Musketeers End Homestand on Sunday Against Creighton

Sunday, February 7

Cincinnati, Ohio

2 P.M.

Xavier University

Creighton University

Buy Tickets

Musketeers End Homestand on Sunday Against Creighton

02.06.16 | Women's Basketball

Xavier enters the game in a three-way tie for second place in the BIG EAST standings

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI – Xavier women's basketball closes a three-game homestand on Sunday, Feb. 7 against Creighton. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. from Cintas Center.

Xavier enters the contest with a 16-6 overall record and a 7-4 mark in BIG EAST play. The Musketeers are currently a three-way tie for second place in the conference standings with Seton Hall and St. John's.

Creighton is 12-12 overall and 6-6 in BIG EAST play. The Bluejays are coming off a 52-42 win at Butler on Friday night. Creighton is 3-7 in road games this year.

LAST TIME OUT

• Xavier is coming off a 72-47 win over Providence on Friday night. Three Musketeers scored in double figures as Xavier led from start to finish. Xavier moved to 4-1 in the all-time series with the Friars.

• Xavier opened the game on an 11-4 run, holding the Friars without a field goal for just over six minutes of play. An Allegra Botteghi three-point play at the 3:55 mark made the score 11-6 and snapped the Musketeers streak of holding an opponent without a field goal to nearly 17 and half minutes dating back to the Butler game. Xavier held its opponents to 0-for-23 shooting during that span.

SERIES HISTORY

• Xavier trails the all-time series with Creighton, 4-1. The Musketeers' lone win in the series was on Jan. 2, 2015 at Cintas Center.

• Xavier defeated the Bluejays, 66-65, in the last meeting at Cintas Center as the Musketeers topped Creighton on a last second layup by Maleeka Kynard. Three Musketeers scored in double figures, paced by Leah Schaefer's game-high 14 points.

LAST TIME OUT VS CREIGHTON

• Creighton defeated Xavier, 74-47, in the first meeting this season on Jan. 8 at D.J. Sokol Arena. Xavier was held to a season-low .291 field-goal percentage in the loss.

NOTABLES

• Xavier held Providence to 47 points on Friday night, the second straight game the Musketeers have limited their opponent to 47 points. All told, Xavier has held its opponents under 50 points five times this season.

• Xavier moved to 11-0 when out rebounding its opponents vs. the Friars. The Musketeers held a 46-35 advantage on the glass, led by Jenna Crittendon's team-high seven rebounds.

• Xavier scored a season-high 46 points in the paint vs. the Friars. The Musketeers also scored 21 points off of turnovers, matching their season high in the category.

• Xavier hit 47.5 percent of its shot attempts against Providence, its second highest percentage on the year. The Musketeers also posted a season-high 12 steals, led by Maddison Blackwell who matched her season high with four.

• Aliyah Zantt has averaged 17.5 points per game in her last two outings with a .542 field-goal percentage (13-for-24). Maddison Blackwell has added 11.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game during those outings with a .550 field-goal percentage.

• The Musketeers have held their opponents to a .294 field goal percentage and 47 points per game in their last two games.

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

• Xavier ranks second in the BIG EAST in scoring defense (58.9) and fourth in rebounding margin (+2.5).

BIG EAST WEEKLY HONORS

• Aliyah Zantt was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday for her 24-point performance against Butler.

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

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 1,015 career points.

BIG EAST PLAY

• The Musketeers are 7-4 in BIG EAST play this season with a 5-1 record in home conference games.

• Briana Glover has hit 88.6 percent of her free throws in BIG EAST play, going 39-for-44 from the foul line. Raeshaun Gaffney has hit 80 percent of her free throws (40-for-50) in those games.

• Maddison Blackwell has hit 55.4 percent of her shot attempts in BIG EAST play, ranking second in the category in conference only games. She is averaging 8.5 points per game in conference play.

PLAYING AT CINTAS CENTER

• The Musketeers are 14-2 when playing at home this season and are 26-8 at Cintas Center over the last two years.

• Xavier is averaging 63.6 points per game at home this season, while limiting its opponents to 54.6 points per game.

• The Musketeers also have a +6.6 rebounding margin when playing at Cintas Center this season.

UP NEXT

• BIG EAST action continues on Friday, Feb. 12 at DePaul. Xavier concludes the weekend road trip at Marquette on Sunday, Feb. 14.

CHARITY STRIPE SUCCESS

• Xavier ranks second the conference in free-throw percentage (.742).

• Individually, Xavier has two players ranked in the top-10 in free-throw percentage: Briana Glover (2nd - .842) and Raeshaun Gaffney (4th - .815).

• Xavier has been able to put teams away late in the game due to its free-throw success. The Musketeers are 61-for-75 from the foul line in the final two minutes of play, while their opponents are 12-for-15. Raeshaun Gaffney is 31-for-36 from the foul line in the final two minutes of play.

RECORD WATCH

• Senior Aliyah Zantt has 180 career steals, ranking tied for fourth all-time at Xavier. She is five steals away from moving into third.

NCAA STAT RANKINGS

• Xavier ranks fifth nationally in fewest fouls per game (13), while ranking 29th in free-throw percentage (.742) and 73rd in scoring defense (58.9).

• Individually, Briana Glover ranks 50th in free-throw percentage (.842), while Raeshaun Gaffney ranks 82nd with a .815 field-goal percentage.

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 213-74 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 194-63 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.