Bulldogs Host UIC Thursday as Teams Battle for Position

Feb. 11, 2004

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THE TIP: Butler (8-13, 4-6 Horizon) returns to Hinkle Fieldhouse after dropping consecutive games at Detroit and Cleveland State. The Bulldogs welcome UIC to Indianapolis, as the teams are battling for position as the league race tightens up. Thursday's tip is set for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on www.butlersports.com.

BULLDOG UPDATE: The Bulldogs enter Thursday's game with a 4-6 league record, which currently places them in fifth place in the standings. Butler looks to snap the team's two-game losing streak when they face UIC for the first of two games against the Flames in ten days. Senior Nancy Bowden leads the Bulldogs with her 10.7 points and 6.3 assists per contest, while Ellen Hamilton is averaging nearly nine points per game in league play.

AGAINST THE FLAMES: Butler and UIC meet for the 28th time Thursday, with the Bulldogs owning a 17-10 advantage, including a 10-4 edge at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The teams split the season series last season, with each team winning at home. The series between the Flames and Bulldogs dates back to Dec. 1, 1984.

BREAKING DOWN UIC: The Flames enter Thursday's contest with a record of 10-12 overall and 4-7 in league play. UIC currently sits a half-game behind Butler in the standings. Sophomore Chrissy Dizon leads the Flames with 14.4 points per game. UIC will likely have to do without forward Dejeanette Flournoy Thursday. The 6-1 junior is among the league leaders in rebounding, but is expected to miss the game with an injury.

LAST TIME OUT (CLEVELAND STATE 80, BUTLER 61; FEB. 7, 2004, CLEVELAND, OHIO): Butler couldn't overcome the combination of poor free throw shooting and the Vikings' Ashley Schrock. The Bulldogs shot 15-of-36 from the charity stripe in the team's 80-61 loss, while Schrock narrowly missed a triple-double, posting 24 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds. Senior Nancy Bowden led the Bulldogs with 14 points and five assists.

GIVE AND TAKE: Through the games of Feb. 9, senior Nancy Bowden's 3.6 steals per contest are eighth in the NCAA, while her 6.3 assists per game are good for 17th nationally. Bowden is one of only three players in the nation who is in the top 20 in both steals and assists. She leads the Horizon League in assists, steals and assist/turnover ratio.

THE HOME STRETCH: Butler's schedule down the stretch is statistically the easiest among the league's nine schools. The Bulldogs' last six games come against four opponents (two each against UIC and Loyola, and one game against both Youngstown State and Cleveland State). Each game is critical, however, because Butler is fighting for position with both UIC and Loyola.

QUICK SHOTS: Ellen Hamilton is now tied for 28th in the league in scoring (at 7.3 ppg), one of only six freshmen among the league's leaders...Chattanooga is on an 18-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...Senior Angel Mason picked up her 100th career steal Saturday at CSU.

GOODWIN TO MISS TIME: Senior Dionne Goodwin had to leave Saturday's game against the Vikings with a shoulder injury. Goodwin suffered the injury late in the second half and did not return. The 6-1 forward is out for at least both games this weekend and her status for the rest of the season is uncertain. Her 7.7 rebounds per game are currently third in the league. Sophomore Jessica Monaco is expected to get her first start of the season Thursday in Goodwin's place. Goodwin also missed two games early this season with an ankle sprain. The Bulldogs lost both those games.

FIRST DATES: The Bulldogs 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 UIC or Loyola (and still have one game remaining with each Youngstown State and Cleveland State). That means that four of the Bulldogs final six games will be against the Flames and the Ramblers.

NUMBERS GAME: The Bulldogs are only allowing 60.4 points per game and .417 shooting in league games, compared to 68.5 ppg and .484 shooting in non-league contests...Junior Cortney Urquhart leads Butler in scoring in the team's eight wins, averaging 11.9 ppg. In the team's 13 losses, her scoring output drops to 7.9...Saturday's loss at Cleveland State included the teams combining for a season-high 48 fouls.

MILESTONE WATCH: Senior Nancy Bowden is 89 points shy of 1,000 for her career, 21 assists shy of 500 and needs 26 steals for 300 in her career. The Bulldogs are guaranteed at least seven more games this season and Bowden could achieve all three marks if she keeps her current pace...Junior Cortney Urquhart has 465 career rebounds, 35 shy of 500.

DEEP THREATS: Freshmen Jackie Closser and Ellen Hamilton are shooting .371 and .422, respectively, from three-point range in league games. The rest of the team has combined for just 12 treys in the team's 10 league games. Hamilton's .400 three-point percentage is fourth in the Horizon League, while her 1.71 threes per game are third. Closser is also among the league's top 10 in percentage.

SHE'S GOING THE DISTANCE: Senior Nancy Bowden played the entire 40 minutes of last week's loss at Detroit, the first game this season void of electronic media timeouts. She hasn't gone to the bench eight times this season with the Bulldogs going 4-4 in those games. Bowden is averaging 38.2 minutes per game in the team's 10 league games.

NOT-SO-HOT POTATO: The Bulldogs are in the Top 50 in the nation in fewest turnovers committed. The Bulldogs' 15.9 miscues per game are 49th in the NCAA and second in the Horizon League.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS: Senior Nancy Bowden currently sits in fourth place on the Bulldogs' all-time assists charts with 479 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 274 steals in her three-plus years at Butler, 28 short of Skinner's 302, which currently ranks third in Butler history. Bowden is also fourth in career free throw attempts (454) and minutes played (3,171). 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.