Women’s Basketball Travels to No. 23/24 DePaul

Friday, February 12

Chicago, Ill.

8 P.M.

Xavier University

DePaul University

Women’s Basketball Travels to No. 23/24 DePaul

02.10.16 | Women's Basketball

Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. EST from McGrath-Phillips Arena

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI – Xavier women's basketball travels to No. 23/24 DePaul to open a two-game BIG EAST road trip on Friday, Feb. 12. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. EST from McGrath-Phillips Arena.

Xavier enters the game with a 17-6 (8-4 BIG EAST) record, having won three straight games. The Musketeers are tied for second in the conference standings with six BIG EAST games remaining on the schedule.

The Musketeers are one win away from matching their win total from a year ago and have already tied their BIG EAST win total from last season.

DePaul has also won three straight games as the Blue Demons sit at 19-7 (11-2 BIG EAST) on the year. The Blue Demons are 11-4 at home this season and have won seven of their last eight games.

LAST TIME OUT

• Xavier is coming off a 57-55 buzzer-beater win over Creighton on Feb. 7. The Musketeers also defeated the Blue Jays at home last season as time expired.

• Raeshaun Gaffney missed a contested layup with five seconds remaining in regulation before Jenna Crittendon's put back on the rebound with 0.3 seconds on the clock sealed the win.

SERIES HISTORY

• Xavier trails the all-time series with DePaul, 11-1. The Musketeers lone victory was on Jan. 23, 1984 in the first meeting between the two schools, 82-72.

LAST TIME OUT VS DEPAUL

• DePaul defeated Xavier, 70-53, at Cintas Center on Jan. 17. Both teams entered the game tied for first place in the BIG EAST standings.

• Raeshaun Gaffney scored game-high 21 points, including 10 points in the fourth quarter. The junior guard was 8-for-14 from the floor and 4-for-7 from the foul line.

XU VS THE TOP-25

• The Musketeers are 11-33 all-time against teams ranked in the top-25. The last time Xavier played a top-25 team was on Jan. 17, 2016 against No. 25 DePaul. The Musketeers lost the contest, 70-53, at Cintas Center.

• The Musketeers last win over a top-25 team was on Nov. 26, 2009 over No. 18 Kansas, 76-71, at the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas.

NOTABLES

• Maddison Blackwell has nearly averaged a double-double in her last three outings, averaging 11 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. The junior forward added a .520 field-goal percentage (13-for-25) in those games to go along with a team-high eight steals.

• Briana Glover ranks fifth in the BIG EAST in field-goal percentage (.494). The senior forward ranks second on the team in scoring (11.0) and third in rebounding (4.3).

• Aliyah Zantt ranks ninth in the BIG EAST in steals per game (1.8). In BIG EAST only games, the senior guard ranks eighth in defensive rebounds (4.9).

• Aliyah Zantt has averaged 13 points and 3.7 rebounds per game in the team's last three outings. She has added a team-high nine assists to go along with three blocks and four steals.

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

XU DEFENSE

• The Musketeers have limited their opponents to 49.7 points per game in their last three outings. Xavier's defense has also held its opponents to a .329 field-goal percentage.

• Xavier has held an opponent under 50 points five times this season. The Musketeers have held two of its last three opponents to 47 points and currently rank second in the BIG EAST in scoring defense (58.7).

• Xavier is 12-0 when out rebounding its opponents this season. The Musketeers currently rank fourth in the BIG EAST in rebounding margin (+2.5).

BIG EAST HONORS

• Junior forward Maddison Blackwell was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday after leading the Musketeers to a 2-0 record last weekend.

• The Gahanna, Ohio, native averaged a team-high 13.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, while hitting 55.6 percent of her shot attempts (10-for-18). She was also 7-for-10 from the foul line.

• Xavier has had a player earn the weekly honors nine times this year. Raeshaun Gaffney (Jan. 4), Briana Glover (Dec. 7, Dec. 14, Jan. 11, Jan. 25) and Aliyah Zantt (Dec. 28, Nov. 23, Feb. 1) have also been recognized.

GLOVER - 1,000 POINT CLUB

• Senior Briana Glover became the 24th member of the Xavier 1,000-point club on Jan. 24 at St. John's with layup late in the third quarter. She now has 1,022 career points.

BIG EAST PLAY

• The Musketeers rank second in the BIG EAST standings with an 8-4 record, matching their win total from a year ago in conference play (8-10). Xavier is 2-3 in road conference games.

• Maddison Blackwell is averaging 8.7 points per game to go along with a team-high 5.3 rebounds per game in BIG EAST action. She ranks third in field-goal percentage (.544) in conference only games.

UP NEXT

• Xavier travels to Marquette on Sunday, Feb. 14. The game is slated for 2:30 EST on FOX Sports 2.

CHARITY STRIPE SUCCESS

• Xavier ranks second the conference in free-throw percentage (.743).

• Individually, Xavier has two players ranked in the top-10 in free-throw percentage: Briana Glover (2nd - .841) and Raeshaun Gaffney (7th - .790).

• Xavier has been able to put teams away late in the game due to its free-throw success. The Musketeers are 65-for-80 from the foul line in the final two minutes of play, while their opponents are 12-for-15. Raeshaun Gaffney is 32-for-37 from the foul line in the final two minutes of play.

RECORD WATCH

• Senior Aliyah Zantt has 184 career steals, ranking tied for fourth all-time at Xavier. She is four steals away from moving into third.

NCAA STAT RANKINGS

• Xavier ranks fourth nationally in fewest fouls per game (12.7), while ranking 32nd in free-throw percentage (.743) and 65th in scoring defense (58.7).

• Individually, Briana Glover ranks 50th in free-throw percentage (.841).

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 214-74 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 195-63 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.