GAME NOTES
 
INDIANAPOLIS – The Bulldogs ended the non-conference portion of their schedule before Christmas and will now shift their focus to Xavier for a 1 PM tip at the Cintas Center on Wednesday afternoon. Each team is 0-3 in BIG EAST action heading into the matchup.
 
Bulldog Bits
- Wednesday is the 51st overall meeting between Butler and Xavier.
- Rachel McLimore led Butler with 13 points at #4 Indiana. She has led the team in scoring five times this season.
- Sydney Jaynes joined McLimore in double figures with 11 points at Assembly Hall. Jaynes has scored 11+ points in five-straight games.
- Caroline Strande pulled down a team-high six rebounds at IU. She has led the Bulldogs in rebounding three times this season.
- Five different 'Dawgs hit a 3-pointer against the Hoosiers.
- Shay Frederick came up with five steals at IU in 17 minutes of playing time. She entered the game with just four total.
- Butler and Indiana each scored 34 points over the final 36 minutes of playing time at Assembly Hall.
- Jessica Carrothers and Jordan Meulemans did not play at Indiana due to injury. There is no timetable for their return.
- Jessica Carrothers ranks sixth in the BIG EAST in field goal percentage (55.4%) and ninth in steals (1.7).
- Butler ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in field goal percentage (44.3%) and second in 3-point field goal percentage (37.4).
- BU ranks fourth in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage defense (27.6).
- Anna Mortag ranks fifth in the BIG EAST in 3-point field goal percentage (42.9%).
- BU averages 6.9 made 3-pointers per game, the fifth-best average in the BIG EAST.
- Tenley Dowell has hit at least one 3-pointer in four-straight games.
- The Bulldogs are aiming for their first road win and conference win of the season on Wednesday.
- Butler hasn't faced a team with a losing record since Nov. 25 (Sacred Heart).
 
Scouting Xavier                                                                                      
The Musketeers won their first five games of the season, but head into the thick of conference play with a 7-5 record that includes an 0-3 mark in the BIG EAST. League losses came against Creighton, Seton Hall and Georgetown. Xavier hosted the Bluejays, but were forced to travel for their other two BIG EAST matchups. Wednesday will be the fourth-straight home game for the Musketeers. They took down Cincinnati 48-35 in the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout, but followed that with two-straight setbacks to Eastern Michigan and Memphis. Xavier averaged 64.3 points per game and is limiting the opposition to 59.7 points. Junior guard Mackayla Scarlett leads the team with a 12.9 scoring average. She dropped 18 points against Memphis on Dec. 21. Scarlett opened the season with seven-straight games in double figures. She is also the top 3-point shooter on the roster. On the inside, senior forward Courtney Prenger averages 8.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. She serves as the team leader in blocked shots with 18.
 
All-Time Series vs. Xavier                                                                                   
Butler leads the all-time series against Xavier 29-21. The first-ever meeting went down as a 71-64 Bulldog victory during the 1982-83 season. Since joining the BIG EAST at the start of the 2013-14 season, BU has gone 12-7 against their Midwest foe.
 
Last Meeting vs. Xavier                                                                        
Xavier shot 52.4 percent from the field and had five players in double figures the last time they played Butler. The Musketeers scored 23 points off 20 turnovers to help them find the win column. Butler was led by Sydney Jaynes and Tenley Dowell. Jaynes had a team-high 12 points and Dowell hit three 3-pointers for 11.
 
Xavier's Last Game                                                                                              
The Musketeers dropped their final non-conference game of the season to Memphis on Wednesday by the final score of 66-63. Neither team led by more than six points as the two evenly matched teams went into the final stages of the game with Xavier on top 61-60. The Tigers stepped up and closed the game on a 6-2 run to exit the Cintas Center with their eighth win of the year. Kaysia Woods hit three 3-pointers to help net 13 points and Courtney Prenger added 10 points and four rebounds.
 
'Dawgs Playing D                                                                                                 
Butler held #4 Indiana to just 30 second half points in their last game. Solid defensive play has been the key to success for the Bulldogs in 2022. They are 5-1 on the year when their opponent shoots less than 40 percent from the field, but 0-6 when the opposition shoots over 40 percent. Xavier enters the game shooting 39.3 percent from the field.
 
First to 64                                                                                                              
Butler and Xavier each average 64 points per game. The Musketeers have reached 87 and 84 points this season, but have failed to score 70+ since Nov. 27. The Bulldogs scored a season-high 84 points in their season opener vs. Chicago State but have not scored 70+ points since Dec. 4 at DePaul. So far this season, Butler is 5-0 when allowing less than 60 points, but 0-7 when allowing 60 or more.
 
Crunch Time                                                                                                          
The numbers for Butler and Xavier are similar indicating that a close game is likely. The Bulldogs would have the advantage if the game comes down to free throws. BU shoots 68.8 percent from the charity stripe and Xavier ranks last in the BIG EAST shooting 61.9 percent from the line.
 
NCAA Rankings                                                                                      
Butler ranks 20th in the NCAA in 3-point field goal percentage (37.4). The 'Dawgs have made five 3-pointers in each of their last two games. At Indiana, five different players all hit one shot from behind the arc. Rachel McLimore is the top 3-point shooter on the roster with 16 makes on 41 attempts (39.0%). Anna Mortag is second on the team with 12 made 3-pointers and Shay Frederick is third with 11. 11 of the 14 Bulldogs to see playing time this season have hit at least one shot from distance. Butler also ranks 57th in the NCAA in field goal percentage (4th in BIG EAST). Five Bulldogs are shooting over 50 percent from the field this season.
 
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).
 
Indiana Recap                                                                                         
Rachel McLimore and Sydney Jaynes combined for 24 of Butler's 50 points as the Bulldogs (5-7, 0-3) closed out their non-conference slate with a setback at No.4 Indiana on Wednesday afternoon. It was an early back-and-forth at Assembly Hall before IU outscored Butler 20-7 in a decisive second quarter. Teams were even 30-30 in the second half as Butler shot 40 percent over the final 20 minutes, draining four three-pointers. McLimore tallied 13 points and Jaynes added 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 one more steals to reach 100.
 
Up Next                                                                                                                  
Butler's final game of 2022 will be at Seton Hall on New Year's Eve! The Bulldogs will face the Pirates at 4 PM on the BIG EAST Digital Network streamed by FloSports.com