Indiana's Last Game                                                                             
The Hoosiers recorded their third largest margin of victory in program history on Sunday by defeating Morehead State by 63 points (87-24). Indiana held the Eagles to just four points in the first quarter and used a 22-1 scoring run to take full control of the action. Yarden Garzon led all scorers with 16 points and Sydney Parrish would add 12 points, three boards and three steals.
 
First Four, Last Four                                                                              
Sydney Jaynes has scored 62 points for Butler over the team's last four games to average 15.5 points during that stretch. She opened the season with 34 points over the first four games for an average of 8.5 points. Jaynes has been the top scoring threat for BU during the month of December. She has reached double figures in four-straight games and poured in a career-high 26 points vs. Illinois on Dec. 11.
 
BIG Stage                                                                                                               
The Bulldogs have faced 15 Top-25 opponents over the last five years and have come up with three wins. Butler topped #25 DePaul in 2020-21, they defeated #11 Marquette in 2018-19 and took down #21 Villanova during the 2017-18 campaign. All three of those wins came on the road. Butler has also faced a ranked Indiana squad twice during this stretch. The Hoosiers were ranked No. 8 last year and No. 12 in the 2019-20 meeting.
 
NCAA Ranking                                                                                        
Butler ranks 15th in the NCAA in 3-point field goal percentage (38.6). The 'Dawgs made five 3-pointers in their last game with Sydney Jaynes, Jessica Carrothers and Tenley Dowell all making one shot from behind the arc. Kendall Wingler led BU with two 3-pointers. Rachel McLimore is the top 3-point shooter on the roster with 15 makes on 36 attempts (41.7%). Anna Mortag is second on the team with 12 made 3-pointers and Shay Frederick is third with 10. 11 of the 14 Bulldogs to see playing time this season have hit at least one shot from distance.
 
Focused on Free Throws                                                                                    
Rachel McLimore has made 11 of her 12 free throw attempts in BIG EAST contests this year. She ranks seventh in the league with a 91.7 percentage. McLimore also leads BU in minutes played during conference matchups (31.3).
 
Keys to Victory                                                                                       
Butler's path to success starts with defense. The Bulldogs are 5-1 when their opponent shoots under 40 percent and are 5-0 when allowing less than 60 points. On top of that, outrebounding their opponent has led to wins (5-2) and shooting more free throws than the opposition (5-2).
 
Marquette Recap                                                                                                 
Marquette used an evenly spread offensive attack and a dominant performance in the post to help secure the win over visiting Butler on Sunday. Four different Golden Eagles finished in double-figures, led by Rose Nkumu's game-high 15 points, while MU outscored the Bulldogs 46-20 in the paint. After an even start to the contest, the Golden Eagles (9-2, 2-1) closed out the first quarter on a 10-2 run to gain some separation, then carried that momentum into the second quarter. After the first two quarters, MU held a 34-24 advantage. Jessica Carrothers led Butler (5-6, 0-3) with 14 points, while Sydney Jaynes joined her double figures with 11.
 
Lucky #13                                                                                                               
The Bulldogs are one of three BIG EAST teams to make 13 3-pointers in a single game this season. Butler did it first with 13 makes from behind the arc against Binghamton on Nov. 26. UConn hit 13 triples vs. Providence on Dec. 2 and Villanova recently hit 13 vs. Saint Joseph's on Dec. 10.
 
Milestone Markers                                                                                              
Rachel McLimore hit two 3-pointers vs. Southern Indiana to move her career total to 100! She only needs three more steals to reach 100.
 
Up Next                                                                                                                  
Butler will return to BIG EAST action on Wednesday, Dec. 28 with a trip to Xavier. The 1PM tip at the Cintas Center will stream on FloSports.com.