Women’s Basketball Continues Non-Conference Action at Bowling Green

Wednesday, December 6

Bowling Green, Ohio

11 a.m.

Xavier University

Bowling Green

Women’s Basketball Continues Non-Conference Action at Bowling Green

12.05.17 | Women's Basketball

BGSU Information XU Notes (PDF)XU Stat Packet (PDF)Watch Live Listen Live Live Stats

Wednesday’s game is slated for 11 a.m. from the Stroh Center

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier women's basketball returns to non-conference action at Bowling Green on Wednesday, Dec. 6. Tip-off is slated for 11 a.m. from the Stroh Center.

The Musketeers are 4-2 on the year, while the Falcons are 6-1.

THE MATCHUP VS BGSU

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (4-2) at BOWLING GREEN FALCONS (6-1)
Game Info - Wednesday, Dec. 6 - 11 a.m. ET - Stroh Center
Live stats - bit.ly/2nA0jqz
Live video - es.pn/2kodZUj
Live audio - bit.ly/2ATqXzR

ABOUT BGSU

2017-18 Record: 6-1 (0-0 MAC)
2017 Postseason: None
Series History: Xavier leads, 3-2

NOTABLES
• Bowling Green has posted a 6-1 record to start the year after finishing the 2016-17 season with an 8-23 (4-14 MAC) record. The Falcons were picked to finish fifth in the east division of the MAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• Junior guard Carly Santoro, a 2017 All-MAC Preseason Selection, leads the team in scoring (17.0) and rebounding (11.9). She is coming off a 29-point, 13-rebound performance in Bowling Green's 90-77 win over Valparaiso on Nov. 28. She ranks seventh nationally in double-doubles and 10th in rebounds per game.

SERIES HISTORY

• Xavier leads the all-time series with Bowling Green, 3-2. The Musketeers won the last meeting between the two schools, 87-72, on Dec. 1, 1999 in Cincinnati.

LAST TIME OUT

• Xavier dropped a 62-57 matchup with Wake Forest on Monday night. The Demon Deacons led by as many as 16 points (51-35) with 1:13 left in the third quarter before the Musketeers engineered an 18-1 run to take their first lead of the game (53-52) with 4:40 left in regulation. Xavier was 7-for-12 from the floor with four 3-pointers during the run.

• The Demon Deacons closed the game on a 10-4 run on 4-for-7 shooting to hold off the Xavier comeback.

• Xavier had a 15-game home non-conference win streak snapped in the loss. The Musketeers have now posted a 26-4 record over the last four seasons in non-conference games at Cintas Center. The Musketeers' last home non-conference loss was against Middle Tennessee State on Dec. 6, 2015 (L, 62-53).

BIG EAST HONORS

• Jada Byrd was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday afternoon. The senior guard scored a career-high 19 points on 8-for-11 shooting in the Musketeers' 62-50 win over Fort Wayne last week. She has earned the weekly honors twice this season.

BYRD'S BREAKOUT SEASON

• Jada Byrd leads the team in field-goal percentage (.578) - the second best mark in the BIG EAST - while ranking second in scoring (12.2). The senior guard entered the year averaging 2.1 points per game over her first three seasons.

• Jada Byrd has averaged 14 points per game over her last two outings. She has posted a .706 field-goal percentage (12-for-17) in those games.

NOTABLES

• Anniina Äijänen scored a career-high 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting with 13 points coming in the second half against the Demon Deacons. The senior forward added two blocks, two steals, two rebounds and one assist.

• Anniina Äijänen has averaged 14.5 points per game in her last two outings with a .542 field-goal percentage (13-for-24).

• Na'Teshia Owens has averaged nine points per game in her last two outings. The sophomore guard posted a .538 field-goal percentage, while going 4-for-6 from behind the arc in those games.

• A'riana Gray has averaged 7.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game this season. Gray's 7.3 rebounds per game leads all BIG EAST freshmen, while ranking fourth overall. She posted her first career double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) at Minnesota on Nov. 22.

