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INDIANAPOLIS – Fresh off their first conference win of the season, the Butler Bulldogs will head to the Al McGuire Center this weekend to face the Marquette Golden Eagles at 5 PM on Saturday. BU will play back-to-back road games for the first time this season but will be treated with three-straight at Hinkle Fieldhouse after visiting Milwaukee.
 
GameDay
Date: Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024
Time: 5:00 PM ET / 4:00 CT
Location: Milwaukee, Wis. - Al McGuire Center
Live Stats: GoMarquette.com – SidearmStats
Watch: BEDN on FloHoops.com
 
Bulldog Bits
- Caroline Strande scored a career-high 26 points at Xavier on 10-of-15 shooting.
- Strande added 10 rebounds to her stat line to record her second double-double of the season.
- Strande ranks fifth in the BIG EAST in rebounding (7.6) and 10th in scoring (14.5).
- Strande is the fifth-best free throw shooter in the conference (82.4%).
- Strande hasn't missed a free throw over Butler's last four games (12-for-12)
- Riley Makalusky scored 16 of her 19 points at Xavier in the first half.
- Makalusky started for BU at Xavier for the first time this season.
- Jordan Meulemans is not expected to play at Marquette. There is no timetable for her return.
- Meulemans ranks 21st in the NCAA in 3-point field goal percentage (44.2).
- The Bulldogs rank second in the BIG EAST in made 3-pointers per game (8.5) and third in 3-point percentage (38.5).
- Rachel Kent needs 12 points at Marquette to reach 1,500 in her career. She has made a 3-pointer in 10-straight games.
- Butler shot 62% from the field at Xavier, the second highest mark by a BIG EAST team this season.
- BU outscored Xavier 28-8 in the second quarter to take control of the game.
 
BIG EAST Standings
UConn 9-0, 17-3
Creighton 6-2, 15-3
Villanova 5-3, 12-7
St. John's 5-3, 11-9
Marquette 4-4, 15-4
Georgetown 4-4, 14-5
Seton Hall 4-4, 12-7
Providence 4-4, 10-11
DePaul 2-5, 10-10
Butler 1-7, 9-10
Xavier 0-8, 1-16
 
Scouting Marquette                                                                              
The Golden Eagles were knocked out of the Top 25 poll this week but are still receiving votes with their 15-4 overall record. All four losses this season have come against league foes. UConn has defeated the Golden Eagles twice already in conference action and Marquette recently took close losses at St. John's (57-56) and at Villanova (66-63). Head Coach Megan Duffy has a talented roster this year with Marquette leading the BIG EAST in rebound margin (+7.4) and 3-point percentage (39.4). The team has three players averaging 14 points or more and the Eagles share the basketball to rank second in the conference in assists per game (19.8). Rose Nkumu is the floor general for Duffy. She ranks sixth in the country in assist to turnover ratio while averaging 7.5 points. The scoring leader on this team is forward Liza Karlen (17.7). She ranks 16th in the NCAA in made field goals and helps on the glass by averaging 7.3 rebounds per game. Mackenzie Hare and Jordan King are two other players to watch on Saturday. Hare is the best 3-point shooter in the conference. Her 59 made 3-pointers are the fifth-most in the country. King was a First Team All-BIG EAST selection a year ago and is averaging 14.5 during her senior season.
 
All-Time Series                                                                                       
Butler trails Marquette in the all-time series 9-20. These two programs met for the first time during the 1985-86 season with Butler coming out on top at home 62-61. Since joining the BIG EAST, Butler is just 4-17 in games against the Golden Eagles with three of those four victories coming in Milwaukee. BU won on the road in both 13-14 and 14-15. They shocked Marquette in Milwaukee in 18-19 and most recently won at home in 19-20. A win over the Golden Eagles on Saturday would snap a seven-game Marquette winning streak.
 
Last Meeting vs. Marquette                                                                
Marquette edged Butler in the last meeting 65-63. Caroline Strande hit a 3-pointer for the Bulldogs to tie the game at 63-63 with less than 30 seconds to play in regulation, but Marquette came up with an offensive rebound and a put-back basket to win at the buzzer. The Golden Eagles outscored Butler 19-12 in the fourth quarter to complete the comeback. Chloe Marotta scored 27 of Marquette's 65 points, with 25 of her 27 coming in the second half. Strande led BU with 14 points, six rebounds and two steals. Sydney Jaynes added 10 points and four rebounds.
 
Memorable Moment at the Al McGuire Center                              
Butler recorded one of their biggest wins in program history in Milwaukee on Feb. 22, 2019. The Bulldogs defeated then ranked #11 Marquette 61-57 to notch their 20th win of the season. BU had four players in double figures and outscored Marquette 18-8 in the fourth quarter to secure the win.
 
Offensive Explosion                                                                              
Butler shot a season-high 62.3 percent from the field in the win over Xavier and connected on 54 percent of their 3-point attempts (13-24) to post 90 points at the Cintas Center. It was the first time Butler has ever scored 90 points against a BIG EAST opponent. The previous high point total was 86 in a Butler win at #25 DePaul back on March 1, 2021.
 
Share The Ball                                                                                        
Butler handed out 26 assists at Xavier, posting their second-highest total of the season. It was the fifth time this year they have recorded 20+ assists and the first time they have reached 20 since Dec. 21 vs. Ohio.
 
20-Point Quarters                                                                                                
The Bulldogs scored 20 points or more in three of the four quarters against Xavier to record their first conference win. It was the first time the team had scored 20+ points in a quarter since playing Ohio on Dec. 21 and the first time they did it in three quarters since playing Chicago State on Dec. 10.
 
3-Point Threat                                                                                        
Butler has made 10+ 3-pointers in a game seven times this season. Their total of 13 against the Musketeers is tied for their second-highest total of the year, and the most they have hit against a conference opponent. Caroline Strande has made nine 3-pointers over Butler's last three games and is shooting 69 percent from distance during that stretch.
 
Hit Her Stride                                                                                         
Caroline Strande has led Butler in scoring eight times this season and has topped 20+ points four times including in back-to-back games. She leads the team with her 15.1 scoring average and has reached double figures for Butler in 16 of their 19 games. Strande made a career-high 10 field goals in her last outing at Xavier.
 
Grab the Board                                                                                      
Caroline Strande is the top rebounding guard in the BIG EAST Conference. She has led Butler in rebounding 14 times this season (19 games) and in seven of Butler's eight BIG EAST games. She only needs nine more rebounds to reach 300 in her career.
 
Settling In                                                                                                              
Sydney Jaynes has scored in double figures for Butler in three of her last four games. She is shooting 60 percent from the field over the last two weeks and made six of her seven field goal attempts in her last game vs. Xavier (85.7%).
 
Tied a Team Record                                                                                             
Jordan Meulemans made eight 3-pointers in Butler's 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                                                                                                                  
Three-straight home games are on the horizon for the Bulldogs. Butler will host DePaul on Jan. 31 and open the month of February with home contests vs. Creighton and St. John's.