The women’s basketball team will open the Maria Marchesano era with an exhibition match against Franklin. This is the team’s only pre-season game and should give Marchesano a good look at how her squad can perform in a live game situation.
Here is what you need to know before the Bulldogs take on the Grizzlies:
Who: Butler vs. Franklin
When: Oct. 28, 7 p.m.
Where: Hinkle Fieldhouse
Early excitement
With a roster consisting of 11 new players and two returners, this exhibition game gives Marchesano the chance to see how well her squad jells together. The team already has a 92-78 scrimmage win against Ball State under its belt, which should give them confidence going into this matchup.
Similar to the scrimmage, Marchesano will be using the game to test starting lineups and allow her team to shake off any jitters about the upcoming season.
“We’re going to continue to have a different [lineup] until it’s Nov. 2 and we have to finally make a decision,” Marchesano said. “I think that’s good because we have multiple people we’re considering, but at the same time, I’ve got to figure out who works best together. It’s not necessarily your best five, it’s who gives us the best results [and] the best opportunity to win.”
Although nothing is set in stone, look for junior guard Tamar Singer and senior forward Lili Krasovec to have an immediate impact on the game.
Coming from Miami (OH), Singer brings the experience of winning the MAC Championship and reaching the NCAA Tournament with her. The guard averaged almost seven assists per game last year, and looks to continue creating plays for her teammates.
“Tamar is as exciting as they come in college basketball,” Marchesano said. “She’s our leader. We go as she goes. She’s solid defensively, and then offensively, she’s a creator. She’s a pass-first point guard. She’ll have an occasional turnover because she’s trying to make that home run pass, but she’ll also make some [of those] passes. She’s definitely fun to watch.”
Krasovec followed Marchesano from Purdue Fort Wayne and brought knowledge of the coach’s schemes and high-scoring ability with her — the forward averaged 11.3 points per game and shot 57% from the floor.
“[Krasovec] grew a lot over the summer [and] we knew she was going to be one of our best players,” Marchesano said. “We knew she was a mobile five that could do a lot of things, but last year she made one three-pointer for us. She shot it at 40% all summer long, so she’s really developed that part of her game. She’s shooting it at a high clip [and] shooting it confidently, but she also understands our systems very well. Things just run smoother when she’s out there.”
Scouting Franklin
The Grizzlies are coming off a season that saw them finish with a 21-7 record and advance to the HCAC Championship, where they lost 85-51 to Transylvania.
Head coach Ashley Blanch returned almost her entire 2025-26 squad for her second season behind the bench. The most notable returner is senior forward Payton Seay, who was second on the team for points and rebounds per game, with 10.5 and 5.9, respectively.
However, Franklin lost leading rebounder forward Kate Breeden and leading scorer guard Jordan Coon, both of whom graduated. To bolster her squad, Blanch brought in three first-year guards: Kandace Kroft, Aubrey Hall and Kyra Kiser.
Kroft put up 18.8 points per game with Winamac High School last year, and will help replace the scoring gap left by Coon. Hall joins her in the double digits, as the guard averaged 13.1 points per game for Perry Meridian High School. Kroft also had 5.9 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game, showcasing her ability to play well on both sides of the ball.
For both teams, this is the only exhibition game on their slates. Look for Marchesano and Blanch to continually make adjustments throughout the matchup as the coaches find out what works best for their squad.