What you need to know: Women’s basketball team plays host to Villanova

Senior forward Sydney Jaynes is averaging over seven points per game this season. Photo by Jonathan Wang.

SAWYER GOLDWEIN | SPORTS CO-EDITOR | sgoldwein@butler.edu 

The women’s basketball team returns home to take on Villanova on Feb. 5 after a disappointing two-game road trip which extended the Dawgs’ losing streak to five games.

Here is what you need to know before the Bulldogs take on the Wildcats:

Who: Butler vs. Villanova

When: Feb. 5, 7 p.m.

Where: Hinkle Fieldhouse

How to watch: BEDN

Rough patch

The Dawgs’ loss to UConn on Feb. 2 was their fifth straight, dropping them to a 12-12 overall record, including a dismal 2-9 mark in the Big East.

Four of the five losses during the losing skid have come by double-digits. The other — a seven-point loss to DePaul — saw the Bulldogs blow an 11-point lead with under five minutes to go, eventually falling in overtime. 

Butler had an eerily similar losing streak last season as well, losing nine of 10 games from Jan. 3 to Feb. 4. This year’s Dawgs have lost seven of nine in the new year, and nine of their last 11 dating back to Dec. 21. 

Last year Butler bounced back from its losing streak by winning four straight games. The Bulldogs will look to do the same this season, starting with their matchup against Villanova.

Scouting the Wildcats

Villanova is 12-10 overall and 6-4 in the Big East, placing them in fifth place in the conference.

The Wildcats have been forced to adjust to life without star guard Lucy Olsen, who transferred to Iowa over the offseason. Olsen averaged 23.3 points per game during the 2023-24 season, while no other Wildcat was in double-figures. A junior at the time, Olsen also was the team leader in assists and steals and was second in rebounds and blocks.

Guard tandem, first-year Jasmine Bascoe and sophomore Maddie Webber have stepped up this season. Bascoe has taken over for Olsen as the team leader in points, assists and steals. Webber has improved her play as well after earning Big East All-Rookie honors last season.

The Bulldogs’ guards will be tasked with shutting down the Cats’ backcourt duo, which will be paramount to Butler’s chances to pick up a quality conference win.

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