Musketeers Host St. John’s in Play4Kay Pink Game

Friday, February 19

Cincinnati, Ohio

7 P.M.

Xavier University

St. John's University

Tickets

Musketeers Host St. John’s in Play4Kay Pink Game

02.18.16 | Women's Basketball

Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. from Cintas Center

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI – Xavier women's basketball returns to action on Friday, Feb. 18 against St. John's. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. from Cintas Center.

Friday's game will serve as the team's annual 'Play4Kay Pink Game' to assist in raising awareness and funds for cancer research. The first 250 fans in attendance will receive a tote bag.

Xavier is coming off back-to-back road losses last weekend at No. 23 DePaul and Marquette. The Musketeers (17-8, 8-6 BIG EAST) look to get back on the winning track at Cintas Center where they have posted a 15-2 mark this season, including three straight victories.

Xavier enters the weekend tied for fifth in the BIG EAST standings with Seton Hall. The Red Storm is 18-7 on the year and 9-5 in conference play to rank second in the standings. St. John's is coming off a 63-55 win over Georgetown and have posted an 8-5 record in road games this season.

LAST TIME OUT

• Xavier went 0-2 last week with Briana Glover and Raeshaun Gaffney leading the Musketeers in scoring with 11.5 points per game. Gaffney also added a team-high seven rebounds per game.

SERIES HISTORY

• St. John's leads the all-time series, 3-2. Xavier is 2-0 when playing the Red Storm at Cintas Center.

• Xavier defeated St. John's, 74-61, in the last meeting at Cintas Center on March 1, 2015.

LAST TIME OUT VS SJU

• Xavier dropped a 57-41 road loss at St. John's earlier this season on Jan. 24. Briana Glover led the Musketeers with eight points, while Jada Byrd pulled down a team-high five rebounds.

NOTABLES

• Xavier had four players score in double figures at Marquette, the fourth time the Musketeers have had four or more players in double figures this season.

• Raeshaun Gaffney posted her first career double-double against the Golden Eagles, scoring a game-high 20 points with a career-high 11 rebounds. The junior guard has scored 20 or more points in a game six times during her career.

• The Musketeers had 10 steals at Marquette, the fifth time this season Xavier has had 10 or more steals. Aliyah Zantt posted a game-high four steals as she now ranks eighth in the BIG EAST in steals (1.8 spg).

• 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.

• The Musketeers are one win away from matching their win total from a year ago with four regular-season games remaining.

• Raeshaun Gaffney continues to lead the Musketeers in scoring (12 ppg) and rebounding (5.0).

XU DEFENSE

• Xavier has held an opponent under 50 points five times this season. The Musketeers have held two of its last five opponents to 47 points and currently rank second in the BIG EAST in scoring defense (60.2).

• Xavier is 12-1 when out rebounding its opponents this season. The Musketeers currently rank fourth in the BIG EAST in rebounding margin (+2.1).

BIG EAST HONORS

• Xavier has had a player earn BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll honors nine times this year. Maddison Blackwell (Feb. 13), Raeshaun Gaffney (Jan. 4), Briana Glover (Dec. 7, Dec. 14, Jan. 11, Jan. 25) and Aliyah Zantt (Dec. 28, Nov. 23, Feb. 1) have all been recognized.

GLOVER - 1,000 PT CLUB

• Senior Briana Glover became the 24th member of the Xavier 1,000-point club on Jan. 24 at St. John's with a layup late in the third quarter. She now has 1,045 career points.

BIG EAST PLAY

• The Musketeers are tied for fifth in the BIG EAST standings with an 8-6 record, matching their win total from a year ago in conference play (8-10). Xavier is 6-1 in home conference games.

• Maddison Blackwell ranks third in the conference in field-goal percentage during BIG EAST play, hitting 54.8 percent of her shot attempts. She has added 8.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.

UP NEXT

• Xavier returns to action on Sunday, Feb. 21 against Seton Hall for Senior Day. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m.

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 - .826) and Raeshaun Gaffney (7th - .775).

• Xavier has been able to put teams away late in the game due to its free-throw success. The Musketeers are 71-for-88 from the foul line in the final two minutes of play, while their opponents are 12-for-15. Raeshaun Gaffney is 37-for-43 from the foul line in the final two minutes of play.

RECORD WATCH

• Senior Aliyah Zantt has 189 career steals, ranking third all-time at Xavier. She is two steals away from moving into second.

• Senior Briana Glover ranks eighth all-time at Xavier in blocks (53).

NCAA STAT RANKINGS

• Xavier ranks fifth nationally in fewest fouls per game (12.8), while ranking 57th in free-throw percentage (.732) and 99th in scoring defense (60.2).

• Individually, Briana Glover ranks 74th in free-throw percentage (.826).

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 214-76 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.