Musketeers Continue Homestand Against Howard

Saturday, December 19

CINCINNATI, OHIO

5 P.M.

Xavier University

Howard

Tickets

12.17.15 | Women's Basketball

Tip-off is slated for 5 p.m. from Cintas Center

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI – Xavier women's basketball returns to action on Saturday, Dec. 19 against Howard. Tip-off is slated for 5 p.m. from Cintas Center.

The Musketeers enter the contest with a 7-2 record, the team's best start through nine games since going 9-0 to open the 2010-11 season. Xavier is 7-1 at home this season and has won two straight.

Howard is 2-10 on the year, most recently coming off an 83-64 loss to Old Dominion. The Bison have won two of their last three games.

SERIES HISTORY

• Xavier leads the all-time series, 1-0. The Musketeers won the lone meeting, 89-74, on Dec. 28, 1993.

NOTABLES

• Xavier is 14-3 in non-conference action at Cintas Center over the last two seasons. The Musketeers have also posted a 17-7 overall record in non-conference play the last two seasons.

• Xavier hit 51.9 percent of its shot attempts in the second half against Cincinnati, a season high for field-goal percentage in a half.

• Jenna Crittendon scored in double figures for the first time this season against the Bearcats, scoring 10 points on 4-for-8 shooting. The senior guard has hit 66.7 percent of her shot attempts (10-for-15) this season.

• Aliyah Zantt hit 52.9 percent of her shot attempts last week, going 9-for-17 from the floor and 3-for-7 from behind the arc. She finished the week averaging 13 points and five rebounds per game.

• Imani Partlow went 6-for-9 from the floor last week, averaging seven points per game. She also added five rebounds per game. On the year, the freshman forward ranks second on the team in rebounding (5.7 rpg) in only 13.9 minutes per game of action off the bench.

• Xavier picked up its first win of the season when trailing at the half against Cincinnati. The Musketeers also moved to 6-0 on the year when outrebounding their opponents in the win versus the Bearcats.

CHARITY STRIPE SUCCESS

• The Musketeers were 12-for-15 from the foul line in the win over Cincinnati. Xavier ranks second in the conference in free-throw percentage (.762).

• Individually, Raeshaun Gaffney ranks second in free-throw percentage (.842) and Briana Glover ranks fourth (.826).

• Xavier has been able to put teams away late in the game due to its free-throw success. The Musketeers are 30-for-35 from the foul line in the final two minutes of play, while their opponents are 4-for-6.

DOMINATING DEFENSE

• Xavier ranks in the top three of four major defensive categories in the BIG EAST. The Musketeers lead the conference in rebounding margin (+6.0), while ranking second in scoring defense (56.4 ppg) and third in both three-point field goal percentage defense (.283) and rebounding defense (35.2 rpg).

• The Musketeers are limiting their opponents to 52.0 points per game when playing at Cintas Center.

NCAA STAT RANKINGS

• Xavier ranks 19th in free-throw percentage (.762), 20th nationally in fewest personal fouls per game (14.1) and 53rd in scoring defense (56.4). The Musketeers also rank 69th in rebounding margin (+6.0).

• Individually, Marquia Turner ranks 22nd nationally in assist/turnover ratio (2.78). Raeshaun Gaffney also ranks 74th in free-throw percentage (.842).

UP NEXT

• Xavier returns to action on Monday, Dec. 21 against Kennesaw State. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. from Cintas Center.

NEAL RECORDS WIN NO. 200

• Head coach Brian Neal picked up his 200th career victory in the win over Southeastern Louisiana on Nov. 25. He has compiled a 204-70 record in 10 years as a head coach.

NOTEWORTHY PERFORMANCES

• Sophomore Marquia Turner dished out a career-high eight assists in the win over Maryland Eastern Shore, the most by a Xavier player since Ty O'Neill had eight versus High Point on Nov. 19, 2012.

• Anniina Äijänen pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds in the win over Southeastern Louisiana. The 15 rebounds are the most in a game since Jenna Crittendon had 17 against Wright State on Dec. 15, 2012.

• Xavier held Southeastern Louisiana to 27 points, the fewest allowed by the Musketeers since defeating Maryville, 67-21, on Dec. 5, 1980. The 40-point win is also the largest margin of victory since Nov. 30, 2010 when the Musketeers topped Mississippi Valley State, 85-40.

• Xavier also pulled down 64 rebounds in the win over Southeastern Louisiana, the second most in school history. The Musketeers had 68 rebounds against Wright State on Feb. 12, 1976. The 64 rebounds are the most by a BIG EAST team this season, while ranking sixth nationally.

PRESEASON POLL

• Xavier was picked to finish sixth in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches Poll as announced at the conference's annual media day at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 14.

THE SCHEDULE

• Xavier will play 19 games at Cintas Center this season, the most in school history. The Musketeers previously set the record last year when they hosted 18 games, including two postseason tournament contests.

• Xavier has posted a 187-62 overall record at Cintas Center since the building opened in 2000.

• The Musketeers posted a 12-6 mark at home last year, the team's 10th season with 10 or more wins inside Cintas Center.

• Xavier faced four teams this season for the first time in school history (Maryland-Eastern Shore, Southeastern Louisiana, Tennessee Tech and Radford).

XU BASKETBALL HISTORY

• Xavier has made nine NCAA Tournament appearances, most recently advancing to the tournament's second round in 2011.

• The Musketeers' best NCAA Tournament finish was in 2001 and 2010 as XU advanced to the Elite Eight.

• The Musketeers have posted a .500 or better record 21 times since joining the NCAA Division I ranks in 1982-83.

BIG EAST DIGITAL NETWORK

• Every BIG EAST women's basketball game that will not be carried on FOX Sports 1 or FOX Sports 2 will be aired on the BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN).

• The BEDN launched in 2014-15 with its own branded channel on the FOX Sports GO app. The league is the first and only collegiate conference to be hosted on FOX's mobile platform, FOX Sports Go. The app provides live streaming video of FOX Sports content at home or on-the-go.

NATIONAL BROADCASTS

• Xavier will play four nationally broadcasts games this season via FOX. The Musketeers will play three games on FOX Sports 1 and one on FOX Sports 2.

BIG EAST TOURNAMENT

• DePaul's McGrath-Phillips Arena will serve as the host site of the 2016 BIG EAST Women's Basketball Tournament as voted on by the conference's athletic directors. The tournament will be held on March 5-8 in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of downtown Chicago.