Bulldogs Host YSU in Valentine's Day Contest

Feb. 13, 2004

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THE TIP: Butler (9-13, 5-6 Horizon) concludes a quick two-game homestand at Hinkle Fieldhouse Saturday with a 2 p.m. tip against league rival Youngstown State. Both teams enter the Valentine's Day affair off league victories. The game will be broadcast live on the Internet at www.butlersports.com.

BULLDOG UPDATE: The Bulldogs posted a season-high 89 points Thursday in the team's win over UIC. The win moved the Bulldogs into sole possession of fifth place in the standings, a full game ahead of Loyola. Senior Nancy Bowden's 10.6 points and 6.4 assists per game lead the Bulldogs, who have already matched their combined win total from the last two seasons. Butler has won five of its last eight games, including their last two home league games.

AGAINST THE PENGUINS: Butler and YSU meet for just the seventh time Saturday, with the Penguins owning a 4-2 advantage, including a 2-0 edge at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs have won two straight games between the schools, including a 55-45 win at Youngstown Jan. 21. The teams first met Jan. 5, 2002 when YSU joined the league.

BREAKING DOWN YOUNGSTOWN STATE: The Penguins (3-20, 1-11 Horizon) enter Saturday's tilt off their first league win of the year, a 54-42 win at Wright State. Junior Jen Perugini had 18 points off the bench to lead the Penguins. YSU has no players averaging in double figures, as Cathy Hanek leads the Penguins with 9.8 ppg. Head coach Tisha Hill is in her first year at Youngstown.

LAST TIME OUT (BUTLER 89, UIC 81; FEB. 12, 2004, INDIANAPOLIS): Sophomore Jessica Monaco posted a career-high 18 points in her first start of the season, leading the Bulldogs to an 89-81 victory over UIC Thursday at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Butler hit a school-record 14 three-pointers and had four players in double figures, led by freshman Jackie Closser's 19. Redshirt sophomore Maria Marchesano hit all four of her trey attempts for 12 points in only six minutes.

FIRST TIME AROUND (BUTLER 55, YSU 45; JAN. 21, 2004, YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO): Holding the Penguins scoreless over the last 5:39, the Bulldogs defeated Youngstown State, 55-45, in Youngstown, Ohio. Junior Cortney Urquhart led the Bulldogs with 15 points off the bench. Senior Nancy Bowden added 10 points, eight assists and five steals, playing all 40 minutes of the game.

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.

QUICK SHOTS: The Bulldogs' 89-point performance Thursday matched a season-high and was the first time the team had scored 70 points since lighting up Evansville for 89 Dec. 9...Freshman Ellen Hamilton had a career-high four assists in the win over UIC...Jessica Monaco hit her first seven shots against UIC en route to her career-high 18 points...Butler hit 21-of-27 (78 percent) free throws Thursday after shooting a combined 44 percent (24-54) from the line in the previous two games.

GOODWIN TO MISS TIME: Senior Dionne Goodwin had to leave Saturday's game against Cleveland State with a shoulder injury. She missed Thursday's game against UIC and her status is day-to-day. Goodwin's 7.7 rebounds per game are currently third in the league. Sophomore Jessica Monaco started in place of Goodwin Thursday.

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 still have not played Loyola (and still have one game remaining with Youngstown State, UIC and Cleveland State). Four of the Bulldogs' final six games will be against the Flames and the Ramblers.

OFF THE BENCH: Butler's bench out-scored the Flames' reserves, 45-27, Thursday. Freshman Jackie Closser has led the Butler subs in scoring in three straight games, as the Bulldog reserves have out-scored the opponent's bench in 17 of the team's 22 games this season.

STARTING OUT: The starting five against UIC Feb. 12 was the seventh different starting lineup used by coach Beth Couture and was the second lineup this season that included players from five different states...Nine players have started games this season, including senior Nancy Bowden, who has started all 22...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.

LEARNING ON THE JOB: Freshmen Ashley Brenden, Jackie Closser and Ellen Hamilton are making big contributions for the Bulldogs. Closser and Hamilton are shooting a combined 38 percent (64-169) from three-point range, while Brenden leads the team in blocks. Hamilton and Brenden have each started 14 of the team's 22 games. The Bulldogs are 3-1 this season when a freshman leads the team in scoring.

NUMBERS GAME: 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...Butler and UIC combined for 25 three-pointers Thursday, six shy of the NCAA record...Thursday's game had 14 ties and 14 lead changes, both season-highs for Butler contests...The Bulldogs are 3-0 this season when scoring 70 points or more...Butler had 21 assists on 27 field goals Thursday, with senior Nancy Bowden dishing out a game-high eight.

LOOKING TOWARD MARCH: The league's nine teams have begun to separate into two packs in the standings. UW-Green Bay leads four teams between eight and ten wins, while Butler heads a second group with five wins. The top four seeds will host the quarterfinals on their respective campuses. Of Butler's five remaining games, four are against teams currently below them in the standings, while only one contest (against Cleveland State, Feb. 26) is against a team currently with a winning league record.

MILESTONE WATCH: Senior Nancy Bowden is 81 points shy of 1,000 for her career, 13 assists shy of 500 and needs 25 steals for 300 in her career...Junior Cortney Urquhart has 472 career rebounds, 28 shy of 500.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS: Senior Nancy Bowden currently sits in fourth place on the Bulldogs' all-time assists charts with 487 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 275 steals in her three-plus years at Butler, 27 short of Skinner's 302, which currently ranks third in Butler history. Bowden is also fourth in career free throw attempts (458) and minutes played (3,199). 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.