 |
Bulldogs Begin Road Trip at Youngstown State Thursday
Feb. 1, 2006 THE TIP: Butler takes to the road for its most challenging road stretch of the Horizon League season, beginning a three-game, five-day trip Thursday night at Youngstown State (5-15, 1-8). Butler, winners of four of its last five contests, enters the game with a 10-9 (5-3) mark. Free video of the 5:15 p.m. tip will be available live at www.butlersports.com. THE SERIES: This is the 11th meeting between the Bulldogs and Youngstown State. After dropping the first four meetings against the Penguins, Butler has rebounded with six straight wins in the series. Butler leads 6-4 overall, but the teams have split four contests in Ohio. The Bulldogs took a 78-55 decision over YSU Dec. 29 in the Horizon League opener for both teams. ROAD WARRIORS: Butler is in the midst of a road stretch that has the team away from Hinkle Fieldhouse for five of six contests. The Bulldogs lost at UW-Green Bay Jan. 22 before topping IPFW in Fort Wayne and Wright State at home Saturday. After Thursday's game at Youngstown State, the team travels to Cleveland State Saturday and Detroit Monday. Jackie Closser leads the Bulldogs with an average of 15.1 ppg away from Hinkle Fieldhouse. Ellen Hamilton shoots 54 percent from three-point range on the road. BOMBS AWAY: Junior Jackie Closser netted a career-high 25 points in Saturday's 71-67 win over Wright State behind six three-pointers. The six treys tied a personal-best for the 5-5 guard. Closser continues to lead the Horizon League with an average of 3.06 three-pointers made per game. That's the 10th-best mark in the nation.
OFFENSIVE BEHAVIOR: Butler is scoring at a 70.1 point-per-game clip so far this season, the second-best mark in the Horizon League (trailing only UW-Green Bay at 71.5). The Bulldogs boast three of the top seven scorers in the Horizon League in Jackie Closser (15.1), Ellen Hamilton (14.5) and Lade Akande (14.2). The trio ranks 4-6-7 in the league standings. SHOTS RANG OUT: Junior Ellen Hamilton went 7-of-10 from the field Saturday against Wright State, including 3-of-6 from three-point range. In addition to her 20 points, Hamilton added four assists against no turnovers. She leads the Horizon League and ranks fifth nationally with .482 accuracy from three-point range. Hamilton is averaging 18.5 ppg over her last six contests. STARTING OVER: Sophomore Cassie Freeman has been re-energized by her return to the starting line-up. Since being re-inserted into line-up seven games ago, Freeman is averaging 8.0 ppg and 6.3 rpg, while shooting 54 percent from three-point range. She had 10 points and a career-high seven assists Saturday against Wright State. DIALED IN: Butler has moved to the top of the Horizon League and remains among the national leaders in long distance proficiency. The Bulldogs lead the Horizon League in three-point percentage (.400) and three-pointers per game (7.9). Butler ranks fifth among the NCAA's 324 institutions in three-pointers made and seventh in trey percentage. Butler went 9-of-18 from three-point range Saturday, the seventh time this season shooting 50 percent or better. STUFFING THE STATSHEET: Senior Stephanie Boeke had career-highs of 11 rebounds and eight assists against no turnovers in 35 minutes of play against IPFW Jan. 25. Boeke ranks in the Horizon League top 10 in assist/turnover ratio (1.81, third), rebounding (6.8, fourth), offensive rebounding (2.3, sixth), assists (3.0, eighth) and blocks (0.7, ninth). NO. 300: Butler head coach Beth Couture hit the 300 milestone for career wins Jan. 18 with the Bulldogs' 85-72 triumph over Loyola at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The first 258 wins of Couture's career came at Presbyterian College. In her fourth season at Butler, Couture has averaged better than 18 wins per season in her 17 campaigns as a head coach. DOING THE DISHES: Junior Jackie Closser continues to lead the Horizon League in assists at 5.4 per game and dishes out 6.1 in league games. She's moved into ninth place on Butler's career assists list with 274. Closser is 25th in the NCAA in assists and hasn't had a game this season with more turnovers than assists. `BOARD' OUT OF THEIR MINDS: Freshman Lade Akande ranks second in the Horizon League at 7.9 boards per game. She's followed by Stephanie Boeke (6.8, fourth) and Cassie Freeman (4.9, 14th). THREE-POINT SHOOTOUT: Junior Jackie Closser continues to lead the Horizon League with an average of 3.06 three-pointers per game. That also places her 10th in the nation in treys made. Junior Ellen Hamilton is right on her heels (2.84 per game, 16th nationally). The duo combined for nine three-pointers Saturday against Wright State, and a total of 20 in the two games this season against the Raiders. Closser and Hamilton rank 2-3 in Butler's career three-pointers list. Hamilton is averaging a league-best 3.38 treys per game in league action. HANDLE WITH CARE: Butler committed just 11 turnovers Saturday against Wright State, while handing out assists on 19 of the team's 24 field goals. YOU WANT ME ON THAT LINE...YOU NEED ME ON THAT LINE: Butler allowed Wright State just one three-point field goal Saturday, as the Raiders went 1-of-12 (.083) from behind the arc. The Bulldogs' last three opponents have combined for only six treys, knocking down only 15 percent of their long range attempts. During the same three-game span, Butler has hit 25 three-pointers on 41-percent accuracy. QUICK SHOTS: Lade Akande leads the Horizon League in blocked shots at 1.53 per game...the Bulldogs are 9-1 when shooting a better field goal percentage than their opponent and 8-1 when leading at the half...sophomore Candace Bain got the second start of her Butler career Saturday and responded with a career-high three steals...Ellen Hamilton (Jan. 16) joined Jackie Closser (Dec. 5) and Lade Akande (Dec. 26) in winning the Horizon League's Player of the Week honor. The only other season when three different Bulldogs earned the distinction was the 1996-97 season. WE'RE GOING STREAKING: The Bulldogs opened the second half of both games against Wright State with impressive runs (10-2 Saturday for a 14-point lead and 13-2 Jan. 14 to turn a two-point halftime deficit into a nine-point lead)...Butler has hit at least one three-pointer in 143 straight games, dating back to Feb. 1, 2001. AGAINST THE PENGUINS: Butler has won six straight games against Youngstown State...Beth Couture is 6-2 against YSU as Butler's head coach...during Butler's current six-game winning streak against the Penguins, the margin of victory is 23.3 points at Hinkle Fieldhouse, but drops to only 9.0 in the two contests at the Beeghly Center and one on a neutral court...senior Stephanie Boeke had a career-high 14 points at Youngstown State Feb. 12, 2005...Butler held YSU to 32-percent shooting, including 1-of-14 from behind the arc, in the Bulldogs' 78-55 win Dec. 29...Jackie Closser and Lade Akande led the Bulldogs with 17 points apiece. MILLER TIME: Butler announced that 2005 Indiana All-Star Tara Miller has joined the Butler program. Miller transfers to the Bulldogs from Indiana University. The 5-10 guard from Ramsey, Ind. (North Harrison) will have 2.5 seasons of eligibility beginning after the first semester of the 2006-07 season. She began practice with the team Jan. 17, the first day of classes this semester. WORTHLESS STAT OF THE DAY: Junior Jackie Closser is shooting almost identical marks from inside and outside the three-point line. Closser shoots .400 (24-60) inside the arc and .399 (55-138) behind it. |
