The first women's basketball contest of the 2024-25 campaign will feature the Butler Bulldogs hosting the Taylor Trojans at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The exhibition will begin at 7 p.m. on Friday night. Live Stats will be available however there will not be a streaming option for game.
 
Game Day
Date: Friday, November 1, 2024
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Indianapolis, Ind. - Hinkle Fieldhouse
Live Stats: ButlerSports.com (Statbroadcast)
 
Bulldog Bits
- Butler was picked to finish eighth in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll.
- Caroline Strande made the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team.
- Strande was a Second Team All-BIG EAST selection after the completion of the 2023-24 season.
- Strande became the only player in program history to lead Butler in points, rebounds and assists during the same season in 2023-24.
- Strande averaged 15.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists in her second season with the team.
- Strande was the seventh-best free throw shooter in the BIG EAST last year (81.8%). She ranked 10th in scoring and ninth in rebounding.
- Riley Makalusky was the fifth Bulldog in program history to make the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team.
- Makalusky led the BIG EAST in 3-point field goal shooting percentage (46.1).
- Butler had four players shoot 40% or higher from 3-point range last year.
- Butler led the BIG EAST and ranked fifth in the nation in 3-point shooting percentage last year (38.3).
- The Bulldogs set a new program record by making 266 3-pointers during the 2023-24 campaign.
- BU tied their single-game 3-point record last year by making 16 in their win over St. Thomas.
- Kilyn McGuff brings postseason experience to the Bulldogs; while at Belmont, McGuff played in the NCAA Tournament, WNIT and WBIT.
- Butler made the WNIT field last year for the first time since 2019.
- Butler set a new team attendance record last year with over 20,000 fans attending Hinkle Fieldhouse over 18 dates.
- BU will partner with the NCAA's Readers Become Leaders Program to host an Elementary School Kids' Day Game against Chicago State on Nov. 6.
 
BIG EAST Women's Basketball Preseason Poll
UConn – 100 (10 first-place votes)
Creighton – 91 (1)
Providence – 71
St. John's – 67
Georgetown – 66
Villanova – 56
Seton Hall – 51
Butler – 46
DePaul – 24
Marquette – 23
Xavier - 10
 
BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year – Paige Bueckers, UConn, R-Sr., G
 
BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year – Sarah Strong, UConn, Fr., F
 
BIG EAST Women's Basketball Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
Caroline Strande, Butler, Gr., G
KK Arnold, UConn, So., G
Azzi Fudd, UConn, R-Jr., G
Ashlynn Shade, UConn, So., G
Lauren Jensen, Creighton, Sr., G
Morgan Maly, Creighton, Sr., G/F
Kelsey Ransom, Georgetown, Gr., G
Olivia Olsen, Providence, Sr., F
Grace Efosa, Providence, Gr., G
Ber'Nyah Mayo, St. John's, R-Sr., G

Honorable Mention
Kaitlyn Chen, UConn, Gr.,
Jorie Allen, DePaul, Gr., F
Savannah Catalon, Seton Hall, So., G
 
Austin Parkinson Reaches 250 Career Wins                             
Austin Parkinson has guided Butler to 26 wins over his first two seasons at the helm. The Bulldog opening round WNIT victory last year moved Parkinson's career win total to 250. BU has notched six conference wins in each season with Parkinson on the sideline. The 'Dawgs also went 9-9 at home last year, winning three more than the previous season.
 
Bulldogs on the Big Stage                                                                               
The BIG EAST matchup between Butler and St. John's set for Feb. 16 will be played at Madison Square Garden. The 2024-25 Bulldogs will be the first-ever Butler women's basketball team to play inside "The World's Most Famous Arena". Bulldog fans can also count on seeing their team play on FS1 this year. Butler will face Marquette in Milwaukee on Jan. 4 at 4 p.m. Each BU contest against UConn will air on SNY.
 
Butler vs. the Big Ten                                                                         
The Bulldogs will host Indiana and Wisconsin at Hinkle Fieldhouse this year. The Hoosiers will be in town on Wednesday, Nov. 13 and the Badgers will be in Indy Dec. 11. BU notched a 59-51 win at the Kohl Center last year. They have not hosted the Hoosiers since 2021-22.
 
Signature BIG EAST Wins                                                                               
The Bulldogs defeated St. John's, Villanova and DePaul in February over the span of 19 days. It was the first time in program history for BU to defeat all three of those opponents in the same season.
 
