Saturday Matinee Sends Butler to Xavier

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The Butler women’s basketball team will be in the Queen City this weekend to play the Xavier Musketeers. Winners of two-straight, the Bulldogs will face their rival at the Cintas Center for a 2 p.m. tip. Fans can stream the action on FloSports.com.
 
Game Day
Date: Saturday, January 18, 2025
Time: 2:00 PM ET
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio – Cintas Center
Live Stats: GoXavier.com
Watch: FloSports.com – BEDN
 
Bulldog Bits
– Butler used an 8-0 second quarter scoring run against Georgetown to help take control of the game.
– BU limited Georgetown to just 11 points in the second and fourth quarters on Tuesday night.
– Butler led Georgetown by six at halftime and are now 9-1 on the year when they lead after 20 minutes.
– BU opened the fourth quarter on a 7-0 run vs. GU.
– Kilyn McGuff led Butler to victory with a team-high 18 points, five rebounds, and four assists.
– McGuff tied career-high totals in made 3-pointers (4), assists (4) and blocks (2) in her last game.
– McGuff leads the BIG EAST and ranks 27th in the nation in double-doubles (7).
– McGuff leads the team and ranks fourth in the conference in rebounds per game (7.9).
– BU is third in the league in rebound margin (+3.7).
– Butler crushed Georgetown in rebounding 35-20.
– Sydney Jaynes scored six-straight points for BU in her last game, helping her end the game with 11.
– Jaynes is averaging 10.2 points per game since becoming a starter (12/29).
– Lily Zeinstra and Cristen Carter were each 3-for-3 from the field against the Hoyas.
– BU ranks third in the league in field goal percentage (43.1) and fourth in scoring offense (66.3).
– Butler made eight 3-pointers vs. GU, posting their highest total against a BIG EAST team this year.
– Karsyn Norman made multiple 3-pointers in a game for the third time this season vs. Georgetown.
– Butler leads the BIG EAST in bench points per game (24.3).
– Lily Carmody tied career-high totals with seven rebounds and two blocks vs. the Hoyas.
– Jocelyn Land logged 12 minutes of playing time vs. GU, her most against any BIG EAST foe this year.
 
BIG EAST Standings
UConn 7-0, 16-2
Creighton 6-0, 14-3
Seton Hall 5-1, 13-4
DePaul 4-2, 9-10
Marquette 3-3, 11-6
Villanova 3-3, 9-9
Butler 2-4, 12-7
Providence 2-5, 9-11
St. John’s 1-5, 11-6
Georgetown 1-5, 8-9
Xavier 0-6, 5-12
 
Scouting Xavier                                                                                                  
The Musketeers are still searching for their first conference win of the season after taking a 51-45 loss at Providence on Wednesday. Xavier outscored PC 20-10 in the second quarter to earn a halftime lead, but the Friars won the second half 27-19. Aizhanique Mayo and Loren Christie combined to score 25 points for Xavier. Two other Musketeers to keep an eye on are Meri Kanerva and Tae’lor Purvis. Kanerva averages a team-best 10.2 points per game. Purvis joins her as the only other player to start in every game this year.
 
All-Time Series                                                                                                   
Butler leads the all-time series against Xavier 33-21. The Bulldogs swept the Musketeers last year with a 90-57 win in Cincinnati followed by an 84-46 victory at Hinkle Fieldhouse. BU also swept Xavier in 2022-23.
 
Last Game vs. The Musketeers                                                                    
Butler beat Xavier 84-46 on FS2 last year. The Bulldogs never trailed in the contest to collect their fourth-straight win. BU knocked down 15 3-pointers in the win, shooting 46 percent from behind the arc. A seven-point halftime lead expanded to double figures once BU outscored Xavier 26-7 in the third quarter. They kept their foot on the gas in the fourth to outscore Xavier 27-15. Five different Bulldogs hit at least two 3-pointers in the win. Caroline Strande led the team with 17 points and Riley Makalusky added 13. Ari Wiggins went 3-for-3 from 3-point range and dished out a team-high six assists.
 
Focused On Free Throws                                                                                
The Bulldogs have made 42 of their last 49 free throw attempts, shooting 85.7 percent over their last four games. BU went 7-for-9 from the line in their last game against Georgetown setting season-low marks for both makes and attempts this year. The team still leads the league in free throw attempts per game (18.7) and free throws made per game (13.0).
 
A First for Butler Women’s Basketball                                                       
The Butler women’s basketball game against UConn set for Saturday, Feb. 22 is officially sold out! The final home game of the regular season will set a new program single-game attendance record with more than 9,000 fans expected to be at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
 
Winner-Winner                                                                                                  
The Bulldogs have won back-to-back games for the first time since early December when they defeated UT Martin (Dec. 5) and Ohio (Dec. 8). A win at Xavier would give them three-in-a-row, and would mark the third time this season BU has defeated three-straight opponents. It would also be their longest winning streak since last February when Butler won vs. St. John’s, at Providence, at Villanova and vs. Xavier (Feb. 9-21).
 
McGuff Minutes                                                                                                 
Kilyn McGuff is closing in on 3,000 career minutes in her collegiate career. She heads into the weekend with 2,980 after playing 39 minutes against Georgetown. Those 39 minutes were her highest total of any game that didn’t include overtime. McGuff has logged 618 minutes of playing time this year, nearly 200 more minutes than the next highest Bulldog!
 
Milestone Markers                                                                                            
Karsyn Norman is six rebounds shy of 100 in her career and fellow point guard Ari Wiggins is five field goals away from 100 in her career. Wiggins has made 20 3-pointers during her time at Butler after not making one in 37 games at Michigan. Her next defensive rebound will also push her career total to 100.
 
‘Dawgs Playing D                                                                                               
The Bulldogs are now 8-1 when they keep their opponent under 60 points. They limited Indiana to 46 points, Santa Clara to 50, Providence to 47, and recently kept Georgetown to just 53. Butler’s 10-point win over the Hoyas made the team 7-1 in games decided by 6-10 points.
 
What’s Missing?                                                                                                
Caroline Strande and Jordan Meulemans are both out for the rest of the season. Meulemans was sidelined just days before Butler’s first game and Strande suffered a season-ending injury on Dec. 29 vs. Seton Hall. Strande was a Second Team All-BIG EAST selection last year and became the first Bulldog in program history to lead the team in points, rebounds and assists during the same season. Meulemans made 61 3-pointers last year, shooting 42 percent from behind the arc.
 
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.
 
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 BIG EAST Road Trip game is upcoming with the Bulldogs hosting the Creighton Bluejays on Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. The BIG EAST Road Trip will feature two hours of pre-game entertainment and activities, including free throw challenges, spirit squad and mascot appearances, and photo opportunities with the BIG EAST championship trophy. All activities will be open to students, alumni, and fans, providing an inclusive and exciting gameday atmosphere.