The Butler women’s basketball team will take on Atlantic 10 Conference foe Charlotte Feb. 13 on the road.

The 49ers have a 7-1 conference record and are currently tied for third in the A-10.

The game between the Bulldogs (14-9, 5-3) and the 49ers will mark the first-ever meeting between the two programs.

A key matchup in the post will feature Butler junior forward Daress McClung and Charlotte senior forward Jennifer Hailey.

McClung and Hailey are both in the top five in scoring and rebounding per game in the A-10.

The two are tied for the lead in blocked shots per game, averaging 2.7 per contest.

Butler has split its last two games, taking down Rhode Island and then falling to George Washington 77-60 in its latest contest.

The Colonials (11-12. 5-4) out-muscled the Bulldogs 45-23 in the rebounding battle.

Butler sophomore guard Hannah Douglas matched her season-high scoring output with 13 points.

The Bulldogs defeated Rhode Island (5-17, 0-7) last Thursday 60-45.

On the heels of a vital win against Xavier Thursday night, Butler women’s basketball (11-7, 2-1) faced La Salle (5-13, 1-2) Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia. The Bulldogs won their second consecutive game 59-42.

Junior forward Daress McClung led the team in scoring with 19 points and five assists and was stellar on defense as well with seven blocks and three steals. Sophomore center Liz Stratman continued her hot streak, draining 12 points in just 20 minutes of play. Sophomore guards Taylor Schippers and Hannah Douglas sank nine points.

On Thursday, the Bulldogs won a back-and-forth game against Xavier (6-11, 0-3) at Hinkle Fieldhouse 71-67.

The Bulldogs have a long trek to Massachusetts for their next game Wednesday night.

The Butler women’s basketball team is looking to continue its winning ways as it travels to Bowling Green today.

The Falcons (4-3) are coming into the contest on a one-game win streak after beating Colorado State 71-49 last Saturday.

Bowling Green is historically one of the top mid-major women’s basketball programs in the country. Under former coach Curt Miller, the team has won 74 percent of its games between 2001 and 2012.

The Bulldogs (3-4) and Falcons have split the all-time series, with each team winning three games. The series dates back to 1998, when the two teams split a pair of meetings. Butler coach Beth Couture is 1-2 in her career against the Falcons.

Last year, Bowling Green earned a 71-61 victory over the Bulldogs.

Butler is coming into today’s game off a 65-59 victory over Eastern Michigan (1-5) at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Nov. 28.

Junior Daress McClung scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds to help Butler get the win. She also added four blocks.

Sophomore Taylor Schippers chipped in with 15 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Bulldogs.

Both McClung and Schippers are transfers playing in their first season in a Bulldog uniform. The two have led the team in scoring in all seven games this season.

McClung said it wasn’t easy sitting out a season but credits her teammates for helping her get back into the action.

“It’s hard to get back in your groove when you’re coming in a situation like that, but everyone has been working hard,” McClung said. “This game tonight showed us that we may not do everything right, but we can still pull out a win.”

Schippers scored 10 of her points in the second half and, along with sophomore Hannah Douglas, helped hold the lead for Butler down the stretch.

With less than six minutes left in the second half, Schippers made a jump shot that tied the game at 50.

She followed with another basket that would end up giving Butler the lead for good.

The Bulldogs finished the game on a 15-9 run, including five clutch free throws from Schippers and Douglas in the waning minutes of the game to close the door on Eastern Michigan.

“It was one of those games that you just have to grind out,” Couture said. “We got that six-point lead and were able to hold on.

“In our women’s basketball program any win is a good win.”

Douglas finished in double-figures for Butler on 4-of-9 shooting and added five rebounds.  Freshman Katie Brewer added nine points off the bench in her 22 minutes of play.

Couture said she was happy with the play from her bench.

“I felt like Brewer had a great game for a freshman,” Couture said. “We’re playing a lot of young kids, and they’re getting a lot of valuable time.”

As the spring sports season begins to wind down, many teams are already beginning to prepare for their next season.

The football team had its annual blue and white scrimmage, the men’s soccer team had its spring exhibition matches, and five teams have announced additions to their rosters for next year.

