GAME NOTES
 
INDIANAPOLIS – The BIG EAST Conference schedule will flip for the Bulldogs beginning this weekend as the team travels to #5 UConn for a 12 PM contest at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Tenley Dowell, Rosemarie Dumont and Abby Stoddard are the only Bulldogs on the roster with playing experience in Storrs.
 
GameDay
Date: Saturday, Jan. 21
Time: 12:00 PM
Location: Storrs, Conn. - Harry A. Gampel Pavilion
Live Stats: UConnHuskies.com – Statbroadcast
Watch: SNY
 
Bulldog Bits
- Saturday will be just the fifth overall meeting between Butler and UConn.
- Butler only had five turnovers vs. Providence. Five fewer than their old season-low total (10) set vs. Binghamton.
- Caroline Strande scored a career-high 18 points on Wednesday vs. Providence.
- Strande only missed one shot all night going 6-for-7 from the field; 2-for-2 from distance and 4-for-4 from the line.
- Strande and Anna Mortag shared the team lead in rebounds vs. PC with six each.
- Mortag returned to the BU starting lineup Wednesday for the first time since Dec. 7.
- Rachel McLimore scored 12 points vs. PC to hit double figures for the first time since playing UConn.
- Sydney Jaynes battled foul trouble, but managed to score 10 points vs. the Friars.
- Jaynes has now scored in double figures 10 times this season.
- Jaynes ranks 10th in the BIG EAST in field goal percentage (49.7).
- Jaynes and McLimore are the only Bulldogs to start in every game this season.
- Butler has used five different starting five lineups over their last five games.
- The Bulldogs are at the halfway point of the conference season. There are only 10 games left before the conference tournament.
- Shay Frederick is three rebounds shy of 400 for her collegiate career.
- Kendall Wingler was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday (1/16).
- Wingler needs five more 3-pointers to reach 100 in her collegiate career.
- Geno Auriemma did not coach UConn against Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse (Illness).
 
Scouting #5 UConn                                                                                              
The Huskies are on top of the BIG EAST standings with a perfect 9-0 record against conference competition. They are 16-2 overall with setbacks to Notre Dame (74-60) and Maryland (85-68). Each loss came on the road giving UConn an 8-0 record on their home court. Aaliyah Edwards and Lou Lopez Senechal are each scoring 16.7 points per game after the first 18 games of the 2022-23 campaign. Edwards is shooting 62.2 percent from the field this year and is nearly averaging a double-double with a 9.5 rebound average. Lopez Senechal is the top 3-point shooter on the UConn roster. She has 47 makes from downtown and is near perfect from the free throw line (31-33).
 
All-Time Series vs. UConn                                                                                  
Butler is 0-4 all-time against UConn. The first-ever meeting came on Jan. 19, 2021 with UConn winning 103-35. The Huskies made it a season sweep with a 97-68 victory at Hinkle Fieldhouse in February. Last year's lone game went down as a 92-47 win for UConn.
 
Butler's Last Game vs. UConn                                                             
All five UConn starters scored in double figures in the first meeting as the Huskies posted an 80-47 win over Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Jan. 3. Butler saw Rachel McLimore score a team-high 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting. McLimore was 4-for-8 behind the arc, as BU would end the contest with nine made 3-pointers. UConn used their size to score 52 points in the paint. They also scored 30 points off 22 Butler turnovers.
 
UConn's Last Game                                                                                             
Aubrey Griffin and Dorka Juhasz each scored 22 points while Aaliyah Edwards added 21 to help short-handed No. 5 UConn win at Seton Hall 103-58 on Tuesday night. After a back-and-forth start to the game, UConn (16-2, 9-0 BIG EAST) took control with a 17-2 run to end the quarter and take a commanding 25-9 lead. The Huskies were 10-of-15 from three while holding the Pirates to a 6-for-31 clip. Jala Jordan scored a season-high 19 points for The Hall (13-6, 6-3), while Victoria Keenan drained four triples for 12 points, her best performance since returning from a two-year injury absence. The win was UConn's ninth in a row, as the first-place Huskies remain undefeated in BIG EAST play.
 
Help On the Way                                                                                                  
Jessica Carrothers, Anna Mortag and Jordan Meulemans all missed the first matchup vs. UConn this year. That trio accounts for nearly 20 points per game.
 
Behind The Arc                                                                                       
Butler ranks 7th in the NCAA and second in the BIG EAST in 3-point field goal percentage (38.1). The Bulldogs average 7.5 made 3-point field goals per game (3rd in the BIG EAST) but were limited to just five in their last game vs. Providence. UConn is the top 3-point shooting team in the conference. They connect on 40.8 percent of their attempts from behind the arc.
 
Long Range Looks                                                                                                
Butler has made at least five 3-point field goals in every game this season. They attempted 28 the last time they played UConn, just one shy of their season-high total that they set in the win at Xavier on Dec. 28. The 'Dawgs have hit five 3-pointers five times this season and have hit nine or more in five games, including in their matchup vs. UConn on Jan. 3.
 
Huskies Heavy Favorites                                                                                    
UConn leads the BIG EAST in scoring average (81.1), scoring margin (+21.2) field goal percentage (52.1), field goal percentage defense (35.5), rebound margin (+12.9) and assists (21.). A win for the Bulldogs would be the first-ever against UConn and would double as their first win against a ranked opponent since March 1, 2021 (at #25 DePaul).
 
'Dawgs Have Depth                                                                                             
Butler has seven players on the roster averaging at least 20 minutes of playing time per game whereas the Huskies have five players logging 30+ minutes. In the first meeting, UConn only used eight players at Hinkle Fieldhouse and only seven saw playing time at Seton Hall. BU can have up to 11 players in the rotation any given week.
 
Providence Recap                                                                                                
Grace Efosa paced five Friars in double figures with 16 points and Janai Crooms added 12 points and 11 rebounds for her 10th career double-double as Providence scored a wire-to-wire road win at Butler on Wednesday night. The Friars' defense held the Bulldogs to 38-percent shooting in the game (25-65), as PC improved to 11-1 on the season when holding its opponent below 40-percent from the field. Butler (7-12, 2-8) was paced by Caroline Strande who tallied a game-high 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting. The Friars (12-8, 3-6) shot .525 from the field as all five starters finished in double figures.
 
Up Next                                                                                                                  
Butler will play St. John's in Queens on Wednesday, Jan. 25. The 7 PM tip will stream on FloSports.com.