Butler and Marquette will go head-to-head on Saturday afternoon at the Al McGuire Center. The 4 p.m. tip (3 p.m. central) will air live on FS1.
 
Game Day
Date: Saturday, January 4, 2025
Time: 4:00 PM ET / 3:00 PM CT
Location: Milwaukee, Wis. - Al McGuire Center
Live Stats: GoMarquette.com
Watch: FS1
 
Bulldog Bits
- Butler's four-point setback at Creighton was their first game decided by five points or less this year.
- BU shot 82 percent from the free throw line at Creighton making 14 of their 17 attempts.
- It was the second time this season BU has made more than 80 percent of their free throw attempts.
- Butler outscored Creighton 40-32 in the second half.
- Butler shot 7-for-11 from the field in the third and fourth quarter (63%) at D.J. Sokol Arena.
- Lily Carmody paced the offense with a team-high 16 points.
- Carmody has scored in double figures three times over her last four games.
- Carmody was BU's best free throw shooter on Wednesday going 6-7 to set new career-high marks.
- The Bulldogs lead the league in free throw attempts (20.2) and free throws made (13.7) per game.
- Lily Zeinstra set career-high totals at Creighton with six rebounds and four assists.
- Kilyn McGuff leads the BIG EAST and ranks 18th in the nation in double-doubles (6).
- McGuff impacted the Creighton game with 15 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.
- McGuff went 3-for-3 from 3-point range in Omaha.
- McGuff leads the team and ranks fifth in the conference in rebounds per game (7.6).
- BU is third in the league in rebound margin (+3.0)
- Jaynes hit her sixth 3-pointer of the year in her last game, helping her score 11 points.
- Cristen Carter made four shots for the fourth time this season to net nine points vs. the Bluejays.
- Lily Carmody ranks fifth in the BIG EAST in steals.
- Butler leads the BIG EAST in bench points per game (26.9).
 
BIG EAST Standings
UConn 3-0, 12-2
Creighton 3-0, 11-3
Seton Hall 3-0, 11-3
Marquette 1-1, 9-4
Georgetown 1-1, 8-5
Villanova 1-1, 7-7
DePaul 1-1, 6-9
Providence 1-2, 8-8
Xavier 0-2, 5-8
St. John's 0-3, 10-4
Butler 0-3, 10-6
 
Scouting Marquette                                                                           
The Golden Eagles were defeated by #7 UConn on New Year's Day to move their overall record to 9-4. The setback moves the team to 1-1 in BIG EAST play. Marquette opened the conference slate with a 78-59 victory at DePaul on Dec. 29. Head Coach Cara Consuegra  has Marquette leading the league in blocked shots per game (4.8), defensive field goal percentage (34.6), rebound margin (+8.7), rebounds per game (41.8), and defensive 3-point field goal percentage (27.4). Skylar Forbes and Lee Volker are the top scoring options on the roster. Forbes shoots 43.6 percent from the field and averages a team-best 15.6 points per game while grabbing 6.8 rebounds a game. Volker holds the third-highest field goal percentage in the BIG EAST, connecting on 50 percent of her attempts. She averages 13.6 a game and also comes up with two steals per contest.
 
All-Time Series                                                                                                   
Marquette leads Butler in the all-time series 22-9. The first-ever meeting was a Bulldog victory back during the 1985-86 campaign. Marquette however swept the Bulldogs last year and have won nine-straight over BU.
 
Last Game vs. Marquette                                                                               
The Golden Eagles spoiled Butler's Senior Day last year by claiming a 74-52 win at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Butler only trailed by two at the half, but were outscored 39-19 in the second half to take the loss. Karsyn Norman led Butler with 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting. She went 2-for-2 from 3-point range while adding a pair of rebounds in 20 minutes of playing time. Ari Wiggins also played well off the bench with eight points, four rebounds, two assists and a team-high two steals vs. the Eagles. Marquette had four players score in double figures. They shot 45 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range (9-22).
 
Last Win at Marquette                                                                                     
Butler's last win at Marquette was one of the most significant victories in program history. The Bulldogs went up against #11 Marquette on Feb. 22, 2019 and left the Al McGuire Center with a 61-57 victory. BU outscored the home team 18-8 in the fourth quarter to pull off the upset. The team dished out 19 assists on 24 made field goals and saw four players score in double figures to find the win column. Tori Schickel led BU with 19 points and seven rebounds.
 
Bulldogs on FS1                                                                                                 
The Bulldogs have lost their last three FS1 games. Their last win on FS1 came on Jan. 20, 2019 when they defeated Creighton at D.J. Sokol Arena by the final score of 75-43. Their last win on national television came just one year ago on FS2. They defeated Xavier 84-46 on Feb. 21.
 
Strande To Miss Rest of the Season                                             
Caroline Strande left the Wisconsin game due to injury on Dec. 11 (ankle) and remained sidelined for the next two games. She returned to action against Seton Hall in the BIG EAST home opener on Dec. 29 and suffered a season-ending knee injury.
 
What's Missing?                                                                                                
Caroline Strande and Jordan Meulemans provided Butler with 710 points last year. Strande led the team with her 15.1 scoring average and was recognized as a Second Team All-BIG EAST selection at the end of the 2023-24 campaign. She became the first Bulldog in program history to lead her team in points, rebounds and assists during the same season. Meulemans also suffered a knee injury before the start of the regular season. She made 61 3-pointers last year, shooting 42 percent from behind the arc.
 
Upcoming Milestones                                                                                     
Kilyn McGuff needs six field goals on Saturday to reach 300 in her career. The Belmont transfer is also just four free throws shy of 200 and one steal away from 100. Karsyn Norman can reach 200 career points in Milwaukee with five against the Golden Eagles and Lily Zeinstra is just five away from 100.
 
18 3-Pointers                                                                                        
The Bulldogs set a single-game program record against Saint Francis by hitting 18 3-pointers. Eight different players made at least one 3-pointer and no Bulldog made more than four. As a team, BU shot 56.3 percent from behind the arc, making 18 of their 32 attempts. The old record of 16 was reached two times previously. BU hit 16 3-pointers at Georgetown on Jan. 11, 2014 and the 2023-24 team matched that effort with 16 against St. Thomas in game two of the Tiger Turkey Tip-Off.
 
Key to the Game                                                                                                
Marquette is the best rebounding team in the conference. They lead the league in rebound margin, offensive rebounds per game, defensive rebounds per game and total rebounds per game. Butler is just 1-4 this year when they are outrebounded by their opponent. Kilyn McGuff has led BU in rebounding 12 times, including the last two conference matchups. Karsyn Norman had a career-high seven rebounds in the last meeting vs. Marquette on Jan. 27. Riley Makalusky also set a career-high in that game with six boards vs. Marquette.
 
Schedule Swap                                                                                                  
Three of Butler's first four BIG EAST games this year were scheduled on the road, but after their FS1 game at Marquette on Jan. 4, the Bulldogs will host four of their next five opponents at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The only road game during that stretch is a short drive over to Cincinnati to play Xavier.
 
10 Wins                                                                                                                 
The Bulldogs reached 10 non-conference wins before the start of BIG EAST play for just the second time since joining conference. Butler went 6-2 in November and highlighted that stretch of action with a 56-46 home win over Indiana. The victory came in front of a record-setting crowd of 4,135 fans.
 
Up Next                                                                                                                 
Butler's first home game of 2025 will land on Wednesday, Jan. 8 when the Bulldogs host the Providence Friars at 7 p.m. The game will stream on FloSports.com.