Xavier Travels to Cincinnati for Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout

Sunday, December 11

Cincinnati, Ohio

2 p.m.

Xavier University

Cincinnati

Xavier Travels to Cincinnati for Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout

12.10.16 | Women's Basketball

Watch Live Listen Live Live Stats XU Notes (PDF)UC Notes (PDF)

Musketeers look to win third straight over Bearcats on Sunday at Fifth Third Arena

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI – Xavier women's basketball travels to rival Cincinnati for the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout on Sunday, Dec. 11. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. from Fifth Third Arena.

The Musketeers are 6-1 on the year, while the Bearcats are 6-2. The two teams are playing for the Kendle Cup – the traveling trophy in the rivalry.

THE MATCHUP VS CINCINNATI

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (6-1) at CINCINNATI BEARCATS (6-2)
Game Info: Sunday, Dec. 11 - 2 p.m. - Fifth Third Arena (13,176)
Live Stats: http://bit.ly/2hq8H7N
Live Audio: http://bit.ly/2fR20Hz
Live Video: http://bit.ly/2gmD2iC

THE STORYLINES VS CINCINNATI

• A win on Sunday would be the third straight victory in the series for the Musketeers. Xavier has won nine of the last 12 meetings between the two schools.

• Xavier continues to be one of the best defensive teams in the country as the Musketeers rank fourth in scoring defense (51.1 ppg) and 14th in field-goal percentage defense (.331).

• Cincinnati has also had a strong year on the defensive end of the floor as the Bearcats have held three opponents under 30-percent shooting from the floor this season. The Bearcats' field goal percentage defense (.355) ranks third in the American Athletic Conference.

ABOUT THE BEARCATS

2016-17 Record: 6-2 (0-0 AAC)
Series History: Xavier trails, 23-15

NOTABLES
• Shanice Johnson leads the team in scoring (15.1 ppg), rebounding (10.6 rpg), steals (23) and blocks (10). Ana Owens has added 13.6 points per game, while Bianca Quisenberry has chipped in 7.5 points per game and a team-high 24 assists.
• The Bearcats knocked down 23 three-pointers in their last three games. Cincinnati drained a season-high 10 3-pointers against Arkansas Pine Bluff on Nov. 29.
• Cincinnati was picked to finish 10th in the American Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Bearcats posted an 8-22 (4-14) record a year ago.

SERIES HISTORY

• Sunday's contest marks the 39th meeting between the two schools with the Bearcats holding a 23-15 advantage in the series.

• Two of the last four meetings have been decided by two or fewer points. A total of 18 games in the rivalry have been decided by 10 or fewer points.

• Xavier is 7-11 when playing at Cincinnati. The Musketeers have won two straight at Fifth Third Arena, most recently a 72-71 victory on Dec. 14, 2014.

• Sunday's matchup will be the 14th meeting in December. Xavier is 7-6 versus Cincinnati when playing in the month of December.

LAST TIME OUT VS WAKE FOREST

• Xavier dropped its first game of the 2016-17 season on Thursday, falling at Wake Forest, 58-45, at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

• The Musketeers trailed by as many as 16 in the first half before chipping away at the deficit. Xavier used a 13-4 run to open the second half and get within three (33-29), but the Demon Deacons pulled away in the fourth quarter to escape with the victory.

NCAA STAT RANKINGS

• Xavier ranks in the top-15 nationally in five statistical categories: defensive rebounds per game (13th – 31.1), fewest fouls (15th - 98), scoring defense (8th – 51.1) and three-point field-goal percentage defense (7th – 23.2) and field-goal percentage defense (14th -.331).

FASTBREAK POINTS

• Marquia Turner had a career-high six steals at Wake Forest, tied for the most in a game this season by a BIG EAST player. Xavier finished with 10 steals, its second game of the season with 10 or more steals.

• Marquia Turner has averaged 8.5 points per game with a .667 field-goal percentage (6-for-9) in two career games against Cincinnati. The junior guard has gone 5-for-7 from behind the arc in those contests, while adding four assists.

