Musketeers, Hoyas Slated for Friday Night Matchup on FS1

Friday, January 20

Cincinnati, Ohio

8 p.m.

Xavier University

Georgetown

Musketeers, Hoyas Slated for Friday Night Matchup on FS1

01.18.17 | Women's Basketball

Live Stats Watch Live Live Audio XU Notes (PDF)

Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. ET from Cintas Center

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier women's basketball returns to action on Friday, Jan. 20 against Georgetown. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. ET with the game being aired nationally on FS1.

Xavier enters the game with a 10-8 (2-5 BIG EAST) record with a 7-2 mark in home games. Georgetown is 10-7 (2-5 BIG EAST) on the year with a 4-4 record in road games.

THE MATCHUP VS GEORGETOWN

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (10-8, 2-5) vs GEORGETOWN HOYAS (10-7, 2-5)
Game Info: Friday, Jan. 20 - 8 p.m. ET - Cintas Center (10.250)
Live Stats: http://bit.ly/1lYmT6d
Live Video: http://bit.ly/1sjW14c
Live Audio: http://bit.ly/2iCZGcJ

ABOUT THE HOYAS

2016-17 Record: 10-7 (2-5 BIG EAST)
Series History: Xavier leads, 6-3

NOTABLES
• After winning eight of their first 10 games of the season, the Hoyas have only won two of their last seven games.
• Three players average 10 or more points per game in Dionna White (15.3), Dorothy Adomako (15.0) and Faith Woodard (14.5). Woodard also leads the team in rebounding (8.1).
• The Hoyas were picked to finish fifth in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll after posting a 16-14 (9-9) record last season.

SERIES HISTORY

• Xavier leads the all-time with the Hoyas, 6-3. The Musketeer have won four of the last five meetings between the two schools. Xavier is also 4-0 at home against Georgetown.

• Georgetown won the last meeting between the two schools, 63-51, on Feb. 28 at Georgetown.

• Raeshaun Gaffney averaged 12 points and four rebounds per game last season against the Hoyas with a .476 field-goal percentage. In five career outings versus Georgetown, the guard has averaged 14 points per game, while going 6-for-11 from behind the arc.

LAST TIME OUT: AT DEPAUL

• Xavier is coming off an 85-69 road loss at No. 20/21 DePaul on Sunday, Jan. 15. The Musketeers outscored the Blue Demons in the second half, but couldn't overcome a second quarter that saw DePaul outscore Xavier, 27-10.

• The Musketeers hit 61.5 percent (8-for-13) of their shot attempts in the first quarter.

BIG EAST STAT LEADERS

• Raeshaun Gaffney leads the team in scoring during BIG EAST play, averaging 16.9 points per game to go along with 4.1 rebounds per game. She has added five assists and seven steals.

• Maddison Blackwell has averaged a team-high 7.0 rebounds per game during conference action. The senior forward has added 8.9 points per game and a team-high 13 steals.

1,000-CAREER POINTS: GAFFNEY

• Raeshaun Gaffney scored her 1,000th career point on Sunday at DePaul. The senior guard now has 1,012 points during her four-year playing career.

FROM BEHIND THE ARC

• Xavier has made 112 three-pointers this season, four more than its total from all of last season. The Musketeers are averaging 6.2 three pointers per game, while hitting 34.5 percent of their shots from behind the arc – ranking third in the BIG EAST.

• Xavier finished ninth in the BIG EAST in three-point field-goal percentage (.276) last season.

TALE OF TWO HALVES

• Xavier has shot nearly six percent better in the first half of games this season versus the second half (44.2% vs. 39.0%). The Musketeers have also hit 41.4 percent of their three pointers in the first half compared to a .262 clip in the second half.

FASTBREAK POINTS

• Na'Teshia Owens scored a career-high eight points on 4-for-6 shooting at DePaul. The freshman guard averaged 5.5 points per game last week with a .625 field-goal percentage.

• Maddison Blackwell averaged nine points and three rebounds per game last week. The senior forward also posted a .667 field-goal percentage (6-for-9).

• Raeshaun Gaffney ranks third in the BIG EAST in scoring (15.7 ppg) and ninth in free-throw percentage (.756). The senior guard also ranks fourth in three-point field-goal percentage (.430).

• Raeshaun Gaffney has hit 34 three-pointers this season, 20 more than she posted all of last season. She has drained 43 percent (34-for-79) of her shot attempts from behind the arc.

• Imani Partlow ranks eighth in the BIG EAST in field-goal percentage (.482). Marquia Turner ranks sixth in assists per game (3.9), while Maddison Blackwell ranks eighth in rebounds per game (6.2).

• Over the last two seasons, Xavier has held an opponent under 50 points nine times. The Musketeers' scoring defense currently ranks second in the BIG EAST (57.9 ppg).

• Xavier ranks second in the BIG EAST in field-goal percentage defense (.374) and three-point field-goal percentage defense (.279), while ranking third in scoring defense (61.3).

• The win over Michigan marked the 200th program victory at Cintas Center. Xavier has compiled a 201-68 record since the building opened for the 2000-01 season.

SCHAEFER'S BREAKOUT SEASON

• Leah Schaefer ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in blocks (1.7 bpg), while ranking 10th in rebounding (6.1 rpg). The senior forward has already blocked 28 shots this season, nine more than her total from each of the previous three seasons. She also ranks 82nd nationally in blocked shots.

• Leah Schaefer has 87 career blocks to rank fifth all-time at Xavier. The forward has also pulled down 547 career rebounds, 58 rebounds shy of entering the career top-10 in the statistical category.

• Leah Schaefer is also averaging 2.2 more rebounds per game this season than she did a year ago (6.1-3.9). She has pulled down 10 or more rebounds in a game three times this season, increasing her career double-figure rebounding games to seven.

GAFFNEY'S CAREER NIGHT

• Raeshaun Gaffney scored a career-high 33 points on 12-for-23 shooting against Seton Hall. The 33 points were the most by a BIG EAST player this season and the most by a Xavier player since March 21, 2010 when Amber Harris scored 31 points versus East Tennessee State.

BIG EAST WEEKLY HONOR ROLL

• Raeshaun Gaffney was named to the BIG EAST Weekly honor roll on Monday after averaging 17 points and 4.5 rebounds per game last week. She was also 7-for-10 from the foul line and added three steals.

• All told, Xavier has had a player recognized seven times this season.

ABOUT THE MUSKETEERS

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

• Xavier returns two starters in seniors Raeshaun Gaffney and Maddison Blackwell. Gaffney led the team in scoring (11.1 ppg) and rebounding (4.8) last year, while Blackwell added 9.2 points per game in BIG EAST play with a .516 field-goal percentage – the fourth highest in the conference.

• Brian Neal returns to the bench for his fourth season as head coach. Last season, he picked up his 200th career victory as a head coach. He now has a 224-90 in 11 years as a head coach.

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.

UP NEXT

• Xavier returns to action on Sunday, Jan. 22 against Villanova. Tip-off is slated for 5 p.m. from Cintas Center with the game being aired on the BIG EAST Digital Network.