The 2024-25 regular season opener will feature Butler hosting Chicago State Wednesday at 11 a.m. The Kids Day game will stream live on the Butler Athletics YouTube channel and offer free admission to all fans!
 
Game Day
Date: Wednesday, November 6, 2024
Time: 11:00 AM
Location: Indianapolis, Ind. - Hinkle Fieldhouse
Live Stats: ButlerSports.com (Statbroadcast)
Watch: YouTube
 
Bulldog Bits
- BU will partner with the NCAA's Readers Become Leaders Program to host an Elementary School Kids Day Game against Chicago State.
- Butler led Taylor from start to finish in their 99-48 exhibition win over the Trojans.
- Lily Carmody led Butler in scoring; she was one of five Bulldogs in double figures.
- Cristen Carter didn't miss a shot and ended the game with a double-double.
- All 11 players scored at least two points vs. Taylor and all 11 played at least 10 minutes.
- The Bulldogs dished out 20 assists on 38 made field goals.
- Butler went 19-for-21 from the free throw line in their opener.
- BU's largest scoring run was a 13-0 advantage near the end of the second quarter.
- Butler was picked to finish eighth in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll.
- Caroline Strande made the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team.
- Strande became the only player in program history to lead Butler in points, rebounds and assists during the same season in 2023-24.
- 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 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.
- Butler set a new team attendance record last year with over 20,000 fans attending Hinkle Fieldhouse over 18 dates.
 
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 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
 
Scouting Chicago State                                                                                  
Chicago State played at Iowa State on Monday and left Ames with a 96-56 loss. Asha Walker led the Cougars in scoring with 18 points on 7-of-17 shooting. Freshman guard Aiyanna Culver came off the bench to join Walker in double figures with 14 points. Four of her five made field goals came from 3-point range. Chicago State was limited to just three points in the first quarter at Iowa State, but scored 22 in the fourth. The Cyclones shot 51 percent from the field in the win. They were led by Addy Brown's 20-point performance.
 
All-Time Series                                                                                                   
Butler is 4-0 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 third meeting was Head Coach Austin Parkinson's BU debut in 2022. The Bulldogs won 84-57 after outscoring Chicago State 28-14 in the third quarter. The last meeting featured a similar score with Butler winning 84-51. Caroline Strande had 22-points in the victory.
 
Last Meeting vs. Chicago State                                                                    
Butler outscored Chicago State 44-20 in the second half to capture an 84-51 win last year. Caroline Strande and Jordan Meulemans combined to score 45 points while Sydney Jaynes pitched in with 12. The Cougars got a lift from Jacia Cunningham and her team-high 12 points. Taylor Norris had seven and Josie Hill added six.
 
Season Openers                                                                                                
Butler defeated Chicago State in the 2022-23 season opener. It was the first win at the start of the season for the Bulldogs since 2019. Chicago State's last win at the start of a season came back in 2013-14. They beat Indiana Institute of Technology 74-51.
 
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.
 
Injury Report                                                                                        
Jordan Meulemans will miss the 2024-25 season with a knee injury.
 
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.
 
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 to third all-time at BU, connecting on 35 of her 76 attempts. Strande posted the sixth-best 3-point shooting percentage, 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 (56 at Minnesota). She will attempt to become the 25th player in program history to score 1,000+ points. Kristen Spolyar (2016-20) was the last BU student-athlete to make the all-time scoring list (1,544 points).
 
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.
 
Up Next                                                                                                                 
The Bulldogs will spend the weekend in Milwaukee to face the Panthers on Saturday afternoon. The first road trip will stream on ESPN+ at 2 p.m.