Women's Basketball Weekly Notes

Feb. 26, 2002

TOURNEY TIME: The Butler women's basketball team will try to pick up its first win in a conference tournament since the 1998-99 season when the Bulldogs take on Wright State in the play-in game of the inaugural Horizon League Tournament this week. Butler (2-25, 1-15), the No. 9 seed in the tournament, will battle it out against the No. 8 Raiders (6-21, 4-12) on Wednesday (Feb. 27) at 8 p.m. at Loyola's Joseph J. Gentile Center. The winner of the play-in game would then go on to face top-seeded UW-Green Bay on Thursday (Feb. 28) at 6:30 p.m.

SCOUTING THE RAIDERS: Wright State enters the contest against Butler holding a 6-21 overall mark and a 4-12 record in Horizon League action. Butler leads the overall series against the Raiders 15-6.

The Coaching Staff: At the helm of the Wright State squad is first-year head coach Bridgett Williams. She is assisted by Tracee Jones, Claire Moon and Kevin Williams.

The Roster: Leading the Raiders in scoring this season is Tiffany Webb, who averages 15.5 points per game. She has led WSU in points in 17 games this year. Teammate Iesha Gray also averages double figures in scoring (10.5 ppg), while Robyn Swain leads the team, and ranks second in the league, in rebounding with 6.9 boards per game.

Last Time We Met: Tiffany Webb poured in 23 points, 19 of which came in the second half, to lead Wright State past the Butler women's basketball team, 77-72, on Feb. 21 at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Maria Marchesano's five three-pointers and 17 first half points helped give the Bulldogs a 37-27 halftime advantage. Butler would maintain its lead until the 8:31 mark of the second half, when a three-pointer by Webb gave the Raiders a one-point lead. The two teams would alternate baskets over the next several minutes, but a free throw by Nancy Bowden with 1:31 remaining would give Butler a five-point lead. A layup by Webb and six consecutive points by Danyelle Sawyer would put the Raiders ahead 75-72, with four seconds left. Butler's Sarah Bolten had the chance to tie the game on the next possession, but her shot from the top of the key was left short. Wright State's Jill Ransdell was fouled while going for the rebound, and made both of her free throws to seal the Raiders' victory.

MARCH MADNESS: Freshman Maria Marchesano exploded for a career-high 23 points against Wright State, while posting an impressive 8-for-12 shooting performance from the field. Marchesano also tied teammate Sarah Bolten's single game school record by connecting on seven three-pointers during the game. Bolten had broken the school record with her seven treys in Butler's overtime win against Bowling Green on Dec. 4.

MORE ON MARIA: Maria Marchesano's seven three-pointers against the Raiders moved her into second place on Butler's all-time list for three-pointers made in a season (58). Her ten three-point field goal attempts against Wright State places her in third place for a single game, and moves her into first place all time in a single season (161). The Fort Wayne, Ind. native is shooting 36.0 percent from long range and averages 2.15 treys per game.

A CAREER NIGHT: In addition to Maria Marchesano's career-high 23 points, teammates Nancy Bowden and Haley Dunkman also posted career scoring outings against Wright State. Bowden finished with a career-best 22 points, bettering her 21-point output set against the Raiders earlier in the season. The 5-2 point guard also dished out seven assists on the outing, which was one shy of her career high, while only committing one turnover. Dunkman, who only averaged 1.5 points entering the game against the Raiders, posted a career-high six points while seeing 20 minutes of action off the bench.

STOLEN MOMENTS: Sophomore Nancy Bowden's two steals against the Raiders helped her crack the top ten of Butler's single season list. Bowden's 71 steals on the season, currently places her in tenth place on the charts, just one swipe behind Jenny Young, who posted 72 steals during the 1982-83 campaign.

RAIDERS VS. BULLDOGS, PART 1: Tiffany Webb's layup with nine seconds left broke a 74-74 tie, and a free throw by Brie Pennington sealed Wright State's 77-74 Horizon League victory over the visiting Bulldogs on Jan. 26 at the Ervin J. Nutter Center. Sophomore Nancy Bowden paced Butler with a career-high 21 points. In addition, the 5-2 point guard added six assists, without a turnover, and five steals to her totals. Freshman Angel Mason finished with a career-high 15 points while sophomore Sarah Bolten tallied 14 points. Freshman center Cortney Urquhart added a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds to the Butler totals. Webb scored a game-high 23 points to lead four Raiders in double figures. Katie Bussan added 13 points and Angie Ott and Iesha Gray chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively.

SNAPPING THE STREAK: Butler's 81-73 win over Loyola on Feb. 14 snapped a 17-game losing streak, the longest skid in the history of the program. The victory also marked the first in Horizon League action for the Bulldogs. The last time Butler had emerged victorious was a 78-73 OT triumph over Bowling Green on Dec. 4.

AIMING HIGH: The Bulldogs came up one point shy of their season high scoring output, tallying 81 points against the Ramblers. Their best mark of the season was an 82-point output against Cleveland State on Dec. 28. Butler also put forth its best shooting effort of the season, posting a 49 percent clip from the field on the game. In addition, the Bulldogs had one of its top three-point outings this year, connecting on 10 shots from long range.

