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INDIANAPOLIS – The Butler Bulldogs will host the Chicago State Cougars at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Sunday at 2 PM. The Bulldogs will look to bounce back from a tough non-conference loss to Vanderbilt and the Cougars are aiming for their first win of the season.  
 
GameDay
Date: Sunday, Dec. 10
Time: 2 PM
Location: Indianapolis, Ind. - Hinkle Fieldhouse
Live Stats: ButlerSports.com – Statbroadcast
Watch: FloHoops.com
 
Bulldog Bits
- Butler only trailed Vanderbilt by two at the final media timeout of the game on Thursday.
- Caroline Strande led BU in scoring for the fourth time this season on Thursday (12 points).
- Karsyn Norman was responsible for all five of Butler's bench points vs. Vanderbilt.
- Norman had two steals vs. the Commodores to set a new career-high.
- Half of Butler's shots vs. the Commodores were made from behind the arc (7-of-14).
- Butler has made more 3-pointers this season (77) than any other BIG EAST team.
- BU ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in 3-point FG percentage (34.8).
- The Bulldogs are the second-best team in the BIG EAST in defending the 3-point line (27.6%).
- Ari Wiggins ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in steals per game (2.3).
- Caroline Strande ranks ninth in the BIG EAST in rebounding (7.2) and 12th in scoring (15.4).
- Strande ranks eighth in the conference in free throw percentage (83.8% / 31-for-37).
- Strande has made the fourth-most free throws (31) of any BIG EAST player this season.
- Meulemans ranks third in the BIG EAST and 18th in the NCAA in 3-point field goal percentage (50.0).
 
BIG EAST Standings
Marquette 8-0
Georgetown 8-1
Creighton 6-1
Villanova 6-2
Butler 6-3
Seton Hall 5-3
UConn 5-3
DePaul 5-4
Providence 4-5
St. John's 4-6
Xavier 0-7
 
Scouting Chicago State                                                                         
The Cougars will play at Valparaiso on Saturday afternoon and then make their way to Hinkle Fieldhouse for a Sunday matinee vs. Butler. Head Coach Andrea Williams took over the program prior to the 2022-23 season. Chicago State won six games that year but are still searching for their first win of the 2023-24 campaign. They nearly defeated Evansville on Nov. 26, but the Purple Aces earned a one-point win in triple overtime. Jacia Cunningham scored 37 points in the setback to UE and Josie Hill was just one block shy of a triple double with 12 points, 13 rebounds. Cunningham and Hill are two of the top three scorers on the team along with Tae'lor Willard. Hill is the only player to start in all 13 games for Chicago State. Cunningham is the only Cougar to average double figures in the scoring column (13.8) and Willard is the top 3-point shooter on the roster.
 
All-Time Series                                                                                       
Butler is 3-0 all-time against Chicago State. They won the first meeting in 1987 by five points (50-45) and moved to 2-0 with an 86-64 win over the Cougars in 1990. The last meeting signaled the start of the 2022 season. BU won in Austin Parkinson's debut 84-57.
 
Last Meeting vs. Chicago State                                                           
Butler beat Chicago State a year ago 84-57. Anna Mortag and Caroline Strande scored in double figures for the 'Dawgs and Butler would shoot 47 percent from the field to earn the win. Chicago State's top scorer was Tae'lor Willard with 12. Josie Hill had six points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots.
 
Common Opponents                                                                            
Butler and Chicago State each played Detroit Mercy and Austin Peay this season. The Bulldogs posted a 68-61 win over the Titans in their home opener. The Cougars lost the battle to Detroit Mercy 83-48. Austin Peay is the other opponent to appear on each schedule. Butler beat the Govs 53-47 in the game after Detroit Mercy and Chicago State fell at a neutral site 60-49.
 
One Left                                                                                                                 
Butler only has one non-conference game left on the schedule after Sunday. They will face Ohio on Thursday, Dec. 21 at 1 PM.
 
Leadership Role                                                                                                    
Graduate transfer Rachel Kent is projected to start for the 120th time in her collegiate career on Sunday. The rest of the roster combined has 142 starts to their credit. Kent logged 39 minutes of playing time vs. Vanderbilt. She leads the team and ranks 10th in the conference in minutes played per game (32.1).
 
Get to The Rim                                                                                       
Caroline Strande is an 83 percent free throw shooter and has made at least one shot from the charity stripe in eight of Butler's nine games. She made a season-high nine free throws in the win over Austin Peay and has a team-high 31 made free throws this season. The rest of the team combines for 41 made free throws.
 
Stat Sheet Stuffer                                                                                                
Caroline Strande has made at least five field goals in seven of Butler's nine games this year. She has grabbed at least one offensive rebound in every game and has at least one assist in every contest.
 
3-Point Specialist                                                                                                 
Jordan Meulemans has made multiple 3-pointers for Butler in every game since Nov. 25. She has made 19 3's over the team's last four games giving her 26 on the season.
 
Deja Vu                                                                                                    
Butler has shot 7-for-25 from 3-point range in each of their last two games. The 'Dawgs have made seven 3-pointers in a game four times this season and have hit double digits from behind the arc in three games.
 
Driven by Defense                                                                                               
Butler hasn't allowed 60 points in a game since Nov. 24. They held St. Thomas to 54 points, Bradley to 46 and most recently limited Wisconsin and Vanderbilt to just 51 points. Vandy averages 72.6 points per game and their lowest point total before Thursday night came at #3 N.C. State on Nov. 29 (62 points).
 
Balanced Attack                                                                                                   
Six different BU players have led the team in scoring over the first nine games. Caroline Strande is the only player to do it more than once. She led BU with 17 points in the opener at Iowa State, paced BU vs. Austin Peay with 21 points, poured in 17 points in the home win over Bradley and had 12 in the setback to Vanderbilt. Strande has also led Butler in rebounding five times this year.
 
Tied a Team Record                                                                                             
Jordan Meulemans shot 80% from distance and drained eight triples in the game vs. St. Thomas to match the single-game high in the BIG EAST this season. Butler made 16 as a team, the second-most by a conference team this year. Meulemans was just one 3-pointer shy of tying the single-game BU individual record and the 'Dawgs tied their team record.
 
Winning Recipe                                                                                      
The Bulldogs are undefeated this year when three or more players score in double figures (4-0). A fast start has also helped the Bulldogs as they are 5-0 when leading at halftime. Butler is also 2-0 this season when playing on Sunday.
 
Up Next                                                                                                                  
Butler opens BIG EAST action with a game at #17 UConn on Dec. 18. The Huskies moved from No. 11 to No. 17 in the Top-25 Poll after a loss at No. 10/11 Texas. UConn got back on track this week with a home win over Ball State 90-63.