Graduate Shay Frederick celebrates on the bench during the win against Seton Hall. Photo by Lauren Gdowski.

MATTHEW CRANE | SPORTS CO-EDITOR | mcrane@butler.edu

The Butler women’s basketball team extended their winning streak to four games with a 76-64 Senior Night win over the Seton Hall Pirates. Junior guard Caroline Strande led the Bulldogs with a career-high 19 points. Sophomore forward Sydney Jaynes and first-year guard Jessica Carrothers each added 13 points. First-year guard Jordan Meulemans contributed 12 points on 4-6 shooting from three. The Dawgs had eight players score in what was a balanced offensive attack.

Seton Hall had three players score in double figures. The Pirates were led by graduate Sidney Cooks who led all scorers with 22 points. Senior Azana Baines scored 19 points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. Senior Sha’Lynn Hagans finished with 12 points on the night. The rest of the Pirates combined for 11 points. 

Let’s go beyond the box score to recap the Bulldogs win over the Pirates.

Superb shooting

Six Bulldogs hit a three-pointer in the game with 11 triples knocked down on the night. The team shot a sizzling 55% from distance which was their second-highest percentage on the season. This was a welcome sight after the Dawgs shot a season-low 22.2% from three in their previous win against Xavier.

The duo of Meulemans and Strande were a combined 7-9 on the night from behind the arc. This was the second game of the season that Meulemans hit four threes and the most threes that Strande has made in a game this season.

The Bulldogs are now shooting 38.4% from beyond the arc — a remarkable figure for a team that a season ago made just 26.3% of their threes. Butler has also held their opponents to 32.4% from three on the season. 

Dishing out dimes

Ball movement tends to generate strong offense and leads to high assist numbers. In this game, the Bulldogs’ ball movement allowed them to rack up a season high 22 assists on 31 made field goals. Jessica Carrothers led the way with five assists with Strande and graduate guard Rachel McLimore dishing out four assists.

Looking ahead

The Bulldogs will take their four-game winning streak on the road as they take on the Creighton Bluejays on Feb. 27. The Bluejays are coming off a 55-44 win over Marquette. This will be the second matchup between the two teams as the Bluejays defeated the Bulldogs 75-56 on Jan. 14. This will be the last game of the regular season for both teams. The Bulldogs will be the No. 8 seed in the upcoming Big East Tournament.