Xavier Travels to Villanova for Nationally Televised Matchup on FS1

Friday, February 17

Villanova, Pa.

7:30 p.m.

Xavier University

Villanova

Xavier Travels to Villanova for Nationally Televised Matchup on FS1

02.15.17 | Women's Basketball

Live Stats Watch Live Live Audio XU Notes (PDF)

Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m. from The Pavilion

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier women's basketball opens a two-game BIG EAST road swing on Friday, Feb. 17 at Villanova. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m. with the game being aired nationally on FS1.

The Musketeers (11-14, 3-11 BIG EAST) are coming off an 86-71 loss to Marquette on Feb. 12. The Wildcats (14-11, 9-5 BIG EAST) have won three straight games, most recently defeating Seton Hall on Feb. 12.

THE MATCHUP VS VILLANOVA

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (11-14, 3-11) at VILLANOVA WILDCATS (14-11, 9-5)
Game Info: Friday, Feb. 17 - 7:30 p.m. ET - The Pavilion (6,500)
Live Stats: http://bit.ly/2fx0M4M
Live Video - FS1: http://bit.ly/2kKY8u5
Live Audio: http://bit.ly/2lkItot

ABOUT THE WILDCATS

2016-17 Record: 14-11 (9-5 BIG EAST)
Series History: Xavier trails, 7-1

NOTABLES
• Friday's matchup will be Villanova's first home game since Feb. 5. The Wildcats are 6-5 at The Pavilion this season with a 4-3 mark in BIG EAST games.
• Villanova ranks second nationally in fewest turnovers (239), ninth in assist turnover ratio (1.39) and 18th in three pointers made (207).
• Adrianna Hahn leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.6 points per game. The sophomore guard has hit 44.6 percent of her three pointers this year to lead the BIG EAST and rank 11th nationally.

SERIES HISTORY

• Xavier trails the all-time series with Villanova, 7-1. The Musketeers are 0-3 when playing at The Pavilion.

FIRST MEETING VS VILLANOVA

• Xavier dropped the first meeting between the two schools, 72-47, at Cintas Center on Jan. 22.

• Anniina Äijänen was one point and rebound short of her first career double-double, recording nine rebounds and nine points. She went 4-for-8 from the field.

• Marquia Turner led the Musketeers in scoring with 11 points, while Maddison Blackwell added 10 points. Martha Thompson chipped in a career-high three blocks.

CAREER STATS VS VILLANOVA

• Maddison Blackwell has averaged 10.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in seven career meetings versus the Wildcats. The senior forward has hit 59.6 percent (31-for-52) of her shot attempts in those outings.

LAST TIME OUT: VS MARQUETTE

• Xavier dropped its last game, 86-71, to Marquette on Feb. 12 at Cintas Center. The game featured 12 ties and 12 lead changes.

• Maddison Blackwell led the Musketeers with a season-high 20 points on 9-for-18 shooting. It was her fourth career game with 20 or more points.

FROM BEHIND THE ARC

• Xavier has made 134 three-pointers this season, 26 more than its total from all of last season. The Musketeers are averaging 5.4 three pointers per game, while hitting 32.0 percent of their shots from behind the arc – ranking sixth 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 4.4 percent better in the first half of games this season versus the second half (42.2% vs. 37.8%). The Musketeers have also hit 38.2 percent of their three pointers in the first half compared to a .251 clip in the second half.

PLAYING ON THE ROAD

• Xavier is 3-6 in road games this season with a 2-5 mark in BIG EAST games. The Musketeers are averaging 58.1 points per game with two players averaging double figures in Raeshaun Gaffney (13.7) and Maddison Blackwell (11.8).

FASTBREAK POINTS

• Xavier has hit 80.5 percent (33-for-41) of its free throws over its last three games. Prior to those games, the Musketeers had only connected on 65.9 percent of its free throw attempts.

• Raeshaun Gaffney has drained 91.7 percent (22-for-24) of her free throw attempts in her last six games.

• Raeshaun Gaffney ranks sixth in the BIG EAST in scoring (14.5 ppg) and seventh in free-throw percentage (.782). The senior guard also ranks fifth in three-point field-goal percentage (.407).

• Raeshaun Gaffney has hit 37 three-pointers this season, 23 more than she posted all of last season. She has drained 40.7 percent (37-for-91) of her shot attempts from behind the arc.

• Marquia Turner ranks fifth in the conference in assists per game (3.8), while Maddison Blackwell ranks 10th in rebounds per game (6.1).

• Xavier ranks third in the BIG EAST in field-goal percentage defense (.386), third in three-point field-goal percentage defense (.295) and fifth in scoring defense (63.1).

• Over the last two seasons, Xavier has held an opponent under 50 points 10 times.

• The win over Michigan marked the 200th program victory at Cintas Center. Xavier has compiled a 201-70 record since the building opened for the 2000-01 season.

RECORD WATCH: LEAH SCHAEFER

• Leah Schaefer has 87 career blocks to rank fifth all-time at Xavier. The forward has also pulled down 564 career rebounds, 41 rebounds shy of entering the career top-10 in the statistical category.

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 225-96 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 plays its final BIG EAST regular-season road game at Georgetown on Sunday, Feb. 19. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. on the BIG EAST Digital Network.