• Xavier was outrebounded for only the second time this season at Wake Forest as the Demon Deacons held a 45-32 advantage on the glass. Kindell Fincher paced the Musketeers with a career-high seven rebounds.

• Raeshaun Gaffney ranks sixth in the BIG EAST in scoring (14.7 ppg) and eighth in free-throw percentage (.774).

• Leah Schaefer paces the BIG EAST in blocks (2.3 bpg), while ranking sixth in rebounding (7.7 rpg). The senior forward has already blocked 16 shots this season after posting 19 blocks in each of her first three seasons.

• Leah Schaefer is also averaging 3.8 more rebounds per game this season than she did a year ago (7.7-3.9). She has pulled down 10 or more rebounds in a game three times this season, increasing her career double-figure rebounding games to seven.

• Over the last two seasons, Xavier has held an opponent under 50 points nine times. The Musketeers' scoring defense currently ranks first in the BIG EAST through four weeks of play (51.1 ppg).

• Xavier leads the BIG EAST in six statistical categories: scoring defense (51.1), scoring margin (+13.7), field-goal percentage defense (.331), three-point field-goal percentage defense (.232), rebounding offense (43.9) and rebounding margin (+7.7).

• The win over Michigan marked the 200th program victory at Cintas Center. Xavier has compiled a 200-66 record since the building opened for the 2000-01 season.

NOTEWORTHY PERFORMANCES

Xavier vs North Florida (Nov. 22, 2016)
• The 13 three pointers by the Musketeers were the most in a game since March 22, 2011. Xavier hit 14 in an 85-75 loss to Louisville in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Cintas Center. Xavier posted a .616 (13-for-21) three-point field-goal percentage, the highest percentage in the BIG EAST this year and the 12th highest mark in the NCAA.

• The Musketeers hit 51.7 percent of their shot attempts (31-for-60), their highest field-goal percentage since posting a .549 field-goal percentage at Marquette on Dec. 30, 2014.

• Xavier dished out 24 assists in the win, the most assists by a Xavier team since Feb. 1, 2011. The Musketeers had 27 in a 102-51 win over La Salle.

SCHEDULE NOTES

• Xavier played six straight games at Cintas Center to open the season. The Musketeers went 15-4 at home a year ago, totaling 19 games – the most home games in school history.

• Xavier will take on four new opponents for the first time in program history this season: Tennessee State, Southeast Missouri State, North Florida and Southern Miss. The Musketeers are also facing three different opponents for only the second time in school history: Delaware State, Wake Forest and Oklahoma.

• The Musketeers have won 25 non-conference games over the last three seasons with a 22-3 mark at Cintas Center.

OPPONENT BREAKDOWN

• Xavier's non-conference opponents combined to post a 145-194 overall record a year ago. Three teams posted winning records, while two teams advanced to postseason play (Michigan – WNIT; Oklahoma – NCAA).

• The Musketeers face two teams from both the OVC and Atlantic Sun during non-conference play. All told, Xavier will take on an opponent from nine different conferences.

ABOUT THE MUSKETEERS

• The Musketeers posted a winning record last season, the 22nd winning record for Xavier since joining the NCAA Division I ranks in 1982-83.

• Xavier returns two starters in seniors Raeshaun Gaffney and Maddison Blackwell. Gaffney led the team in scoring (11.1 ppg) and rebounding (4.8) last year, while Blackwell added 9.2 points per game in BIG EAST play with a .516 field-goal percentage – the fourth highest in the conference.

• Brian Neal returns to the bench for his fourth season as head coach. Last season, he picked up his 200th career victory as a head coach. He now has a 220-83 in 11 years as a head coach.

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.

UP NEXT

• Xavier travels to Las Vegas on Dec. 19-21 for the Puerto Rico Classic. The Musketeers open tournament play against Oklahoma on Dec. 19. Tournament officials moved the tournament due to concerns over the risk of the Zika outbreak in Puerto Rico.