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INDIANAPOLIS – The last game before the conference tournament will feature Butler hosting Marquette on Saturday afternoon. The 3 PM tip will stream on FloHoops.com. Fans are encouraged to arrive early as the women's basketball program will recognize the 2024 Senior Class before tip.
 
GameDay
Date: Saturday, March 2, 2024
Time: 3:00 PM ET
Location: Indianapolis, Ind. - Hinkle Fieldhouse
Live Stats: ButlerSports.com – StatBroadcast
Watch: BEDN on FloHoops.com
 
Bulldog Bits
- Butler defeated DePaul on Wednesday night for just the second time in program history.
- Ari Wiggins broke a 70-70 tie by hitting a free throw with just three seconds remaining to help BU win.
- Wiggins and Karsyn Norman combined for 8-of-11 shooting at DePaul to post 20 points.
- Five Bulldogs scored in double figures at DePaul.
- Butler made a season-high 17 free throws in the win at DePaul (17-24).
- BU made 10 3-pointers in the win. Rachel Kent and Caroline Strande each went 3-for-4 from distance.
- Butler leads the BIG EAST and ranks 4th in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (39.3%).
- The Bulldogs rank second in the BIG EAST in made 3-pointers per game (8.5).
- Kent has made a 3-pointer in 19-straight games. She ranks third in the BIG EAST in made 3-pointers with 68.
- Strande ranks ninth in the BIG EAST in both scoring (15.2) and rebounding (7.4).
- Butler is now 6-0 when they score over 70 points but won for the first time on Wednesday when the opponent scored 70.
- Butler is now 3-1 this year in games decided by five points or less.
- The Bulldogs will play as the No. 8 or No. 9 seed in the upcoming conference tournament.
 
BIG EAST Standings
UConn 17-0, 25-5
Creighton 14-3, 23-4
St. John's 11-7, 17-13
Marquette 10-7, 21-7
Villanova 10-7, 17-11
Georgetown 8-9, 18-10
Seton Hall 8-9, 16-12
Butler 6-11, 14-14
Providence 6-11, 12-18
DePaul 4-13, 12-18
Xavier 0-17, 1-25
 
Scouting Marquette                                                                              
The Golden Eagles lost to St. John's earlier this week to drop down into a tie for fourth in the BIG EAST standings. They head into the final game of the regular season with a 21-7 overall record that includes 10 wins against conference foes. Liza Karlen and Mackenzie Hare are the players to keep an eye on for Marquette. Karlen ranks fifth in the league with her 17.9 scoring average and Hare leads the BIG EAST in made 3-pointers with 83. Hare helps the Golden Eagles rank second in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage (37.3). She makes 43.7 percent of her attempts and makes nearly three per game. Marquette averages 72 points per game and are among the top teams in the conference in field goal percentage, assists per game and rebound margin.
 
All-Time Series                                                                                       
Butler trails Marquette in the all-time series 9-21. 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 4-18 in games against the Golden Eagles with three of those four victories coming in Milwaukee. The lone win at Hinkle Fieldhouse was recorded on January 17, 2020 (61-55). A win over the Golden Eagles on Saturday would snap an eight-game Marquette winning streak.
 
Last Meeting vs. Marquette                                                                
The first game between Butler and Marquette at the Al McGuire Center was a wild one with the Golden Eagles claiming a 59-48 victory. Butler outscored Marquette 16-8 in the second quarter to build a six-point halftime lead, but the home team would erupt in the third quarter to win that frame 23-8. Butler scored the first nine points of the fourth quarter to tie the game at 48-48, but Marquette would end the game on an 11-0 scoring run to earn the win. Liza Karlen led all players with 25 points and Mackenzie Hare would hit four 3-pointers to help her net 19. Butler got 13 points from Caroline Strande and 12 from Rachel Kent. Karsyn Norman was the top 'dawg off the bench with nine points and seven rebounds.
 
Senior Day                                                                                                             
The 2024 Senior Class of Rosemarie Dumont, Rachel Kent, Anna Mortag, Abby Stoddard, and Kendall Wingler will be recognized before tip on Saturday afternoon.
 
Tournament Talk                                                                                                  
Seeding for the upcoming 2024 BIG EAST Tournament is starting to take shape as the teams' head into the final weekend of the regular season. The top three seeds are locked with UConn at No. 1, Creighton at No. 2 and St. John's No. 3. The game between the 4/5 seeds will feature Marquette playing Villanova however seeding is still to be determined. The same can be said for Butler and Providence who will play on Friday, March 8 at 11 AM in the first game of the tourney. Butler's win over DePaul on Wednesday locked the Blue Demons into the No. 10 seed. If Providence wins their finale they will play as the No. 8 seed, if not we will go to the tiebreaker. The biggest question mark is the No. 6 seed. Georgetown needs to win and have Seton Hall lose to be the No. 6 seed. Any other outcome will have Seton Hall as the No. 6 and Georgetown as No. 7 since SHU swept GU.
 
Winning Ways                                                                                        
Butler has won three more games this year than they did last while matching last year's conference win total at six games. They were 1-9 in league action after the month of January but were able to win five of their seven games in February (3 on the road) to pass DePaul and Providence in the conference standings.
 
Five February Wins                                                                                              
Butler recorded five wins during the month of February for the first time since 2010 with their 73-70 victory at DePaul.
 
Finish Strong                                                                                           
The Bulldogs are 3-7 in regular season finales since joining the BIG EAST Conference. They won at DePaul in 2021, topped Villanova in overtime in 2019 and won at Creighton back in 2014. This will be the first time Butler plays Marquette in the final game of the regular season.
 
Sharpshooters                                                                                        
The top three, 3-point shooters in the BIG EAST Conference are all Butler Bulldogs. Riley Makalusky leads the league in 3-point field goal percentage (47.7), Jordan Meulemans ranks second (45.8) and Caroline Strande is close behind at third (45.1). Rachel Kent gives BU four players in the top seven with her 42.0 percentage from behind the arc. These four players account for 195 of Butler's 238 made 3-pointers this year (82%).
 
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 that victory. Butler recently hit 10 3-pointers in their win at DePaul. They have hit 10+ 3-pointers in a game 11 times this year.
 
Grab the Board                                                                                      
Caroline Strande is the top rebounding guard in the BIG EAST. She has led Butler in rebounding 20 times this season (28 games) and in 13 of Butler's 17 BIG EAST games.
 
Riley Makalusky Named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week           
Riley Makalusky was the top scoring freshman in the BIG EAST last week, while finishing in the top 10 overall, averaging 17.0 points to go along with 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists. The guard had her top showing in BIG EAST play thus far on Saturday at Georgetown, tallying 21 points off 8-of-10 shooting, including a 5-of-6 mark from three, while adding two rebounds, a steal and an assist. In Wednesday's win over Xavier, Makalusky had 13 points off 4-of-8 shooting to go along with four rebounds and three assists. She is Butler's first BIG EAST Freshman of the Week this season.
 
Up Next                                                                                                                  
Butler and Providence will play in the first game of the 2024 BIG EAST Tournament at Mohegan Sun Arena. The 11 AM tip on Friday, March 8 will be a BIG EAST Digital Network game streaming on FloHoops.com.