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Bulldogs Head to Cleveland for Last Regular Season Road Contest
Feb. 22, 2005 Click here for a full PDF version of the game notes. THE TIP: With just two games remaining in the regular season, Butler travels to Cleveland State (3-22, 2-12 Horizon League) Thursday for a 7 p.m. tip. The Bulldogs are looking for the first of two wins this week that would end the regular season with a winning overall record and a .500 mark in Horizon League play. Butler (12-13, 6-8) dropped the Vikings, 78-57, three weeks ago at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Cleveland State will provide a live Internet broadcast and stats through Gametracker. THE SERIES: Butler and Cleveland State meet for the 22nd time Thursday, with the Bulldogs owning a 13-8 series advantage and a three-game series winning streak. The Vikings have won six of 11 contests in Cleveland, however Butler won its last trip to Ohio, 69-59, in the quarterfinals of the 2004 Horizon League Tournament. The teams first met Jan. 28, 1995.
BULLDOGS LIVE ON THE WEB: Josh Rattray and Melinda Quasius are once again courtside this season, providing live audio of Butler basketball on www.butlersports.com. Links are available on the site's women's basketball page. A video stream is available for home games. COACH COUTURE: In her third season on the Butler sidelines and 16th season overall, coach Beth Couture brings a career record of 290-168 (.633) and a 32-51 (.386) mark at Butler into tonight's contest. Couture spent 13 years as the head coach at Presbyterian College, a Division II school in Clinton, S.C., before arriving at Butler. She is 4-2 against CSU. THREE'S COMPANY: The Bulldogs lead the Horizon League with an average of 7.3 three-pointers made per game. With at least three games to play this season, the team is just four treys short of the team record of 186 set during the 2001-02 season. In conference action, the Bulldogs lead the league in three-point percentage (.377) and three-pointers made (7.6 per game). Of the Bulldogs' 1,499 points scored this season, 36 percent (546 points) have come off three-pointers. The Bulldogs are tenth in the nation in three-pointers made. `CLOSS'ING IN: Sophomore Jackie Closser is just two three-pointers away from matching Butler's single-season trey record of 64, set by current senior Maria Marchesano in 2001-02. Her 62 threes are the second-best total in school history. Closser leads the Horizon League with her 2.48 treys per game average and is third in the circuit with a .434 three-point percentage. Closser ranks 14th in the nation in three-point percentage and 27th nationally in three-pointers made. DEUCES WILD FOR HAMILTON: Sophomore Ellen Hamilton scored a career-high 22 points Saturday against UIC, hitting four three-pointers and all six of her free throws en route to her career day. The game comes on the heels of a 17-point performance Feb. 17 at Loyola. Hamilton has hit 10 of 19 three-point attempts over the last three games. She is second on the team with her 11.2 ppg scoring average. Hamilton leads the Horizon League in free throw shooting with a .882 (60-68) mark. CHARITABLE BEHAVIOR: For the second time this season, Butler was perfect from the free throw line Saturday. The Bulldogs knocked down all eight attempts against UIC, highlighted by Ellen Hamilton's 6-of-6 performance. Butler was also perfect from the line Jan. 15 at Detroit, but had only three charity tosses in the contest. While Butler was perfect from the line, the Flames got there more often Saturday, hitting 15 of 23 attempts. On the season, the Bulldogs shoot 72 percent from the free throw line, good for fourth in the Horizon League. In conference contests, Butler shoots a league-best .759. MARCHESANO ON THE MARK: Senior Maria Marchesano moved into second place on Butler's career three-pointers made list Feb. 9 at UIC, passing Jennifer Marlow (1996-99) and her 128 career treys. Marchesano currently has 134 three-pointers and trails only Debbie Benziger's (1995-98) standard of 167 treys. Marchesano entered the campaign with 87 bombs and in seventh place, but her sharp-shooting has netted 47 treys and a quick rise up the rankings. Sophomores Jackie