Let’s take a look forward and see how some of Butler’s teams will be changing for the 2012-13 school year.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

The men’s basketball team finished the 2011-12 season with a 22-15 record, averaging 40.8 percent shooting from the field and 28.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs were ranked eighth and 10th in the Horizon League in those categories, respectively.

The team has a chance to improve with the additions of senior guard and transfer Rotnei Clarke and incoming freshman guard Kellen Dunham.

In three seasons at Arkansas, Clarke averaged more than 15 points per game and shot nearly 44 percent from 3-point range.

Dunham averaged more than 29 points during his senior season at Pendleton Heights High School.

The Bulldogs will also be adding guard Devontae Morgan from Tampa, Fla., and guard Chris Harrison-Docks from Okemos, Mich.

Morgan led his high school team to a state championship last season, averaging more than 15 points and six rebounds per game.

Harrison-Docks averaged 21 points and five steals per game in his senior season.

The team will lose only two players—guard Ronald Nored and forward Garrett Butcher.

Butler will have to make up for the loss of Nored’s defensive prowess, as well as the experience and leadership provided by the pair.

Clarke and seniors Emerson Kampen, Chase Stigall and Andrew Smith will likely be asked to step up and fill those roles.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

The women’s basketball team concluded its 2011-12 season with a 13-17 record and said goodbye to two senior guards—Devin Brierly and Kaley May.

Brierly was the only Bulldog to start in all 30 of the team’s games. She recorded more than 32 minutes of playing time per game, averaging 11 points per game.

Sophomore center Sarah Hamm is the only returning player to average more than 10 points per game last season.

Hamm will be joined by sophomore guard Jenna Cobb, freshman forward Hayley Howard and freshman guard Hannah Douglas, who all played key roles on the team last season.

Butler will also be adding four incoming freshman—forward Katie Brewer from Indianapolis, guard Blaire Langlois from Carmel, guard Lexus Murry from Indianapolis and forward-center Olivia Wrencher from West Chester, Ohio.

Brewer is a versatile player who has the ability to knock down three-pointers and battle down low.

Langlois has deep range on her jump shot but also has the ability to make plays with her passing.

Murry averaged more than 22 points per game during her senior season and can also be effective on the defensive end, where she averaged 3.5 steals per game.

Wrencher will bring size to the Bulldogs that will complement the play of Hamm and Howard under the basket.

SOFTBALL

The softball team will lose seven seniors at the conclusion of its current season, including four-year starting outfielder and third baseman Lauren McNulty, Butler’s home run record-holding first baseman Erin Falkenberry and catcher Mallory Winters.

Despite this, coach Scott Hall has five incoming players who could make an immediate impact on the program.

Alex Kotter, a shortstop from Vincennes Lincoln High School, had a .615 career batting average and was an Indiana first team All-State pick.

Chelsea Conover, an outfielder from Brownsburg, led her high school team in stolen bases, runs scored and on-base percentage for three years.

Audrey East is a utility player from New Palestine High School. East is one of the best power hitters in Indiana and boasted a .902 slugging percentage, eight home runs and 47 RBIs last season.

Taylor Lockwood, a pitcher from Southport High School, has good control and will be a solid addition to the pitching staff.

The same could be said for Kristin Gutierrez, a left-handed power pitcher from Highlands Ranch High School in Colorado.

Gutierrez, a 2011 Triple Crown All-American honoree, is a dual threat with her pitching and hitting. She led her conference with 127 strikeouts and recorded a .542 batting average.

The success of the pitching recruits could be key with the loss of senior pitcher Breanna Fisher and injuries to junior pitcher Jenny Esparza this season.

BASEBALL

The baseball team will add four players who could have an immediate impact next season.

Nick Bartolone is a left-handed outfielder from Harrison High School. Coach Steve Farley said he expects Bartolone to compete for position in the outfield next year.

Chris Marras, a catcher from Vernon Hills, Ill., will get the chance to work with two fifth-year senior catchers, Radley Haddad and Nick Hladek.

Nick Saldutti is a power-hitting first baseman from Westfield High School. He hit .477 with a .571 on-base percentage in his junior season.

Drew Small is a utility player from Zionsville. He was an All-State honorable mention.

His versatility and speed will help him compete for a spot in the outfield, especially with the loss of senior outfielder Mike Hoscheit.

The Bulldogs will also lose pitchers Dom Silvestri, Mike Hernandez, Brad Schnitzer, Brian Padove and Ryan Salvino, as well as senior infielder Griffin Richeson.

