Bulldogs Look to Start New Winning Streak at CSU Saturday

Feb. 6, 2004

THE TIP: Butler (8-12, 4-5 Horizon) travels to Cleveland, Ohio, for a key league battle against Cleveland State. The match-up against the league-leading Vikings (10-10, 7-2) concludes a three-game road trip for the Bulldogs. The tip at the CSU Convocation Center is set for 7 p.m. The Bulldogs are looking to rebound from a loss Thursday at Detroit. The game will be broadcast live on www.butlersports.com.

BULLDOG UPDATE: The Bulldogs enter Thursday's game with a 4-5 league record, which currently places them in fifth place in the standings. Butler had its three-game winning streak snapped Thursday at Detroit. The Bulldogs had no players in double figures in the 55-49 loss to the Titans. Butler continues to improve on the defensive side of the ball, as they held Detroit to 40 percent shooting Thursday.

AGAINST THE VIKINGS: Butler and Cleveland State meet for the 18th time Saturday, with the Bulldogs owning a 10-7 advantage, but the Vikings have a 5-4edge at Cleveland. The teams split the season series last season, with each team winning at home in games that were played three days apart. Their first meeting was Jan. 28, 1995.

BREAKING DOWN CLEVELAND STATE: The Vikings enter Saturday's contest with the Bulldogs in a virtual tie for the league lead. Cleveland State is one of three teams with only two league losses (along with UW-Green Bay and Detroit). Seniors Shannon Sword and Ashley Schrock average a combined 32 points per game for the Vikings, who are 5-0 in home league games this season. Coach Kate Peterson is in her first season on the Cleveland State sidelines.

LAST TIME OUT (DETROIT 55, BUTLER 49; FEB. 5, 2004, DETROIT, MICH.): Butler held Detroit's Lindsey Pasquinzo scoreless until the senior knocked down consecutive three-pointers with five minutes to play to give the host Titans a 47-42 lead. Detroit would hold on for a 55-49 win. The Bulldogs had no one in double figures, as four players led the team with nine points apiece. Nicole Anaejionu led the Titans with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Butler shot 34 percent for the game and committed 18 turnovers.

AT THE BREAK: The Bulldogs have led at the half in nine of their last ten games after having the halftime edge in only two of their first ten games this season. However, the Bulldogs are only 6-5 in those 11 games where they take the lead into the intermission.

OFF THE BENCH: Thursday's loss to Detroit was just the fourth time this season that the Bulldogs' bench was out-scored by the opponents'. Butler has lost all four of those games. The Bulldogs' bench has out-scored the opponents' in 15 of the team's 20 games (Wisconsin and Butler's bench each had 13 points Nov. 29), including all eight wins.

GIVE AND TAKE: Through the games of Feb. 2, senior Nancy Bowden's 3.7 steals per contest are second in the NCAA, while her 6.7 assists per game are good for 12th nationally. Bowden is one of only three players in the nation who is in the top 15 in both steals and assists. She leads the Horizon League in assists, steals and assist/turnover ratio (1.74). In fact, Bowden has nearly stolen the ball from the other team (72) more than she's turned it over herself (73).

QUICK SHOTS: Ellen Hamilton is now 28th in the league in scoring, one of only six freshmen among the league's leaders...Chattanooga is on a 17-game winning streak since losing to Butler Nov. 28 (79-73, in the Sonesta-Coconut Grove Thanksgiving Classic). The Lady Mocs have lost to only two teams this season: Butler and top-ranked Tennessee...The Bulldogs have not hit the 70-point plateau since their 89-point performance in the Dec. 9 win against Evansville.

THE HOME STRETCH: While the Bulldogs' two remaining games against first-place Cleveland State will be extremely tough, Butler's schedule down the stretch is statistically the easiest among the league's nine schools. The Bulldogs' last seven games come against four opponents (two each against Cleveland State, Loyola and UIC, and one game against Youngstown State). Those four opponents average 4.0 league wins apiece. Detroit's six remaining games come against opponents that average 4.7 league wins apiece, the second-most lenient schedule in the league.

WE'RE GOING STREAKING: Butler has held each of its last six opponents under 41 percent shooting. Thirteen of the Bulldogs' first 14 opponents shot better than 45 percent from the field. For the first time all season, Butler's field goal percentage defense has crept under 45 percent (.449)...The Bulldogs have won two straight Saturday games after opening the season 0-7 on Saturdays...The Bulldogs are 3-1 when junior Cortney Urquhart leads the team in scoring. The 6-2 center had 16 points in both contests against the Vikings last season.

FIRST DATES: The Bulldogs have concluded their regular season series with Detroit, Wright State, UW-Green Bay and UW-Milwaukee before playing three league opponents once. The Bulldogs have yet to play Cleveland State, UIC or Loyola (and still have one game remaining with Youngstown State). However, it could be worse for the Bulldogs. Last season, the Bulldogs were forced to play Cleveland State in back-to-back games during the middle of the season.

DEEP THREATS: Freshmen Jackie Closser and Ellen Hamilton each nailed three bombs against Detroit, with five of those six three-pointers coming in the second half. Both players have hit five threes in a single game. Hamilton's .407 three-point percentage is fourth in the Horizon League, while her 1.75 threes per game are third. Closser is also among the league's top 15 in percentage and threes made per game.

SHE'S GOING THE DISTANCE: Senior Nancy Bowden played the entire 40 minutes of Thursday's loss at Detroit, the first game this season void of electronic media timeouts. Bowden has played all 165 minutes of the team's last four games. She hasn't gone to the bench eight times this season. The Bulldogs are 4-4 in those games.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS: Senior Nancy Bowden currently sits in fourth place on the Bulldogs' all-time assists charts with 474 for her career. Her next hurdle will be Barb Skinner (509 assists from 1980-83). The Cincinnati, Ohio, native is also fourth on Butler's career steals list. Bowden has 271 steals in her three-plus years at Butler, 31 short of Skinner's 302, which currently ranks third in Butler history. Bowden is also fourth in career free throw attempts (448) and fifth in minutes played (3,136). Mary Majewski (1990-93) holds the Butler record, playing 3,607 career minutes.

GAME TIME ANNOUNCED: The tip for the Butler-UIC game on Feb. 21 has been set at 5:30 p.m. (CST, 6:30 p.m. Indianapolis time). The game will follow the UIC men's Bracket Buster game against UNC-Wilmington at the UIC Pavilion.

STARTING OUT: The starting five against Youngstown State Jan. 21 was the sixth different starting lineup used by coach Beth Couture...Eight different players have started games this season, including senior Nancy Bowden, who has started all 20...When freshman Ellen Hamilton (Greenfield, Ind./Greenfield Central) replaced the injured Lisa Pryor in the starting lineup against Miami (Ohio), it was the first time an Indiana native had cracked the Bulldogs' starting lineup this season.