Closser and Ellen Hamilton are in the sixth and ninth spots with 97 and 91 three-pointers, respectively. URQUHART CLIMBING THE CHARTS: Earlier this season, senior Cortney Urquhart became just the 16th Butler women's basketball player to eclipse 1,000 career points, passing the milestone against Youngstown State Jan. 20. Currently, her 1,114 career points are 12th in Butler history. She is also eighth in Butler history in both rebounds (654) and blocks (63). Urquhart was recognized as a preseason second-team "All-Horizon League" selection this season. WE'RE GOING STREAKING: The Bulldogs have won four of their last six games...the Bulldogs have made at least one three-pointer in 121 straight games, dating back to Feb. 1, 2001...senior Cortney Urquhart has scored in double figures in six straight games...Ellen Hamilton averaged 19.5 ppg in the team's two contests last week. QUICK SHOTS: Senior Maria Marchesano netted her 500th career point Saturday against UIC, while sophomore Ellen Hamilton is four tallies short of the same milestone...junior forward Gina Grussing will miss the remainder of the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, suffered in practice Jan. 30...Saturday's game against UIC had seven ties and seven lead changes...Saturday's game against UIC was the fifth time this season that four Bulldogs scored in double figures. HIGH FIVE: With either a Butler win or Loyola loss in each team's final two regular season games, Butler will lock up the fifth seed in the upcoming Horizon League Tournament. Butler has six wins with two games remaining and the four teams above the Bulldogs have at least nine wins. Butler holds the tiebreaker over Detroit and Youngstown State, who can each get to six wins, by sweeping the season series against both teams. If Loyola wins its two remaining games and Butler loses its last two games, the teams would be tied at 6-10 with each team winning once in the season series. Loyola would own the tiebreaker with its win over UIC Dec. 23. Butler will travel to either Wright State or UIC to open the tournament Thursday, March 3. MARATHON WOMAN: Sophomore Jackie Closser has played the entire game on 10 occasions, including both of the Bulldogs' overtime contests this season. Averaging 37.7 minutes per game, Closser has already logged 942 minutes this season. With at least three games to play this season, Closser is just eight minutes out of tenth place on Butler's single-season chart. PLAYER OF THE YEAR?: UW-Green Bay's Abby Scharlow was selected the Horizon League preseason "Player of the Year," but Jackie Closser has matched her point-for-point through 14 league games. Both players have scored 158 points (11.3 ppg) and dished out 76 assists (5.4 apg). Scharlow has two more steals and shoots better from the field, but Closser holds advantages in minutes played, three-pointers made and free throw percentage. A LOOK AT THE VIKINGS: Cleveland State enters Thursday's contest with an overall record of 3-22 and a Horizon League mark of 2-12. The Vikings have lost 12 of their last 13 games. Junior Erin Martin is the only CSU player averaging double figures with 12.8 ppg, while Omega Harrington and Mandy Sichting each score better than seven per outing. The team gives up a league-worst 74.8 ppg. Coach Kate Peterson is in her second season on the CSU sidelines. FIRST TIME AROUND (BU 78, CSU 57): Butler used a 46-18 advantage in points in the paint to post its largest scoring output of the season and take a 78-57 win over visiting Cleveland State Feb. 5. Cortney Urquhart had 18 points and Ashley Brenden scored a career-high 17. NEXT UP: Butler returns to Hinkle Fieldhouse for Senior Day and the regular season finale Saturday against Loyola. The 3 p.m. tip is the second game of a Butler basketball doubleheader with the Bulldogs' three seniors being honored prior to the tip. NUMBER TO WATCH: Points in the paint. Butler held a 46-18 advantage in points in the paint in the first meeting with Cleveland State. Butler's post players combined for 35 points and 14-of-21 shooting. WORTHLESS STAT OF THE DAY: The Bulldogs are 6-7 when the bench scores more points than the opponent's and 6-6 when Butler's bench scores fewer points than the opponent's. |
