Regular-Season Action Concludes at Georgetown

Sunday, February 28

Washington, DC

12 P.M.

Xavier University

Georgetown University

Regular-Season Action Concludes at Georgetown

02.27.16 | Women's Basketball

Xavier looks to win fifth straight over Hoyas, secure BIG EAST Tournament first-round bye

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

WASHINGTON – Xavier women's basketball looks to close regular-season action with a win at Georgetown on Sunday, Feb. 28. Tip-off is slated for 12 p.m. with the game being aired on the BIG EAST Digital Network.

The two teams are tied for sixth in the BIG EAST standings with 8-9 records. The winner of Sunday's game earns a first-round bye in the upcoming conference tournament. Xavier could finish as high as fifth with a win and a variety of other scenarios playing out on the final day of conference play.

The Musketeers (17-11) are coming off a 58-55 road loss at Villanova, moving their season-long losing streak to five games. Xavier's last two games have been close as the Musketeers dropped by contests by a combined eight points.

The Hoyas (15-12) are coming off a 49-35 win over Butler on Friday. Georgetown has won six of its last nine games and is 7-4 at home this season.

Sunday's contest will serve as the Hoyas 'Senior Day' and 'Play4Kay Pink' game.

LAST TIME OUT

• The Musketeers dropped a 58-55 road loss at Villanova on Friday night. The game featured 12 ties and 13 lead changes as neither team led by more than six points.

SERIES HISTORY

• Xavier leads the all-time series with Georgetown, 6-2. The Musketeers have won four straight in the series and are 1-1 on the road vs. the Hoyas.

• The last four games between the two schools have been close as Xavier has posted a +5.25 scoring margin in those outings.

LAST TIME OUT VS THE HOYAS

• Xavier won the first meeting between the two schools this season, 59-54, on Dec. 29. Raeshaun Gaffney posted a game-high 19 points and eight rebounds in the win.

• Raeshaun Gaffney was 8-for-13 from the floor and 2-for-2 from behind the arc as the Musketeers finished the game hitting 50 percent (6-for-12) of their three pointers. The guard added five assists.

• Briana Glover was the only other Musketeer in double figures with 11 point on 4-for-9 shooting. The senior forward also had five rebounds. Maddison Blackwell scored four points and matched Gaffney's team-high five assists.

CAREER STATS VS THE HOYAS

• In four career games vs. the Hoyas, Raeshaun Gaffney has averaged 16.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. The junior guard has gone 5-for-10 from behind the arc and 18-for-24 from the foul line in those games.

• Briana Glover has averaged 11 points per game in seven career games vs. Georgetown, while classmate Aliyah Zantt has added 9.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.

NOTABLES

• Maddison Blackwell scored a game-high 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting at Villanova, her third career 20-point game. The junior forward has scored in double figures 12 times in her career.

• Jenna Crittendon pulled down a season-high nine rebounds at Villanova. She added seven points on 3-for-5 shooting in the loss.

• Xavier lost its first game when leading at the half against Villanova. The Musketeers entered the game with a 12-0 mark when leading at the break.

• Xavier held a 40-38 advantage on the glass against Villanova, out rebounding its opponent for the fourth straight game. The Musketeers have out rebounded their opponents 16 times this year.

• 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 two regular-season contests and one conference tournament game remaining.

ZANTT'S SENIOR SUCCESS

• Aliyah Zantt's scoring output from her freshman season to her senior season has nearly doubled. She averaged 5.5 points per game as a freshman and is currently averaging 10.2 points per game.

• The senior guard's field-goal percentage, three-point field-goal percentage and free-throw percentage have all increased each season since her freshman season.

• Zantt is averaging 4.3 rebounds per game from the point guard position, doubling her average from her freshman season (2.0 rpg). With a minimum of two games remaining this season, she already has also eclipsed her assists total from last season.

TURNER'S TURNING UP THE OFFENSE

• Marquia Turner has hit 57.7 percent of her shot attempts in her last five games, going 15-for-26 from the floor. She has also gone 6-for-13 from behind the arc.

• The sophomore guard is averaging 8.4 points per game over her last five outings. Turner was previously averaging 3.5 points per game. She matched her career high in scoring twice (14 points) during that span.

XU DEFENSE

• Xavier has held an opponent under 50 points five times this season. The Musketeers currently rank second in the BIG EAST in scoring defense (60.9).

• Xavier is 12-4 when out rebounding its opponents this season. The Musketeers currently rank fourth in the BIG EAST in rebounding margin (+2.3).

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.

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 a layup late in the third quarter. She now has 1,078 career points.

• Senior Aliyah Zantt has 885 career points and could potentially eclipse the 1,000-point barrier during postseason action.

BIG EAST PLAY

• The Musketeers rank sixth in the BIG EAST standings with an 8-9 record, matching their win total from a year ago in conference play (8-10).

• Xavier is 2-6 in road conference games. The Musketeers have dropped five straight on the road in conference play and are looking for their first road BIG EAST win since a 62-54 victory at Providence.

• Maddison Blackwell ranks fourth in the conference in field-goal percentage during BIG EAST play, hitting 52.1 percent of her shot attempts. She has added 9.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.

UP NEXT

• Xavier travels to the BIG EAST Tournament hosted by DePaul in Chicago on March 5-8.

CHARITY STRIPE SUCCESS

• Xavier ranks third the conference in free-throw percentage (.731).

• Individually, Xavier has two players ranked in the top-10 in free-throw percentage: Briana Glover (1st - .838) and Raeshaun Gaffney (9th - .754).

• Xavier has been able to put teams away late in the game due to its free-throw success. The Musketeers are 75-for-96 from the foul line in the final two minutes of play, while their opponents are 25-for-29. Raeshaun Gaffney is 38-for-47 from the foul line in the final two minutes of play.

RECORD WATCH

• Senior Aliyah Zantt has 192 career steals, ranking second all-time at Xavier.

• Senior Briana Glover ranks eighth all-time at Xavier in blocks (55), while Jenna Crittendon ranks ninth (52).

NCAA STAT RANKINGS

• Xavier ranks eighth nationally in fewest fouls per game (13.5), while ranking 62nd in free-throw percentage (.731) and 103rd in rebounding margin (+2.3).

• Individually, Briana Glover ranks 52nd in free-throw percentage (.838).

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 214-79 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 10th 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 195-65 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.