CHARITY WORK: Sarah Bolten's 4-for-4 performance from the charity stripe against Wright State helped keep her atop the team and the league in free throw shooting. Bolten is shooting 88.7 percent from the free throw line overall this season, which currently ranks second on Butler's single season charts. The 5-10 forward is also recording a stellar 96.7 percent (29-30) clip in league action. Her only miss against a league opponent came against UIC on Jan. 19.

DEFENSIVE STAND: Butler limited UIC to just 60 points on Feb. 16, marking the least points allowed by an opponent this season. Over the last three games the Bulldogs have only allowed foes an average of 68 points per game, more than 12 points shy of their season average of 80.6 points per game.

ASSISTANCE PROVIDED: Sophomore Nancy Bowden's seven assists against the Raiders helped her eclipse the 100-assist mark for the season. The Springdale, Ohio native has compiled 105 assists this season, for an average of 4.04 assists per game. She has dished out four or more assists on 16 occasions this season.

TREY-MENDOUS!: Butler's 12 three-point field goals made against Wright State set a new team record, eclipsing the old mark of 11 treys set against Detroit on Jan. 30, 1999. The Bulldogs also shot a season-high 54.5 percent from long-range against the Raiders. In addition, the dozen three-pointers increased Butler's streak of games with a three-point field goal to 35. Butler has connected on 172 shots from downtown this season, which sets a new team record, and have attempted 568 field goals from long range, which also sets a new school mark. Last season, the Bulldogs made just 66 three-pointers on the season.

LEADING THE WAY: Eight different players have led Butler in scoring this season. Sophomore Nancy Bowden has guided the offensive attack in nine games, followed by Sarah Bolten (eight times), Maria Marchesano (four times), Lisa Pryor (three times), Tiffany Smith (three times), Dionne Goodwin (once), Angel Mason (once) and Cortney Urquhart (once).

A PERMANENT FIXTURE: Sophomore Sarah Bolten is the lone Bulldog to start in all 27 contests this season. The 5-10 forward is tied for the team lead in scoring (10.8 ppg) and leads the team in rebounding (7.8 rpg), while playing an average of 35.0 minutes per contest. She tied the school's single-game scoring record earlier this season with 37 points against Bowling Green. Her seven three-point field goals in the contest broke the school record, which was set by Debbie Benziger (11/28/95) and Jennifer Marlow (12/29/96). Her 946 minutes played this season currently ranks seventh on Butler's single season charts.

INJURY PRONE: Injuries have been a common occurrence for this season's Butler women's basketball team. The Bulldogs suffered two season-ending injuries over the holiday break as sophomores Lisa Pryor and Dionne Goodwin were both recent victims of ACL tears causing them to miss the remainder of the season. Pryor, who averaged 9.8 points and had started in 12 games this season, went down with her knee injury with 7:23 remaining in the initial Cleveland State game after hitting a layup. Goodwin's ACL injury had just developed over the season. Goodwin had played in ten games this season and ranked third in the league with 2.8 offensive rebounds per game at the time of her injury. Sophomore Tiffany Smith and freshman Christine Cox were both sidelined for the Bulldogs' most recent meeting against Wright State. Smith, who averages 7.4 points per game, was absent from the lineup due to an illness, while Cox suffered a stress fracture in her foot and was forced to sit out. Smith is probable for Wednesday's game, while Cox is listed as day-to-day.

NEW ADDITIONS: The Butler women's basketball team inked two recruits in the early signing period. Stephanie Boeke, a 5-10 point guard from Minster, Ohio and Nicole Budgake, a 6-3 forward/center from North Canton, Ohio are the newest additions to the 2002-03 roster.

COACHING STAFF: Head coach Wendy Gatlin, who is in the midst of her third season with the Bulldogs, maintains a 20-61 record with the program. Joining Gatlin (Marshall '92) in the coaching ranks this season are assistant coaches Cathy Marx (Iowa '94), Itoro Coleman (Clemson '99) and the most recent addition, Kim Rockey (Taylor '82), who came to Butler after serving as an assistant coach for Columbia University.

BULLDOGS ON THE INTERNET: For the second consecutive season, the Butler women's basketball games have been broadcast over the Internet at www.butlersports.com. In addition to all of this season's home games, each of Butler's Horizon League Tournament contests will be able to be heard off of the internet. Broadcasters for the games are Butler telecommunication students Ryan Falquist (color) and Matt Harris (play-by-play).

PROBABLE STARTING LINE-UP FOR BUTLER

Nancy Bowden 5-3 Guard Fr. Springdale, Ohio Tiffany Smith 5-8 Guard So. Columbus, Ohio Angel Mason 5-8 Guard Fr. (RS) Evanston, Ill. Sarah Bolten 5-10 Forward So. Batavia, Ohio Cortney Urquhart 6-2 Center Fr. Somerset Center, Mich.