Musketeers Travel to Creighton, Look to Remain Undefeated in BIG EAST Play

Friday, January 8

Omaha, Neb.

7 P.M.

Xavier University

Creighton University

Musketeers Travel to Creighton, Look to Remain Undefeated in BIG EAST Play

01.07.16 | Women's Basketball

Friday’s contest will be aired nationally on FOX Sports 1 at 7 p.m. EST

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI – Xavier continues its three-game BIG EAST road trip at Creighton on Friday, Jan. 8. The game will be aired nationally on FOX Sports 1 at 7 p.m. EST.

The Musketeers are coming off a 10-point road victory at Butler on Tuesday night, moving to 12-2 overall and 3-0 in BIG EAST play. Xavier has won seven straight games – its longest winning streak since 2010-11 – while posting its best start in BIG EAST play since joining the conference in 2013-14.

Creighton snapped a three-game losing streak on Tuesday as the Bluejays picked up their first BIG EAST win of the year at Villanova, moving to 7-9 (1-3 BIG EAST) on the year. The Bluejays are 3-3 when playing at home this season.

Friday's matchup features two of the best free-throw shooting teams in the nation as Creighton ranks third (.783) and Xavier ranks eighth (.770), respectively.

LAST TIME OUT

• The Musketeers snapped a five-game losing streak against Butler on Tuesday night behind a strong second half performance. Xavier hit 62.5 percent of its shot attempts in the second half to turn a three-point halftime deficit into a 10-point win. The Musketeers opened the second half on an 11-0 run behind 4-for-5 shooting to regain a lead they would never relinquish.

SERIES HISTORY

• Xavier trails the all-time series with Creighton, 3-1. The Musketeers are 0-2 in road games with their lone victory coming on Jan. 2, 2015 at Cintas Center by a score of 66-65.

LAST TIME OUT VS THE BLUEJAYS

• Xavier averaged 65.5 points per game in the series last year and hit 45.9 percent of its shot attempts. The Musketeers also connected on 51.9 percent of their three pointers (14-for-27).

• Jenna Crittendon averaged 13 points per game in the series last year, hitting 66.7 percent of her shot attempts (10-for-15). She was also 3-for-5 from behind the arc and averaged 5.5 rebounds per game.

• Maddison Blackwell hit 55.6 percent of her shot attempts (10-for-18) against the Bluejays a year ago. She added 3.5 rebounds per game.

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.

STRONG START TO BIG EAST PLAY

• The Musketeers are averaging 68.7 points per game with a .457 field-goal percentage in BIG EAST play after averaging 62.5 points per game with a .400 field-goal percentage in non-conference action.

• In BIG EAST only action, Raeshaun Gaffney ranks third in the conference in scoring with 19.7 points per game. The junior guard has added five rebounds per game and has hit 51.2 percent of her shot attempts. She is also 14-for-17 from the foul line.

• Maddison Blackwell has averaged 15.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in BIG EAST play, while adding a .563 field-goal percentage. The junior forward entered conference play averaging 3.5 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.

• Aliyah Zantt is nearly averaging a double-double in BIG EAST play, scoring 9.7 points per game to go along with 9.3 rebounds per game. The senior guard is also 10-for-12 from the foul line.

XAVIER WIN STREAK

• Xavier has averaged 66.6 points per game during its seven-game win streak with a +9.1 scoring margin and +4.0 rebounding margin. The Musketeers have also hit 80.2 percent of their free throws (89-for-11) during the stretch.

• Three players have averaged 10 or more points during the win streak: Raeshaun Gaffney (14.7 ppg), Aliyah Zantt (12.7 ppg) and Briana Glover (12.3 ppg).

NOTABLES

• Xavier had four players score in double figures for the first time at Butler this season.

• Xavier scored 70 or more points in the win at Butler for the second straight game and third time this season.

• The Musketeers scored 36 points in the paint at Butler, their second most in a game this season.

AMONG THE NATION'S BEST

• At a combined 26-3, Xavier men's and women's basketball rank tied for second nationally in combined wins. South Carolina's basketball programs have combined to go 27-0 this season.

CHARITY STRIPE SUCCESS

• The Musketeers were 15-for-16 from the foul line in the win at Butler. Xavier ranks second in the conference in free-throw percentage (.770).

• Individually, the Musketeers have three players ranked in the top-10 in free-throw percentage: Raeshaun Gaffney (.831), Briana Glover (.800) and Aliyah Zantt (.775).

• Xavier has been able to put teams away late in the game due to its free-throw success. The Musketeers are 48-for-58 from the foul line in the final two minutes of play, while their opponents are 12-for-14.

DOMINATING DEFENSE

• Xavier leads the conference in scoring defense (57.0), field-goal percentage defense (.358) and rebounding margin (+5.4).

RECORD WATCH

• Senior Aliyah Zantt has 169 career steals, ranking sixth all-time at Xavier. She is five steals away from moving into fifth.

• Senior Briana Glover has 924 career points, needing only 76 more points to become the 24th member of the 1,000th point club at Xavier.

NCAA STAT RANKINGS

• Xavier ranks eighth in free-throw percentage (.770), 13th nationally in fewest personal fouls per game (14.1) and 56th in scoring defense (57.0). The Musketeers also rank 68th in rebounding margin (+5.4).

• Individually, Raeshaun Gaffney ranks 75th in free-throw percentage (.831).

UP NEXT

• Xavier concludes its three-game BIG EAST road swing at Providence on Sunday, Jan. 10. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. and will be aired on the BIG EAST Digital Network.

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 209-70 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.

• 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 ninth nationally.

• Maddison Blackwell scored a career-high 27 points on 11-for-15 shooting versus Villanova. 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.

• 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.

• 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.

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.