Musketeers, Golden Eagles Set for Sunday Matinee

Sunday, February 14

Milwaukee, Wis.

2:30 P.M.

Xavier University

Marquette University

Musketeers, Golden Eagles Set for Sunday Matinee

02.13.16 | Women's Basketball

Xavier defeated Marquette, 71-66, in the first meeting this season

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI – Xavier women's basketball continues its BIG EAST road trip at Marquette on Sunday, Feb. 14. Tip-off is slated for 2:30 p.m. EST with the game being aired nationally on FOX Sports 2.

The Musketeers (17-7, 8-5 BIG EAST) enter the game tied for third in the BIG EAST standings with St. John's. Xavier had its three-game win streak snapped at No. 23/24 DePaul on Friday, moving to 2-4 in road games this season.

Marquette picked up its sixth straight home win on Friday night, topping Butler, 79-69. The Golden Eagles (12-13, 7-7 BIG EAST) have won six of their last eight games are 8-3 at home this year. Marquette ranks tied for sixth in the conference standings.

LAST TIME OUT

• The Musketeers are coming off an 82-52 road loss at No. 23/24 DePaul, the team's second largest defeat of the season. Xavier matched its season-high in turnovers with 21 as the Blue Demons turned the miscues into 21 points.

SERIES HISTORY

• The all-time series with Marquette is tied, 7-7. Xavier is 2-4 in road games and defeated Marquette, 74-71, in the last meeting at the Al McGuire Center last season on Dec. 30.

• The Musketeers have won five of the last eight meetings between the two schools.

LAST TIME OUT VS MARQUETTE

• Xavier defeated Marquette, 71-66, in the first meeting this season on Jan. 15. Four Musketeers scored in double figures, led by Briana Glover's team-high 20 points.

• Xavier dished out a season-high 21 assists in the win, led by Aliyah Zantt who matched her career high with six. She also had 10 points, three steals and a team-high nine rebounds.

CAREER STATS VS MARQUETTE

• Jenna Crittendon has averaged 13.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per game in four career meetings with the Golden Eagles. She has added a .426 field-goal percentage.

• Briana Glover has hit 65.2 percent (30-for-46) of her shot attempts in five career games against Marquette. The senior forward has averaged 17.2 points per game in those meetings.

• Leah Schaefer has hit 72.7 percent (8-for-11) of her shot attempts in four career games vs. the Golden Eagles, while Maddison Blackwell has added 78.6 percent of her shots (11-for-14) in five meetings.

NOTABLES

• Marquia Turner matched her career high in scoring vs. DePaul, scoring 14 points on 6-for-7 shooting. She previously scored 14 points against Maryland Eastern Shore earlier this season.

• Imani Partlow scored a career-high 11 points at DePaul, while adding a team-high five rebounds in 18 minutes of action off the bench.

• Xavier was held without a three pointer for the first time this season as the Musketeers went 0-for-11 from behind the arc. The last time Xavier was held without a three pointer was on Jan. 18, 2015 against Villanova.

• Raeshaun Gaffney continues to lead the Musketeers in scoring (11.7 ppg) and rebounding (4.7 rpg). Briana Glover ranks second in scoring (10.8 ppg), while pacing the team in field-goal percentage (.500) to rank fourth in the BIG EAST.

• Xavier scored a season-high 37 points off the bench against the Blue Demons.

• 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 55.2 points per game in their last four outings. Xavier's defense has also held its opponents to a .352 field-goal percentage.

• Xavier has held an opponent under 50 points five times this season. The Musketeers have held two of its last four opponents to 47 points and currently rank second in the BIG EAST in scoring defense (59.7).

• Xavier is 12-0 when out rebounding its opponents this season. The Musketeers currently rank fourth in the BIG EAST in rebounding margin (+2.1).

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 1,029 career points.

BIG EAST PLAY

• The Musketeers are tied for third in the BIG EAST standings with an 8-5 record, matching their win total from a year ago in conference play (8-10). Xavier is 2-4 in road conference games.

• Maddison Blackwell ranks third in the conference in field-goal percentage during BIG EAST play, hitting 54.2 percent of her shot attempts. She has added a team-high 5.1 rebounds per game, while scoring 8.3 points per game.

UP NEXT

• Xavier returns to action on Friday, Feb. 19 against St. John's. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. from Cintas Center.

CHARITY STRIPE SUCCESS

• Xavier ranks third the conference in free-throw percentage (.732).

• Individually, Xavier has two players ranked in the top-10 in free-throw percentage: Briana Glover (2nd - .833) and Raeshaun Gaffney (7th - .784).

• Xavier has been able to put teams away late in the game due to its free-throw success. The Musketeers are 66-for-82 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 185 career steals, ranking tied for fourth all-time at Xavier. She is three steals away from moving into third.

NCAA STAT RANKINGS

• Xavier ranks fifth nationally in fewest fouls per game (12.7), while ranking 51st in free-throw percentage (.732) and 86th in scoring defense (59.7).

• Individually, Briana Glover ranks 63rd in free-throw percentage (.833).

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 214-75 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.