• Imani Parlow leads the team in scoring (12.3) and rebounding (8.3). The redshirt-junior has hit 47.8 percent of her shot attempts this season.

• Xavier ranks fourth nationally in fewest fouls committed. The Musketeers have only committed 81 fouls this season.

• Xavier ranks second in the BIG EAST in field-goal percentage defense (.373) and fourth in scoring defense (60.7).

XU FROM THREE POINT RANGE

• Xavier has made 10 three pointers in a game twice this season (vs New Hampshire; vs Grambling State). The Musketeers haven't scored 10 or more three pointers on more than one occasion in a season since the 2013-14 campaign.

• Xavier is averaging 7.7 three pointers per game to rank tied for fifth in the BIG EAST. The Musketeers averaged 5.4 three pointers per game last season.

• Freshman Aaliyah Dunham ranks second in the BIG EAST in three-point field-goal percentage as she has hit 53.3 percent (8-for-15) of her shot attempts from behind the arc.

YOUNG MUSKETEERS

• Xavier enters the season with one of the youngest teams in the BIG EAST. The Musketeers have the second most underclassmen (9) in the conference behind Villanova (10).

• The Musketeers also have six true freshmen, the most of any team in the conference.

• Xavier returns four upperclassmen (two seniors, two juniors) who entered the season with 42 combined career starts. Those four players (Jada Byrd, Anniina Äijänen, Imani Partlow and Kindell Fincher) combined to average 21.7 points per game last season.

PRESEASON POLL

• The Musketeers were picked to finish 10th in the preseason coaches' poll as voted on by conference head coaches. Xavier was the only team in the BIG EAST without a player on the preseason all-conference team.

SCHEDULE NOTES

• Xavier will play 16 games at Cintas Center this season (seven non-conference; nine BIG EAST games). The non-conference home schedule is highlighted by the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout on Sunday, Dec. 10 against Cincinnati. Xavier has won three straight in the series, including 10 of the last 13 meetings.

• The Musketeers open the BIG EAST season with three-straight road games before playing back-to-back home contests against St. John's (Jan. 7) and Seton Hall (Jan. 10).

• Xavier opens and closes the season against Butler. The Musketeers travel to Hinkle Fieldhouse on Dec. 29 for a nationally televised matchup on FS2 and host the Bulldogs on Feb. 25.

• The Musketeers have won 31 non-conference games over the last four seasons with a 26-4 mark at Cintas Center.

OPPONENT BREAKDOWN

• Xavier will take on two opponents for the first time in school history in Mount St. Mary's and Furman. The contests with New Hampshire, Minnesota and Grambling will be only the second meetings with each opponent in program history.

• Xavier's non-conference opponents combined to post a 186-192 overall record a year ago. Five teams posted winning records, while four teams advanced to postseason play (3 - WNIT; 1 - NCAA).

• All told, Xavier will take on an opponent from 11 different conferences.

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.

FOX SPORTS

• FOX Sports will nationally televise 15 regular-season games, while the BIG EAST Digital Network will carry an additional 74 conference matchups for a third consecutive season.

• The BEDN, launched in September 2014, is its own dedicated section within FOX Sports GO, the mobile app that provides live streaming video of FOX Sports content at home or on-the-go. FOX Sports GO is currently available for iOS, Android, Kindle Fire tablets and Fire phones, select Windows devices, and on desktops through FOXSportsGO.com. Streaming on FOX Sports GO is also now available on several connected devices, including Apple TV, Roku and Chromecast. Fans can download the mobile app for free from the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Amazon App Store and Windows Store.

NATIONAL BROADCASTS

• Xavier is slated to play three nationally televised games on FS2.

FS2 Games
Friday, Dec. 29 at Butler - 7 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 28 vs Georgetown - 2 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 9 vs Marquette - 7 p.m.

UP NEXT

• Xavier returns to action on Sunday, Dec. 10 in the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout against Cincinnati. Tip-off is slated for 5 p.m. from Cintas Center.