VOLLEYBALL

The volleyball team is returning eight players who played in at least 50 sets last year and lost only one senior in Maureen Bamiro.

Bamiro, a former middle blocker, finished with the second-best attack percentage in Butler history and sixth all-time in kills and kills per set.

Last season, she was voted All-Horizon League.

The Bulldogs will return sophomore middle blocker Maggie Harbison, who will likely be a key contributor after being voted All-Horizon League last season.

Butler will also add two transfer students.

Freshman Erica Stahl, a transfer from Cincinnati, will be an addition to the middle blocker position.

Stahl only has four sets of collegiate experience under her belt but was named among the top high school volleyball players by the Under Armour Watch list in 2010.

Sophomore Morgan Peterson, a setter from Middle Tennessee State, will have two years of eligibility with the Bulldogs.

She averaged 8.58 assists and 1.41 digs per set last season.

It was a freshman who led the Butler women’s basketball team to a win on Saturday’s Senior Day, but senior guards Devin Brierly and Kaley May were still in the spotlight.

Freshman guard Hannah Douglas had a season-high 31 points in the effort as the Bulldogs (13-16, 9-9) defeated Wright State 81-66.

Douglas was 12-for-20 shooting on the day, including four 3-point baskets.

Still, the day was really about the two Butler seniors, who participated in their final regular season game.

Photo by Reid Bruner

“We really just wanted today to be special for Devin and Kaley,” coach Beth Couture said.

May scored the first and last baskets of the game for Butler on her way to a career-high eight points.

“It was definitely an emotional day, being the last game on Hinkle’s floor,” May said. “[The first basket] got the team excited, and it was just a good moment for the entire team.”

Brierly had a solid afternoon as well, adding 14 points, seven assists and five rebounds.

The Bulldogs, following the ejection of Wright State coach Mike Bradbury after receiving his second technical foul and throwing his suit jacket into the crowd, led 35-30 at halftime.

“That could have been a big momentum shift, but we’ve handled a lot of adversity this season,” May said. “Coach just calmed us down, and we came together as a team like we have all season.”

Butler kept its composure in the second half, even as the Raiders (19-11, 12-6) kept the game close.

Leading 69-62 with just over four minutes left to play, the Bulldogs went on a 12-4 run, which was capped by a 3-pointer from May.

“I couldn’t have scripted it any better in my mind,” May said. “It was kind of like a storybook ending for me.”

The win followed a 57-52 loss to Detroit in Hinkle Fieldhouse last Thursday.

The Bulldogs were led by freshman forward Haley Howard, who scored a career-high 23 points.

Sophomore guard Jenna Cobb added 11 points, seven rebounds and four steals.

Butler begins Horizon League tournament play tonight against Illinois-Chicago in quarterfinal round of the tournament.

The Bulldogs earned the No. 5 seed, while the Flames (17-12, 10-8) hold the No. 4 seed.

The Butler women’s basketball team suffered a 78-53 loss at #12 Green Bay (25-1, 15-1) on Saturday.

The Bulldogs (12-15, 8-8) were led by sophomore guard Mandy McDivitt, who recorded 12 points in the game. Sophomore guard Jenna Cobb added nine points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals for Butler.

“I gave it my best effort, but there is always room for improvement in a lot of areas,” Cobb said. “ We just tried working to spread the offense and on defense we wanted to force them to shoot more 3-pointers.”

The Bulldogs ended the game with 32.7 percent shooting and 34 rebounds to Green Bay’s 55.7 percent shooting and 38 rebounds.

“We just need to work on executing on offense and knowing where people are on the floor to help our shooting,” Cobb said.

The team also lost at Wisconsin-Milwaukee (9-18, 5-11) 54-52 in a close matchup.

Both Cobb and freshman guard Hannah Douglas scored 11 points in the loss.

“[Douglas] has helped our team so much this season, especially coming in as a freshman,” Cobb said. “The best part of her game is her pull up jumper. When she has it, no one can stop her.”

The team will return to Hinkle Fieldhouse tomorrow to take on Detroit at 7 p.m.

The Butler women’s basketball team’s three-game winning streak was snapped by a 72-58 loss to Valparaiso on Saturday afternoon.

