GAME NOTES | TICKETS
 
INDIANAPOLIS – Butler will host Xavier on Tuesday night in the program's annual Pink Game. The Bulldogs are down to just three regular season games with two of the three to be played at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Tip vs. the Musketeers is set for 7 PM.
 
GameDay
Date: Tuesday, Feb. 21
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Indianapolis, Ind. - Hinkle Fieldhouse
Live Stats: ButlerSports.com – Statbroadcast
Watch: FloSports.com – BEDN
 
Bulldog Bits
- Tuesday is the 52nd overall meeting between Butler and Xavier.
- Butler, Xavier, Georgetown and Providence are all guaranteed to play in the first round of the tournament.
- Xavier is locked as the #11 seed and Creighton has clinched a bye.
- Butler swept a BIG EAST opponent on Wednesday night for the first time since 2019-20.
- Rachel McLimore scored a game-high 21 points and recorded six assists in the win over Georgetown.
- McLimore dished out a career-high seven assists the last time Butler played Xavier.
- McLimore has made 11 3-pointers over her last three games while shooting 57 percent from distance.
- Butler has made at least seven 3-pointers in seven-straight games.
- Jordan Meulemans has made a 3-pointer in six-straight games.
- Anna Mortag ranks third in the BIG EAST in 3-point field goal percentage (42.4).
- Shay Frederick ranks fifth in 3-point field goal percentage (40.6), McLimore is sixth (40.4) and Dowell is seventh (40.3).
- Butler outrebounded Georgetown 30-22 and took twice as many free throw attempts as the Hoyas.
- Butler led Georgetown by seven heading to the fourth, but trailed the Hoyas by one with just 26.2 seconds left.
- McLimore's game-winning layup came with 17 seconds remaining in the contest.
- Jessica Carrothers corralled a career-high nine rebounds vs. Georgetown.
- Carrothers ranks 11th in the BIG EAST in field goal percentage (48.9).
- Sydney Jaynes ranks sixth in the BIG EAST in field goal percentage (50.8).
 
Scouting Xavier                                                                                      
The Musketeers have not won a game since Dec. 9, keeping them winless in BIG EAST action (0-17). Tuesday signals the end of a lengthy road trip for Xavier that also included stops in Omaha and South Orange. 10 different players have started in a game for Xavier this season and no Musketeer has started in all 26. Courtney Prenger leads the team in minutes played and freshman Fernanda Ovalle is near the team lead with an 8.9 scoring average. Ovalle is the second leading scorer in the BIG EAST among all freshman, trailing Georgetown's Kennedy Fauntleroy (11.5). As a team, the Musketeers rank fifth in both blocked shots (3.7) and steals (8.1).
 
All-Time Series vs. Xavier                                                                                   
Butler leads the all-time series against Xavier 30-21. 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 13-7 against their Midwest foe. Five of those 13 wins came at Hinkle Fieldhouse and the Bulldogs also have eliminated the Musketeers from the postseason two times (2016 in Chicago / 2017 in Milwaukee).
 
Butler's Last Game vs. Xavier                                                              
The Bulldogs used a 19-0 scoring run in the first quarter to build a lead and claim a 79-65 BIG EAST road win at Xavier on Dec. 28. Butler buried a season-high 14 3-pointers in the victory and shot 42 percent from the field. Four Bulldogs finished in double figures, including a game-high 20 points for Rachel McLimore who also tallied a game-best seven assists. Butler registered 20 assists on 26 field goals. Mackayla Scarlett led Xavier with 16 points, including an 8-for-8 clip from the free-throw line. The Musketeers shot .421 from the field and .455 from three, but Butler shot .473 and .483, respectively.
 
Xavier's Last Game                                                                                
Seton Hall posted a 72-59 win over Xavier at Walsh Gym. Lauren Park-Lane paced the Pirates with a game-high 20 points while adding 10 assists in 40 minutes of action. Azana Baines was also in the box score with a double-double by recording 19 points and 10 rebounds. The Player of the game for Xavier was Shelby Calhoun. The junior guard had 12 points, eight rebounds, five assists and four steals.
 
McLimore Makes BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll                              
Rachel McLimore scored a game-high 21 points off 6-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-5 from three, to go along with a game-best six assists as Butler topped Georgetown.
 
Behind The Arc                                                                                       
Butler ranks seventh in the NCAA and second in the BIG EAST in 3-point field goal percentage (38.3). The Bulldogs average 7.9 made 3-point field goals per game (2nd in the BIG EAST) and most recently hit nine in the win over Georgetown.
 
Let it Fly                                                                                                                 
Butler hit a season-high 14 3-pointers at Xavier in the first meeting between the two teams. It stands as the second-highest 3-point total of any BIG EAST team this year. Creighton holds the top spot with 16 made 3-pointers vs. Providence (Jan. 4). Butler's single-game team record is 16; set at Georgetown (1/11/14).
 
Sharpshooters                                                                                       
Butler has made at least one 3-pointer in every quarter in 10 straight-games. The last time the 'Dawgs didn't make a 3-pointer in a quarter was at Villanova on Jan. 8. The 'Dawgs missed their only attempt in the fourth.
 
Familiar Foe                                                                                                          
Butler and Xavier first competed as conference rivals in the North Star Conference (NSC) from 1984-86. Each program was then a part of the Midwest Collegiate Conference (MCC) from 1986-1995. The rivalry was renewed in 2012 with each team joining the Atlantic 10 (A-10) and each program would eventually join the BIG EAST for the 2013-14 season.
 
Butler vs. Georgetown Recap                                                             
Butler scored on their final possession to take a two-point lead and the Bulldogs (9-17, 4-13) would end the game with a stop to record their ninth overall win of the season. The 58-56 victory over visiting Georgetown is Butler's second-straight win and fourth conference victory of the season. Rachel McLimore drove past a Hoya defender and scored a layup while being fouled with just 17 seconds left. McLimore went to the line and added a free throw to give the 'Dawgs a two-point lead and the Butler defense would get a stop on the other end to secure the win. McLimore scored a game-high 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting. She made three 3-pointers and was perfect from the charity stripe (6-6). Georgetown saw four finish in double figures with Kelsey Ransom leading the way with 12 points.
 
Tournament Talk                                                                                                 
The 2023 BIG EAST women's basketball tournament is 11 days away. If the tournament started this week, Butler would play as the No. 10 seed and face No. 7 seed DePaul. The winner of that contest would advance to the quarterfinals to play No. 2 seed Villanova. Other first round pairings would feature No. 6 seed Seton Hall playing No. 11 seed Xavier and No. 8 seed Georgetown playing No. 9 seed Providence. The tournament will be held in Uncasville, Conn. at Mohegan Sun Arena. Action starts March 3 and the championship game will air March 6 on FS1.
 
8-9-10                                                                                                                     
Tournament seeding for the first round will come down to the final three games of the regular season. BU is currently 10th (4-13), but would get to five conference wins with a victory over Xavier. That win could help them leap Providence (4-13) in the conference standings and tie Georgetown (5-13) as the Bulldogs attempt to reach the 8 vs. 9 seed game in the tournament bracket.
 
Up Next                                                                                                                  
Senior Day is Friday, Feb. 24 for Shay Frederick, Tenley Dowell, Rachel McLimore and Kelsy Taylor. Butler will host Seton Hall that night inside Hinkle Fieldhouse for a 7 PM tip. Fans can catch the action on FloSports.com.