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INDIANAPOLIS – Butler will play Purdue in the Second Round of the WNIT on Monday night. Tip at Hinkle Fieldhouse is set for 7 PM. The winner will advance to the Sweet 16.
 
GameDay
Date: Monday, March 25, 2024
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Indianapolis, Ind. - Hinkle Fieldhouse
Live Stats: ButlerSports.com – StatBroadcast
Watch: YouTube.com/ButlerAthletics
 
Bulldog Bits
- Austin Parkinson recorded the 250th win of his head coaching career Thursday against Bowling Green.
- Caroline Strande led Butler to victory with 24 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals.
- Strande ranks 9th in the BIG EAST in scoring (15.3) and 10th in rebounding (7.1).
- Butler leads the BIG EAST and ranks 4th in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (39.0%).
- They made 45 percent of their 3-pointers vs. BGSU going 9-for-20 from behind the arc.
- The Bulldogs rank second in the BIG EAST and 23rd in the nation in made 3-pointers per game (8.5).
- Rachel Kent will make the 142nd start of her career on Monday. She is just one point shy of 1,600!
- Kent has made a 3-pointer in 22-straight games. She had two triples vs. BGSU.
- Kent ranks third in the BIG EAST in made 3-pointers with 73.
- Kent is currently ranked sixth on Butler's single-season Top Ten list in made 3-point field goals.
- Butler is 7-0 this year when they score 70+ points and 12-3 this season when leading at halftime.
- Butler forced BGSU into 18 turnovers resulting in 23 Bulldog points. BU only committed five turnovers.
- Ari Wiggins had five assists and zero turnovers over 13 minutes on Thursday night.
- 9 of Butler's 15 wins have come at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
 
Scouting Purdue                                                                                                   
The Boilers received a First Round bye in the WNIT, but will now face the Bulldogs after a 13-win campaign in 2024. Purdue notched conference wins over Rutgers, Illinois, Northwestern, and Wisconsin (2x) allowing them to play as the No. 12 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. The Boilermakers doubled down and beat Northwestern again in the first round of the conference tournament but were then eliminated in the quarterfinals with a 64-56 loss to No. 5 seed Nebraska. Head Coach Katie Gearlds is in her third season with the program. A former All-American at Purdue, Gearlds returned to her alma mater after spending eight seasons at Marian. She is the winningest coach in Marian history with a 228-50 record (82%). The three-time NAIA National Coach of the Year guided the Knights to back-to-back NAIA National Championship Titles in 2016 and 2017. Her 2024 Purdue team is led by senior guard Abbey Ellis. Ellis averages 14.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. She is one of three players to start in all 31 games this year joining Madison Layden and Jeanae Terry. Purdue is an aggressive team that ranked fifth in the Big Ten in steals per game (7.6). They were also one of the best free throw shooting teams in the league (79%). 
 
All-Time Series                                                                                       
Butler has never defeated Purdue in women's basketball. The Boilermakers are 6-0 all-time with the first meeting coming in 1986 and the last in 2007. The closet contest was the last one with PU defeating BU 69-53 on Nov. 17, 2007. Every other game was a 20+ point win for the Boilers. Four of the six meetings have been played in West Lafayette. Butler hosted in 1995 and in 2006.
 
Last Meeting vs. Purdue                                                                                     
Purdue led Butler by 10 at the half and would outscore BU by six over the final 20 minutes to record a 16-point win. The Bulldogs were led by Susan Lester's 14 points and Purdue's top option that day was former BU assistant coach FahKara Malone with 16 points.
 
Bulldog / Boilermaker Connection                                                    
Butler Head Coach Austin Parkinson played basketball at Purdue from 2001-2004. He appeared in 120 games, playing nearly 2,000 minutes. Parkinson was a point guard for the Boilers and dished out 386 assists during his time on campus to rank 14th in school history. His father, Bruce Parkinson, remains Purdue's all-time assist leader with 690! Bruce also ranks 36th all-time in scoring with 1,224 points.
 
WNIT History                                                                                          
The Bulldogs are playing in the WNIT for the eighth time in program history and with the win over Bowling Green they now enter the Second Round of the tournament for just the fourth time! Butler's first WNIT win also came against the Falcons in 1998. The 'Dawgs won at Duquesne in 2009 and recorded two wins in 2019 to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history.
 
Tournament Field                                                                                                 
The 2024 WNIT field features 11 automatic qualifiers and 37 at-large selections, chosen after consideration of a mix of criteria by WNIT officials. There are 24 teams with 20 or more victories in the bracket. Butler, Purdue, and Purdue Fort Wayne were all selected as at-large qualifiers from Indiana. Providence joins BU in the tournament field giving the BIG EAST a pair of teams in the postseason tournament.
 
Around the League                                                                                             
UConn, Creighton and Marquette all made the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. UConn will play as a No. 3 seed, Creighton heads into action as a No. 7 seed and Marquette made the cut as a No. 10 seed. The BIG EAST was also well represented in the inaugural Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT). Georgetown, St. John's, Seton Hall, and Villanova all secured postseason berths to the 32-team event.
 
BIG EAST Honors                                                                                                  
Caroline Strande was voted onto the All-BIG EAST Second Team by the conference head coaches and Riley Makalusky earned a spot on the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team. Strande is the first Bulldog to earn Second Team accolades since Tori Schickel in 2019. She joins Schickel (2x) and Daress McClung (2x) as the only Bulldogs to appear on the Second Team. Makalusky is the fifth BU rookie to be named to the All-Freshman Team.
 
Magic Number                                                                                       
60 is the magic number for the Bulldogs this season. The team is 11-5 when scoring 60 points or more and just 4-11 when scoring under 60 points. The same can be stated defensively as BU is 12-2 on the year when they hold opponents under 60 points. They are 3-14 when they allow 60 or more.
 
Sharpshooters                                                                                        
The top three, 3-point shooters in the BIG EAST Conference are all Butler Bulldogs. Caroline Strande leads the league in 3-point field goal percentage (46.9), Riley Makalusky ranks second (45.3) and Jordan Meulemans is close behind at third (43.6). Rachel Kent gives BU four players in the top seven with her 41.0 percentage from behind the arc. These four players account for 213 of Butler's 262 made 3-pointers this year (81%). Strande, Makalusky, and Meulemans will all etch their names into the BU record book with these percentages.
 
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.
 
Grab the Board                                                                                      
Caroline Strande is the top rebounding guard in the BIG EAST. She has led Butler in rebounding 22 times this season (31 games).
 
Up Next                                                                                                                  
The winner of the game between Butler and Purdue will face the winner of the Monmouth at Duquesne matchup. Monmouth advanced with a 68-58 win over Buffalo on Thursday night and the Dukes will host the action with their 20-12 overall record.