2024-25 Roster Breakdown                                                             
The 2024-25 roster features one graduate, three seniors, two juniors, three sophomores and four freshmen. Nearly half of the student-athletes are from Indiana (6). The 'Dawgs also have players from Wisconsin (2), Michigan (2), Ohio (1), Minnesota (1), and Australia.
 
Welcome Back                                                                                                   
The Bulldogs return 80% of their scoring from last year's team. Seven of Butler's top eight leading scorers from 2023-24 are back with the program.
 
'Dawgs From Distance                                                                                    
The Bulldogs led the BIG EAST Conference and ranked fifth in the NCAA in 3-point field goal percentage during the 2023-24 season by making 38.3 percent of their shots from distance. Butler set a new single-season school record by making 266 3-pointers last year, the third-most in the league behind Creighton and UConn. They averaged 8.3 made 3-pointers per game, trailing only Creighton (8.9) in the conference. Incredible individual efforts came from Jordan Meulemans and Riley Makalusky last year. Meulemans was responsible for making half of Butler's 16-pointers vs. the Tommies last year going 8-for-10 from 3-point range. Riley Makalusky made seven in the win over Roosevelt.
 
Bulldogs Behind the Arc                                                                                 
Riley Makalusky and Caroline Strande placed their names in the Butler record book last year, making over 40% of their 3-point attempts for the Bulldogs. Makalusky led the BIG EAST in 3-point field goal percentage (.461) and Strande was close behind in second (.447). Makalusky moved up to third all-time at BU, connecting on 35 of her 76 attempts. Strande posted the sixth-best 3-point shooting percentage in a single-season by making 46 of her 103 attempts.
 
Caroline Closing in on 1,000 Points                                             
Caroline Strande scored 484 points last year to move her career total to 759. 703 of those points have been in a Bulldog jersey as Strande added 56 as a Minnesota Golden Gopher. She will attempt to become the 25th player in program history to score 1,000+ points before she leaves campus. Kristen Spolyar (2016-20) was the last BU student-athlete to make the all-time scoring list. She ended her career with 1,544 points. The BU all-time leading scorer is former assistant coach Julie Shelton (VonDielingen) who played from 1989-93. She is the only player in program history to top 2,000 points (2,018).
 
1,000 Point Party                                                                                               
Sydney Jaynes and Kilyn McGuff are also closing in on 1,000 career points. Jaynes rests at 690 and McGuff recorded 723 points at Belmont.
 
Carter Crashes the Glass                                                                
Cristen Carter recorded more offensive rebounds (55) than defensive rebounds (53) during her rookie season at BU. She started in 16 games a year ago and shot 45% from the field.
 
Welcome to Campus                                                                        
Nevena Markovic joined the Butler coaching staff this offseason. Markovic was Parkinson's first signed recruit when he took over at IU Indy (IUPUI). She was an all-conference talent for the Jaguars that moved forward to play professionally for seven years before becoming a coach. Markovic spent the previous two seasons at Vermont as a Catamount assistant coach and international recruiting coordinator.
 
Gulf Coast Showcase                                                                        
The Bulldogs will participate in the Gulf Coast Showcase this year. The 2024 version of the showcase will feature eight teams playing from Friday, Nov. 29 through Sunday, Dec. 1 at Hertz Arena. The complete field features Butler, Boise State, High Point, Illinois State, New Mexico State, Santa Clara, Texas and West Virginia. Seven of the eight teams competing in the event advanced to postseason play a year ago, led by Texas, who reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament and West Virginia, who advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Butler, Boise State, and Illinois State took part in the WNIT in 2023-24 while High Point and Santa Clara participated in the WBIT a year ago. Six of the eight teams in the field posted 20 or more wins last season.
 
WBIT Finals Returns to Hinkle Fieldhouse in 2025                 
The NCAA announced that the 2025 Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament semifinals and finals will return to Indianapolis and historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in 2025. The semifinal games will take place on March 31 and the championship game on April 2, 2025. This will be the second consecutive year that Indianapolis will host the final games.
 
Up Next
The season opener will land on Wednesday, Nov. 6 when Butler plays host to Chicago State at 11 a.m. The Kid's Day game will stream on the Butler Athletics YouTube channel and be free to all fans that want to attend!