TICKETS | WATCH | LIVE STATS | GAME NOTES
 
INDIANAPOLIS – Butler will host Villanova in a rare Saturday night game on Jan. 13. The two teams will come together at Hinkle Fieldhouse for a 7:30 PM tip on FloHoops.com. Joey Lindstrom and Amber Stocks will call the action on the BIG EAST Digital Network.
 
GameDay
Date: Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024
Time: 7:30 PM
Location: Indianapolis, Ind. - Hinkle Fieldhouse
Live Stats: ButlerSports.com – Statbroadcast
Watch: BEDN - FloHoops.com
 
Bulldog Bits
- Rachel Kent needs four more 3-pointers to reach 300 in her collegiate career.
- Kent led BU in scoring Wednesday night (10) for the fifth time this season.
- Caroline Strande ranks 10th in the BIG EAST in rebounding (7.4) and 13th in scoring (14.4).
- Strande is the fifth-best free throw shooter in the conference (78.6%) and ranks sixth in field goal percentage (46.4%).
- Strande has made 44 free throws this season the rest of the team combines for 66.
- BU made 12 free throws in Omaha, their third highest total of the season.
- Jordan Meulemans led BU in minutes Wednesday night playing 37 of 40 vs. the Bluejays.
- Meulemans ranks fourth in the BIG EAST and 14th in the NCAA in 3-point field goal percentage (46.2).
- The Bulldogs rank second in the BIG EAST in made 3-pointers per game (8.7) and 3-point percentage.
- Ari Wiggins ranks ninth in the BIG EAST in steals per game (1.8).
- Karsyn Norman jumped into the starting lineup for the first time this season at Creighton.
- Butler is 8th in the country in fewest fouls per game (13.0), they only committed seven fouls at Creighton.
- Five different players were responsible for Butler's five 3-pointers at CU. It was their second-lowest single game total of the season (4 vs. Austin Peay).
 
BIG EAST Standings
UConn 5-0, 13-3
St. John's 4-1, 10-7
Villanova 3-1, 10-5
Marquette 3-2, 14-2
Creighton 3-2, 12-3
Providence 2-2, 8-9
Georgetown 2-3, 12-4
Seton Hall 2-3, 10-6
DePaul 1-3, 9-8
Butler 0-4, 8-7
Xavier 0-4, 1-12
 
Scouting Villanova                                                                                 
The Wildcats are currently third in the conference standings with a 3-1 BIG EAST record. They lost by five at St. John's to open league play but have bounced back with three-straight wins over Xavier, Seton Hall, and Georgetown. Head Coach Denise Dillon has a terrific duo in Lucy Olsen and Christina Dalce. Olsen leads the BIG EAST in scoring (23.3), free throws made and minutes played. She ranks second in the nation in field goal attempts and fourth in made field goals. Dalce leads the BIG EAST with six double-doubles. She leads the conference in rebounds per game (10.5) and is the second leading shot blocker (1.8). The floor general for the Wildcats is senior Bella Runyan. She only averages 6.3 points per game, but she is the league leader in assist to turnover ratio. Runyan averages 3.7 assists per game and has only committed 20 turnovers in 500 minutes of action this season.
 
All-Time Series                                                                                       
Villanova leads Butler in the all-time series 15-6. The Wildcats have won six-straight with every victory coming by 10 points or more. Butler swept the regular season series over Villanova in 2019-20. They won 58-41 at Villanova and 63-61 at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
 
Last Meeting vs. Villanova                                                                   
Villanova was ranked #19 the last time these two programs met on Feb. 4, 2023. The Wildcats went to Hinkle Fieldhouse to record a 78-58 victory. Maddy Siegrist, Lucy Olsen and Christian Dalce supplied Villanova with 62 of their 78 points. Olsen hit three 3-pointers to help her score 18 and Dalce was in the box score with a double-double collecting 12 rebounds to go along with her 13 points. Sydney Jaynes led Butler with 16 points and six rebounds. Jaynes went 6-for-8 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
 
Strande Needs Nine for 500                                                                
Caroline Strande needs nine points against Villanova on Saturday night to reach 500 career points. She recently had eight at Creighton on 2-of-4 shooting. Strande has scored in double figures in 12 of Butler's 15 games. She scored a season-high 22 points vs. Chicago State and has hit at least one 3-pointer in four-straight games.
 
Turnovers                                                                                                              
The turnover battle will be something to watch on Saturday night. No BIG EAST team takes better care of the basketball than Villanova. The Wildcats only commit 10 turnovers per game (best in the BIG EAST) while the Bulldogs average 14. Butler only committed nine turnovers in their last game, their second-fewest total in a contest this season.
 
Patrol The Paint                                                                                                   
Butler will have to match Villanova's intensity around the rim on Saturday. Defensively, Nova leads the league in blocked shots per game (4.9). On the other end, they crash the glass and rank second in the BIG EAST in offensive rebounds per game (12.8).
 
Starting Five Shakeup                                                                           
Butler used a different starting five at Creighton putting Karsyn Norman in at point guard. The freshman had four points, two assists and tied her season-high with two steals in 27 minutes. Another freshman led Butler in minutes off the bench. Riley Makalusky logged a season-high 22 minutes of court time and responded with three points and four rebounds.
 
Jumpstart the Offense                                                                         
Butler is averaging 55 points per game against BIG EAST competition. The 'Dawgs averaged 67 points per game against non-conference opponents.
 
Carter Coming Along                                                                             
Cristen Carter has grabbed three or more rebounds in 11 games this season. The freshman forward averages 3.3 per game and recently tied Rachel Kent for the team lead with five boards at Creighton. Carter has as many offensive rebounds this season (23) as defensive. She has also scored at least one field goal in Butler's last six games, moving her shooting percentage to 47.6 on the season.
 
Sharpshooter                                                                                         
Jordan Meulemans has hit a 3-pointer in 12-straight games. 42 of her 56 field goals this season have been from 3-point range and 74 of her 97 career field goals have been from distance. Meulemans has attempted 189 3-pointers over her career, but just six free throws.
 
Butler For 3!                                                                                                          
Jordan Meulemans and Rachel Kent are two of the top 3-point shooters in the NCAA. Meulemans has made a team-high 42 3-pointers this season and Kent is second on the team with 38. Meulemans is shooting 46.2 percent from 3-point range and Kent is right at 40 percent (40.7).
 
2 for 20                                                                                                    
Jordan Meulemans and Caroline Strande became the first Bulldog teammates to score 20 points or more in the same game since Feb. 28, 2020. Meulemans scored a team-high 23 points against Chicago State on Dec. 10 and Strande scored a career-high 22 points. The last Bulldog duo to score 20 each in the same game prior to this season was Kristen Spolyar and Kat Strong. Spolyar had 28 at St. John's and Strong posted 21.
 
Tied a Team Record                                                                                             
Jordan Meulemans made eight 3-pointers in the win over St. Thomas to match the single-game high in the BIG EAST this season. She ended the contest going 8-for-10 from behind the arc to score a career-high 24 points. Meulemans was just one 3-pointer shy of tying the single-game BU individual record and the 'Dawgs tied their team record with 16 made 3-pointers in the victory.
 
Up Next                                                                                                                  
Butler will be in Queens Wednesday night to face the Red Storm at 7 PM. Fans can catch the BIG EAST Digital Network game on FloHoops.com. St. John's is 4-1 in conference play and will take a three-game winning streak to UConn on Saturday.