It was the first win for the Crusaders (7-16, 3-9) at Hinkle Fieldhouse since 1983.

The Bulldogs (10-13, 6-6) led by one point at halftime but were outscored by 14 points in the second half.

Senior guard Devin Brierly put up a team-high 20 points, and Butler’s bench tallied 14 points, but the team was done in by 33.3 percent shooting from the field.

The Bulldogs also shot 63.6 percent from the free throw line, a stark contrast to Valparaiso’s 78.9 percent performance.

Crusaders senior guard Ashley Timmerman put up 10 points in the first three minutes of the second half to put Valparaiso on top.

Photo by Rachel Anderson

The Bulldogs never regained momentum, committing six turnovers while shooting just 27 percent in the half.

Butler was down 52-48 with just over eight minutes left, but Valparaiso pulled away, converting six free throw attempts in the last 45 seconds of the contest.

Freshman guard Hannah Douglas was the only other Bulldog in double figures, recording 14 points.

Timmerman finished with 13 points for the Crusaders, while sophomore forward Tabitha Gerardot tallied a game-high 26 points.

The Bulldogs will host conference foe Loyola of Chicago at Hinkle tomorrow at 7 p.m. before welcoming Illinois-Chicago to Indianapolis on Saturday.

Butler came away with a 60-57 win over the Ramblers (11-13, 6-7) in the first meeting between the team’s this season.

The result of an earlier contest against the Flames (15-9, 8-5) was far different, with UIC grabbing a 77-42 win.

The Butler women’s basketball team ended its two-game Chicago trip with a 60-57 Horizon League win over Loyola of Chicago on Saturday.

For the Bulldogs (7-11, 3-4), the victory was their first on the road this season.

“We have played some away games that were pretty close and could have gone any way,” coach Beth Couture said. “Now that we have won one, I think the pressure is off of us. I think the kids were ready, but it had not rolled our way until Saturday.”

The Bulldogs started the game neck and neck with the Ramblers (9-10, 4-4), but two 3-pointers from Loyola junior forward Abby Skube gave the squad a 16-9 advantage.

The Ramblers used that momentum to build a 31-18 lead by halftime.

Butler ended the first half shooting 22 percent from the field, a far cry from Loyola’s 42 percent mark. The shooting discrepancy put the Bulldogs down by as many as 17 points in the first 20 minutes.

“They are a 3-point-shooting team, and we knew if we let them shoot or make a lot of threes, it was going to be hard for us to score with them,” Couture said. “We gave them five 3-pointers in the first half, and that was really the difference.”

In the second half, sophomore center Sarah Hamm led a rally that eventually cut Loyola’s lead to one point. Hamm finished the game with a team-high 18 points and eight rebounds.

“[Sarah] has really stepped it up, and her ability to flat out score inside and out is a huge key to us winning games,” junior forward Becca Bornhorst said. “She has been knocking down threes consistently, which makes her harder to guard.”

The Bulldogs took a 58-56 lead with 1:26 remaining in the game on a layup by freshman guard Hannah Douglas.

The Ramblers were unable to rally, giving Butler its fourth conference victory.

Hamm also led the team with a career-high 23 points in the team’s 77-42 loss at Illinois-Chicago on Thursday.

Despite leading all Bulldogs in scoring, Hamm said she was disappointed in the team’s overall performance.

“Individual performance did not matter in that game because we did not perform well as a team,” Hamm said. “Our team needs to be focused and more tuned in to the game plan.”

Despite Butler’s losing record, Couture said Hamm’s scoring has become an asset to the team.

“She has just continued to improve since right before Christmas,” Couture said. “She has really taken her game to the next level. She is a force inside the guard, which has really opened some things up for us inside.”

Couture also said that the team lagged behind in shooting against the Flames (12-7, 5-3) and that UIC’s 46 rebounds helped them to control the ball.

“It was one of those games where we were not even close to being at our best and they played at pretty much their best,” Couture said. “Even things we could control we just could not get a grasp on. I do not want us to play like that ever again.”

Couture said the Bulldogs will now turn their attention to their next game, a home contest against nationally-ranked Green Bay on Thursday.

“I think we will have to play pressure-free,” Couture said. “Hopefully the girls will go out there pressure-free and have some fun and see what happens when the stress is not on us.”

