BIG EAST Road Swing Begins at Butler

Tuesday, January 5

Indianapolis, Ind.

7 P.M.

Xavier University

Butler University

01.04.16 | Women's Basketball

Musketeers look to move to 3-0 in BIG EAST play, capture seventh straight win on Tuesday

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI – Xavier women's basketball opens a three-game BIG EAST road swing on Tuesday, Jan. 5 at Butler. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. from historic Hinkle Fieldhouse.

The Musketeers enter the contest with an 11-2 overall record and 2-0 mark in BIG EAST play following wins over Georgetown and Villanova last weekend. Xavier is also on a six-game win streak, its longest winning streak since capturing the final six games of the 2012-13 regular season.

Butler is 6-7 on the year and 1-1 in BIG EAST play, most recently defeating Georgetown on Dec. 31. The Bulldogs are 4-2 when playing at home this season.

BIG EAST WEEKLY HONORS

• Junior guard Raeshaun Gaffney was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday. Xavier has had a player earn the weekly honors five times this season. Aliyah Zantt (Dec. 28, Nov. 23) and Briana Glover (Dec. 7, Dec. 14) have both earned the honors twice.

• Gaffney averaged 22 points and 5.5 rebounds per game last week, while connecting on 53.3 percent of her shot attempts. The Fairfield, Ohio, native was also 3-for-4 from behind the arc and 9-for-11 from the foul line. She added five assists and two steals.

SERIES HISTORY

• Xavier trails the all-time series with Butler, 23-14. The Bulldogs have won the last five meetings between the two schools.

• Xavier is 4-11 in road games versus Butler. The Musketeers last defeated Butler, 78-67, on Dec. 31, 2000. The last time Xavier defeated the Bulldogs on the road was on Dec. 18, 1999 by a score of 84-48.

LAST TIME OUT VS BUTLER

• Xavier went 0-2 against Butler last year and averaged 53.5 points per game in the series. The Bulldogs averaged 64.5 points per game.

• Jenna Crittendon averaged a team-high 15 points and seven rebounds per game in the two meetings last year. The senior guard was 11-for-18 from the floor and 5-for-11 from behind the arc.

CAREER PERFORMANCES VS VU

• Maddison Blackwell scored a career-high 27 points on 11-for-15 shooting while adding 12 rebounds for her third career double-double. The junior forward's 11 field goals are the most by a Xavier player since Tyeasha Moss hit 11 on Jan. 28, 2012 versus Rhode Island.

• Raeshaun Gaffney scored a career-high 25 points on 8-for-17 shooting. She was also 8-for-9 from the foul line, including 5-for-5 in overtime.

• Xavier had two players score 20 or more points in a game for the first time since March 1, 2015 versus St. John's.

• Aliyah Zantt pulled down a career-high 17 rebounds against Villanova, the most in a game by a XU player since Jenna Crittendon's 17 rebounds against Wright State on Dec. 15, 2012.

NOTABLES

• The Musketeers opened conference play with a 2-0 record for the first time since the start of the 2010-11 season.

• The Musketeers held a 44-33 advantage on the glass against Villanova, moving to 8-0 on the year when outrebounding their opponents. Xavier also moved to 3-2 when trailing at the half.

• Xavier had two players with 10 or more rebounds against Villanova with Aliyah Zantt grabbing 17 and Maddison Blackwell pulling down 12 – the first time XU has had two players with 10 or more rebounds in a game since March 7, 2015 against Georgetown.

• Xavier's 74 points against Villanova was a new season-high in scoring. The Musketeers also made a season-high 22 free throws.

• A win on Tuesday would be the seventh straight for the Musketeers, the longest winning streak for Xavier since winning 19 consecutive games during the 2010-11 season.

CHARITY STRIPE SUCCESS

• The Musketeers were 22-for-25 from the foul line in the win over Villanova. Xavier ranks second in the conference in free-throw percentage (.759).

• Individually, Raeshaun Gaffney leads the conference in free-throw percentage (.830) and Briana Glover ranks seventh (.778).

• Xavier has been able to put teams away late in the game due to its free-throw success. The Musketeers are 43-for-52 from the foul line in the final two minutes of play, while their opponents are 10-for-12.

DOMINATING DEFENSE

• Xavier leads the conference in scoring defense (56.5) and rebounding margin (+5.9), while ranking second in rebounding defense (34.7).

RECORD WATCH

• Senior Aliyah Zantt has 168 career steals, ranking sixth all-time at Xavier. She is six steals away from moving into fifth.

• Senior Briana Glover has 912 career points, needing only 88 more points to become the 24th member of the 1,000th point club at Xavier.

NCAA STAT RANKINGS

• Xavier ranks 18th in free-throw percentage (.759), 12th nationally in fewest personal fouls per game (13.8) and 51st in scoring defense (56.5). The Musketeers also rank 65th in rebounding margin (+5.9).

• Individually, Raeshaun Gaffney ranks 75th in free-throw percentage (.830).

UP NEXT

• Xavier continues its road swing at Creighton (Jan. 8) and Providence (Jan. 10).

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 208-70 record in 10 years as a head coach.

NOTEWORTHY PERFORMANCES

• Xavier committed a season-low five turnovers against Kennesaw State, the fewest in a game since the Musketeers had four miscues against Temple on March 4, 2007. The Musketeer backcourt had zero turnovers on the day.

• 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.

• 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 191-62 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.