WATCH | LIVE STATS | GAME NOTES
 
INDIANAPOLIS – The Butler women's basketball team will play four of their next five games on the road. This stretch starts on Wednesday, Feb. 14 when the Bulldogs play the Providence Friars on Valentine's Day at Alumni Hall. Fans can stream the 7 PM tip on FloHoops.com.
 
GameDay
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Providence, R.I. - Alumni Hall
Live Stats: Friars.com – SidearmStats
Watch: BEDN on FloHoops.com
 
Bulldog Bits
- Butler leads the BIG EAST in 3-point field goal percentage (38.9%).
- The Bulldogs rank second in the BIG EAST in made 3-pointers per game (8.3).
- Rachel Kent has made a 3-pointer in 14-straight games. She ranks third in the conference in made 3-pointers with 56.
- Kent has scored in double figures for Butler in six-straight games. She is five free throws away from 200 and five assists away from 300 in her career.
- The Bulldogs made 11 3-pointers in their win over St. John's on Friday night. It was the eighth time this season BU has made 10 or more 3's in a game.
- Caroline Strande was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday for the third time this season.
- Strande ranks ninth in the BIG EAST in scoring (14.8) and 10th in rebounding (7.3).
- Strande made a career-high five 3-pointers in the first matchup vs. Providence.
- Butler's win over St. John's was the team's first victory over the Red Storm since Feb. 1, 2019.
- Jordan Meulemans returned to action for BU after missing the team's previous four games.
- Meulemans came off the bench for the Bulldogs for the first time since Feb. 11, 2023 when Butler played at Providence.
- Riley Makalusky grabbed a career-high six rebounds in the win over St. John's.
- BU started three freshmen against St. John's.
 
BIG EAST Standings
UConn 12-0, 20-5
Creighton 11-2, 20-3
Villanova 8-4, 15-8
St. John's 8-5, 14-11
Marquette 7-6, 18-6
Georgetown 6-7, 16-8
Seton Hall 6-7, 14-10
Providence 5-7, 11-14
DePaul 4-9, 12-14
Butler 2-10, 10-13
Xavier 0-12, 1-20
 
Scouting Providence                                                                             
The Friars have lost their last three games to drop their overall record to 11-14. They took a tough overtime loss to Marquette in their last home game (66-62) before dropping road contests at DePaul (84-72) and at Georgetown (54-44). Providence is now in eighth place of the conference standings with a 5-7 record. They had won three-straight games before the three-game skid. First-year head coach Erin Batth has three players scoring in double figures this season. Olivia Olsen nearly averages a double-double while shooting 54.3 percent from the field. Olsen ranks third in the conference in rebounds per game (9.0) and 11th in scoring (14.7). Senior guard Grace Efosa ranks second on the team with her 12.6 scoring average and Brynn Farrell is the top 3-point threat on the Friar roster, averaging 11.0 points per game.
 
All-Time Series                                                                                       
Butler leads Providence in the all-time series 12-11, however the Friars have won seven of the last eight meetings. BU topped Providence by one-point last year at Alumni Hall to break up six-straight Friar wins. The Bulldogs won the first six meetings of the series before being swept by PC in 2016-17. The two clubs have also met in the BIG EAST Tournament a pair of times with BU winning in 2018 and PC winning in 2021.
 
Last Meeting vs. Providence                                                               
Butler only scored 16 first half points in the first meeting when the two teams met on FS1. The game tightened up after the Bulldogs outscored the Friars 19-9 in the third quarter, but the halftime deficit proved to be too much to overcome giving Providence a 63-53 win at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Olivia Olsen impacted the outcome with 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Friars. Caroline Strande was the top Bulldog performer with 22 points and eight rebounds.
 
A Look Back at Last Week                                                                                  
The Bulldogs notched their first BIG EAST home win last week with a 64-59 victory over St. John's. Caroline Strande, Rachel Kent, and Riley Makalusky all scored in double figures and the Bulldogs shot 45 percent from 3-point range to find the win column. BU won for just the second time this season after trailing their opponent at halftime. The victory was also Butler's first against an opponent in the Top 100 of the NET Rankings.
 
Strande Lands on BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll                               
Caroline Strande led BU to a win over St. John's with 18 points, nine rebounds, four assists, a steal and a blocked shot. She shot 50 percent from the field (7-14) and hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:06 left in the fourth to give BU a one-point lead that they would not give up. This is the third time this season Strande has made the honor roll.
 
Weather the Storm                                                                                              
There were three ties and six lead changes between Butler and St. John's in the fourth quarter of Friday night's game. Karsyn Norman tied the game at 57-57 with a pull-up jumper after the final media timeout and Caroline Strande's 3-pointer put BU on top for good. It was Butler's first win this year in a game that was decided by five points or less. The 'Dawgs are also 9-2 now when holding their opponent under 60 points.
 
Solid Stat Line                                                                                         
Sydney Jaynes posted seven points, six rebounds and six assists in 29 minutes of action against St. John's. Jaynes scored seven-straight points for BU in the second quarter vs. the Red Storm to get Butler back within two points of the Johnnies. Her six assists were good for a new career-high.
 
Carter Set Career-Highs Vs. Providence                              
Cristen Carter set multiple career-high totals against Providence in the first meeting with seven rebounds, three blocked shots, and two assists. She posted those numbers over a career-high 22 minutes in just her second career start back on Jan. 21.
 
Erin and Ari                                                                                                           
Providence Head Coach Erin Batth coached Ari Wiggins at Michigan last year. In her lone season with the Wolverines, Batth helped guide Michigan to an NCAA Tournament appearance. Wiggins appeared in 21 games last year for Michigan as a sophomore.
 
Bulldogs Off The Bench                                                                        
Butler's bench has outscored the opposition's bench in seven-straight games. This streak started with Butler's game at St. John's on Jan. 17. The recently outscored the Red Storm bench 15-3 on Feb. 9.
 
Grab the Board                                                                                      
Caroline Strande is the top rebounding guard in the BIG EAST. She has led Butler in rebounding 16 times this season (23 games) and in nine of Butler's 12 BIG EAST games.
 
Sharpshooters                                                                                        
Butler has four of the best 3-point shooters in the BIG EAST Conference on their roster. Riley Makalusky leads the BIG EAST in 3-point field goal percentage (50.0) and Caroline Strande ranks third (47.7). Jordan Meulemans went 2-for-3 from distance in her return to action and now ranks fifth in the league connecting on 44.9 percent of her attempts and Rachel Kent is also listed in the top-ten at 40.6 percent. This group accounts for 153 of the team's 190 made 3-pointers (80.5%).
 
Tied a Team Record                                                                                             
Jordan Meulemans made eight 3-pointers in Butler's win over St. Thomas. She 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                                                                                                                  
The Bulldogs will stay on the road this weekend to battle the Villanova Wildcats on Saturday afternoon. The 4 PM tip at Finneran Pavilion will come against the league's leading scorer Lucy Olsen (23.0 ppg).