The game will start at 7 p.m. in Hinkle Fieldhouse.

The Butler women’s basketball team suffered another setback yesterday, falling 49-46 at Indiana State.

The game marked the sixth straight loss for the Bulldogs (1-7). Of those six losses, five have been decided by 10 points or fewer.

The Sycamores (5-3) got off to a quick start, taking an 8-1 lead after the first five minutes.

However, Butler freshman forward Haley Howard and junior forward Becca Bornhorst accounted for the Bulldogs’ next 13 points, pulling Butler within two.

Howard scored a game-high 17 points.

Photo by Maria Porter

Bornhorst, in her third game back after an injury, posted 14 points in 22 minutes of work, including a 3-pointer before halftime to cut the Bulldogs’ deficit to just one.

“We’ve made progress in areas we’ve been working on,” Bornhorst said, “such as boxing out and having ball pressure on defense. We just have yet to play a full 40 minutes being completely focused on the little things.”

Butler focused on those little things in the second half and appeared primed to snap its losing streak, leading 44-43 with 2:31 remaining.

But, four straight Indiana State free throws gave the Sycamores a three-point lead.

Trailing 49-46 with just four seconds remaining, senior guard Devin Brierly misfired on the front end of a one-and-one. Bornhorst’s ensuing 3-pointer fell off the mark, allowing the Sycamores to pick up their third consecutive win.

“You certainly don’t want to be [1-7], but when you look on the tape and on the floor, I feel like our players are getting better,” coach Beth Couture said. “Our kids are playing really hard right now, but we’re just making a lot of mistakes.”

Three days earlier, the Bulldogs fell to the Bowling Green Falcons 71-61. Butler trailed by just five at halftime, but the Falcons (5-2) pulled away, leading by as many as 17 points in the second half.

Freshman guard Hannah Douglas led Butler with a career-high 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Douglas also pulled down a team-best five rebounds.

“We asked Hannah to be more aggressive and look to score,” Couture said. “She and all of our freshmen are bright spots. It’s just a matter of getting them all on the same page at the same time.”

The Bulldogs will host Ball State this Friday at 7 p.m. in Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Led by the sharpshooting of senior guard Terra Burns, the Butler women’s basketball team picked up a narrow 69-68 win over Harvard Sunday.

The win marked the Bulldogs’ first of the season and secured the team third place in the Iowa Tournament following an opening-round loss to tournament champion University of Nevada-Las Vegas.

Burns posted a team-high 17 points and led all players with nine rebounds.

“We definitely had a point to prove,” Burns said. “The night before, we definitely weren’t the team that I knew we could be.”

Butler (1-1) got out of the gate quickly, shooting 52 percent in the first half. Following a lay up by junior guard Elizabeth Jennings near the 12-minute mark, the Bulldogs never trailed.

Freshman forward Haley Howard paced Butler in the first half with 13 points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting from the field. The Whiteland native finished with 15 points and eight boards.

The Bulldogs carried a 42-36 lead into halftime and continued their strong play into the second half.

A jumper by freshman guard Hannah Douglas opened up a 67-56 lead—Butler’s largest of the game—with about four minutes remaining.

Harvard (0-2) responded with a 12-2 run that saw the Crimson cut their deficit to one.

The Crimson had possession with 12 seconds remaining, trailing by one, but Butler sophomore guard Jenna Cobb stole the ball from junior forward Emma Golen, sealing the win for the Bulldogs and squandering Harvard’s comeback bid.

“It showed our toughness,” coach Beth Couture said. “I felt good about the composure on the floor. They stayed together as a team.”

One day earlier, Butler was unable to overcome a slow start and suffered a 62-39 loss to UNLV.

The Bulldogs struggled offensively in the first half, shooting 6-of-29 from the field en route to a 17-point halftime deficit.

Sophomore guard Mandy McDivitt led the Bulldogs with 11 points.

In the weekend’s games, six of the eight Bulldogs who received significant minutes were underclassmen.

“I think those young kids are very talented,” Couture said. “If they continue to improve every day, I think we could have a lot of fun come league time.”

Butler will be back in action Sunday when it visits Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (0-3).

On Saturday, the Bulldogs will travel to the Lutheran Children’s Hospital in Fort Wayne, where they will meet and interact with patients.

“We try to do as much as we can helping kids,” Burns said.