Bulldogs Take 1-1 League Record to Wisconsin This Weekend

Jan. 7, 2004

WHAT'S ON TAP: Butler (4-8) enters today's game after dropping a 69-53 decision to UW-Green Bay Saturday at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The loss leveled the Bulldogs' conference record at 1-1. UW-Milwaukee (4-7) comes into today's game off a home loss to Marquette Tuesday. Senior Maria Viall led the Panthers with 15 points, as Marquette fought back from a ten-point halftime deficit to get a 58-55 win.

MILWAUKEE'S BEST: The Panthers (4-7) are led by league preseason "Player of the Year" Maria Viall. The 6-3 center is averaging 18.5 ppg and 9.9 rpg. The Panthers' freshman backcourt of Aubrey Hampton and Kiley Johnson is highlighted by Johnson's .409 mark from long range. Coach Sandy Botham is in her eighth year on the UW-Milwaukee sidelines.

AGAINST THE PANTHERS: Butler has dropped the last six match-ups against UW-Milwaukee, including two games last season. Today's game is the 20th meeting between the two schools, with the Panthers owning a slight 10-9 advantage. Butler's last win came Feb. 5, 2000, when the Bulldogs downed the Panthers, 82-74, at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The two teams first met March 11, 1982, in the MAIAW Regional Tournament.

LAST TIME OUT: The Bulldogs led UW-Green Bay, 30-27, at the half before the Phoenix used 71 percent second-half shooting to storm back and drop the Bulldogs, 69-53, Saturday at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Nancy Bowden led the Bulldogs with 15 points and seven assists. Freshman Nicole Soulis posted career highs of 25 points and 11 rebounds for the Phoenix.

QUICK SHOTS: Butler's 3-3 record in December was the team's first month since February, 2000, that the team didn't post a losing record. That breaks a string of 16 consecutive losing months....Butler is 3-1 when Ellen Hamilton scores eight or more points...The Bulldogs loss to UW-Green Bay Saturday was the first time this season Butler had lost after having the lead at halftime. The Bulldogs were 3-0 in similar situations prior to the game with the Phoenix.

WHY SETTLE FOR TWO WHEN YOU CAN HAVE THREE: Freshmen Jackie Closser and Ellen Hamilton have attempted a combined 105 shots this season, with 81 of those attempts coming from behind the arc. That's 77 percent of their attempts. For the season, Hamilton is knocking down 37 percent (18-49) of her bombs, while Closser hits 31 percent (10-32) of her shots from deep.

LEADING THE DOGS: Senior Nancy Bowden has led the team in assists in 11 of the team's 12 games so far this season, while fellow senior Dionne Goodwin has pulled down the most boards on 10 occasions, including the last nine games.

GIVE AND TAKE: Not only does senior Nancy Bowden lead the Horizon League in assists, steals and individual assist/turnover ratio, but her 6.2 assists per game are good for 18th nationally, while her 3.3 steals per contest are tied for 25th in the NCAA.

NICE JOB ROOKIE: Freshman Jackie Closser has recorded 10 points in three straight games for the Bulldogs after scoring a total of 18 points in Butler's first nine games. The Alexandria, Ind., native has seen increased minutes at the shooting guard spot since Lisa Pryor's season-ending knee injury occurred Dec. 9. In the Bulldogs last three games, Closser has averaged 21 minutes per game after seeing limited time as Nancy Bowden's backup earlier in the season.

WE'RE GOING STEAKING: Nancy Bowden has scored in double figures in nine of the team's 12 games, including four of the last five...Butler's bench has out-scored the opponent's reserves in seven straight games and has been out-done by only one team (Eastern Michigan) this season.

WEEKNIGHTS WORK BEST FOR US: The Bulldogs are 4-4 when the tip is scheduled after 5 p.m., compared to 0-4 when playing at night. Butler is also winless on the weekends (0-6 on Saturday and Sunday), while posting a 4-2 record during the week.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS: Senior Nancy Bowden moved into fourth on the Bulldogs' career assists list with her 10 helpers Dec. 6 at Valparaiso. She currently has 421 for her career. The Cincinnati, Ohio, product is also fourth on Butler's career steals list with 238 in her three-plus years at Butler.

MAKING THE MOST OF THEIR TIME: Sophomores Jessica Monaco and Maria Marchesano have been instant offense for the Bulldogs so far this season. Monaco is averaging 4.8 ppg in only 11.3 minutes per contest, while Marchesano gets 3.0 points in 5.8 minutes per appearance. Their 20.1 and 17.9 points, respectively, prorated over 40 minutes lead the Bulldogs.

LEAGUE HONORS BOWDEN: Senior Nancy Bowden was named the Horizon League's "Player of the Week" for the week of Dec. 15. Bowden tied a career high with 22 points on 7-of-9 shooting in Butler's win over Evansville Dec. 9. She had 11 assists.

PRYOR DONE FOR THE YEAR: Senior Lisa Pryor tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her left knee in the first half of Butler's Dec. 9 game against Evansville. She is out for the year. Pryor tore the ACL in her right knee 12 games into the 2001-02 season. The Columbus, Ohio, native was averaging 7.6 points per game and started Butler's first eight contests.