Bulldogs Take on Penguins Wednesday Night

Jan. 20, 2004

WHAT'S ON TAP: Butler (5-11, 1-4 Horizon) travels to Ohio to face the Penguins of Youngstown State as the first game of a men's/women's doubleheader Wednesday.

BULLDOG UPDATE: The Bulldogs enter Wednesday's game after losing to Detroit Saturday at Hinkle Fieldhouse. After winning their first league game Dec. 30 against Wright State, the Bulldogs have dropped four straight conference match-ups, with a non-league win against IUPUI mixed in there.

BREAKING DOWN YOUNGSTOWN STATE: The Penguins (1-15, 0-6) won their first game of the season, but have dropped 15 consecutive decisions, including six in league play. Junior Jessica Olmstead leads the Penguins with 10.5 ppg and 6.2 rpg. Head coach Tisha Hill is in her first year on the Penguins' bench.

AGAINST THE PENGUINS: Butler and Youngstown State meet for the sixth time Wednesday, with the Penguins owning a 4-1 advantage in a series that only dates back two years when YSU joined the Horizon League. The Bulldogs won the last meeting between the two teams, a 77-71 outcome in the opening round of the 2003 Horizon League Tournament at Green Bay, Wis.

QUICK SHOTS: Angel Mason's 11 free throws made and 13 free throws attempted Saturday against Detroit were both season-highs for the Bulldogs, while the Bulldogs' 26 FTM and 33 FTA were also team season-highs...For the second game in a row, Jackie Closser and Dionne Goodwin were the only reserves to see more than six minutes of action Saturday...Butler's 23 turnovers Saturday were the most by the Bulldogs this season.

GOING ON THE OFFENSIVE: Senior Angel Mason has averaged 15.7 ppg over the team's last three games after reaching double figures only once (11 points at Bradley, Dec. 3) in the team's first 13 games. Mason's 19 points against Detroit Saturday set a new career high for the Evanston, Ill., native.

OFF THE BENCH: For just the third time this season, the Bulldogs' bench was out-scored by Detroit Saturday. The Titans had ten players see double-digit minutes en route to a 16-8 scoring advantage for their reserves. The Bulldogs are 0-3 in games when their bench has been out-scored.

A HAND IN ALMOST EVERYTHING: Senior Nancy Bowden has either scored (54) or assisted (97) on 151 of the Bulldogs' 361 field goals this season. That means that Bowden has had a hand in 42 percent of Butler's makes this season.

LEAGUE LEADER: Senior Nancy Bowden leads the Horizon League in assists (6.1), steals (3.4) and assist/turnover ratio (1.73).

GIVE AND TAKE: Not only does senior Nancy Bowden lead the Horizon League in assists, steals and individual assist/turnover ratio, but her 6.1 assists per game are good for 17th nationally, while her 3.4 steals per contest are tied for 19th in the NCAA.

WE'RE GOING STEAKING: Butler has held its last three opponents to combined 16-of-71 (23 percent) three-point shooting...In the Bulldogs' six league games, freshmen Ashley Brenden (19.2), Jackie Closser (18.0) and Ellen Hamilton (23.4) are all averaging more minutes per game than they did in non-league play. The rookies average a combined 60.6 minutes against Horizon League foes, compared to the 41.1 minutes of action they saw in the team's 11 non-conference games.

WEDNESDAY AT 5:15 SOUNDS GOOD: The Bulldogs are 0-8 in games played Saturday or Sunday and 0-6 in games played before 5 p.m. While that is encouraging, the Bulldogs are 0-3 as part of men's/women's doubleheaders this season.

INSTANT OFFENSE: Sophomore Maria Marchesano is averaging nearly a point for every two minutes she is on the court this season (2.4 ppg in 4.9 mpg). Her 19.6 points per 40 minutes leads the Bulldogs, while Jessica Monaco's 16.8 points per 40 minutes (4.8 ppg in 11.4 mpg) are good for second on the team.

TOUGH START: While the Bulldogs' 1-4 league start is not ideal, Butler's four losses (two to UW-Green Bay, one each to UW-Milwaukee and Detroit) have come at the hands of the teams with the three highest RPIs. The Bulldogs' RPI is fifth in the Horizon League, ahead of Wright State, UIC and Loyola, who have combined for seven league wins.

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 444 for her career. The Cincinnati, Ohio, product is also fourth on Butler's career steals list with 253 in her three-plus years at Butler.

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 HAS KNEE SURGERY: Senior Lisa Pryor had successful surgery Jan. 8 to repair the torn ACL in her left knee, suffered Dec. 9 against Evansville. She is out for the year. Pryor tore the ACL in her right knee 12 games into the 2001-02 season. Because she appeared in eight games this season, she is not eligible for a medical redshirt.