Xavier Opens 2018-19 Season on Wednesday Night Against Chicago State

Wednesday, November 7

Cincinnati, Ohio

7 p.m.

Xavier University

Chicago State

Xavier Opens 2018-19 Season on Wednesday Night Against Chicago State

11.05.18 | Women's Basketball

Live Stats Watch Live XU Notes (PDF)

Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. from Cintas Center

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier women's basketball opens the 2018-19 season on Wednesday, Nov. 7 against Chicago State. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. from Cintas Center.

THE MATCHUP VS CHICAGO STATE

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (0-0) vs CHICAGO STATE COUGARS (0-0)
Game Info - Wednesday, Nov. 7 - 7 p.m. ET - Cintas Center
Live Video - bit.ly/2PasMAo
Live Stats - bit.ly/2qqIPeu

ABOUT CHICAGO STATE

2018-19 Record: 0-0
2017-18 Record: 1-23 (1-13 WAC)
2017-18 Postseason: None
Series History: Xavier leads, 3-0
Last Meeting: XU 88, CSU 34 - 11/29/00

NOTABLES
• Chicago State will be under the direction of first-year head coach Misty Opat. She was most recently the head coach at Rock Valley College for 10 seasons, leading her team to four NJCAA Division III National Championships.
• The Cougars posted a 1-29 (1-13 WAC) overall record last season and went winless (0-29) during the 2016-17 campaign. Chicago State's lone win was an 84-74 victory at Utah Valley on Feb. 8.
• Chicago State averaged 53.4 points per game last season, while allowing 71.1 points per game. The Cougars top three scorers in Kaylee Allen (14.8), Jessica Cerda (11.0) and Cailin Nix (9.6) have also departed the program.

SERIES HISTORY - CHICAGO STATE

• Xavier leads the all-time series with Chicago State, 3-0. The Musketeers won the last meeting between the two schools, 88-34, on Nov. 29, 2000.

ALL-TIME RESULTS
2/6/90 - Xavier 86, Chicago State 52
1/3/91 - Xavier 86, Chicago State 67
11/29/00 - Xavier 88, Chicago State 34

XU IN SEASON OPENERS

• Xavier is 18-0 in home openers when playing inside Cintas Center. Last year, the Musketeers defeated New Hampshire, 71-66, in overtime on Nov. 11.

• The Musketeers are 23-13 in season openers dating back to their first season as a Division I member in 1982-83. Xavier is 16-3 in season openers over the last 19 seasons.

ABOUT THE MUSKETEERS

• Xavier returns point guard Na'Teshia Owens who played and started in 27 games last season. She averaged 7.5 points and 3.1 rebounds per game, while adding 59 assists and 24 steals. The junior also hit 40 percent (30-for-75) of her three pointers to rank eighth in the BIG EAST.

• The Musketeers also return Aaliyah Dunham who was named to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team. The guard led the team in assists (74) and three pointers made (32). She finished the year ranked fourth in Xavier single-season history in assists by a freshman.

• Aaliyah Dunham also connected on 39 percent of her three pointers (32-for-82), the ninth best percentage in the conference.

• Xavier finished the year ranked second all-time in program history in made three pointers with 214. The 700 attempted three pointers rank first in school history.

• Xavier returns its top rebounder from last season in A'riana Gray. The sophomore forward pulled down 5.5 rebounds per game last year, leading all BIG EAST freshmen in the category. She also led the Musketeers in steals (30).

YOUNG MUSKETEERS

• Xavier is the only team in the BIG EAST without a graduate student or senior on its roster. The Musketeers only have three upperclassmen (juniors), and have 10 underclassmen – ranked with Georgetown and Providence for the most underclassmen in the BIG EAST.

SCHEDULE NOTES

• Xavier will play 18 games at Cintas Center this season, including nine BIG EAST games.

• The Musketeers open and close BIG EAST play against Georgetown. Xavier travels to Washington, D.C., on Dec. 29 to open conference play and host the Hoyas on March 3 at Cintas Center.

• The Musketeers have won 34 non-conference games over the last four seasons with a 28-4 mark at Cintas Center.

• The Musketeers will take on three opponents for the first time in school history in Fairfield, North Alabama and Alabama State.

• Xavier will be playing nine home non-conference games, the second most in program history. The Musketeers played 10 non-conference games at Cintas Center during the 2015-16 campaign.

RIVALRY GAME

• The Musketeers travel to crosstown rival Cincinnati on Sunday, Dec. 16. Xavier has won 11 of the last 14 meetings between the two schools, including four in a row.

• Xavier defeated Cincinnati, 53-50, in the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout last season at Cintas Center.

OPPONENT BREAKDOWN

• Xavier's non-conference opponents combined to post a 142-192 (.425) record last season. Three teams posted winning records in Minnesota, North Alabama and Cincinnati.

• Minnesota and Cincinnati both participated in postseason tournaments last season. The Golden Gophers advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before being defeated by Oregon. Cincinnati participated in the WNIT and was defeated in the opening round at Michigan State.

• Five of Xavier's non-conference opponents will be under the direction of a new head coach: Chicago State, Minnesota, Bowling Green, Delaware State and Cincinnati. Most notably, Minnesota is coached by former Gopher All-American, Lindsay Whalen.

• The Musketeers will take on an opponent from 11 difference conferences this season.

NATIONAL TV BROADCASTS

• Xavier will play three games on national television with each game being aired on FS2. The Musketeers will play all three of those games at Cintas Center (Jan. 27 vs DePaul; Feb. 15 vs Providence; March 1 vs Villanova).

BIG EAST DIGITAL NETWORK

• Xavier's remaining 15 conference games will be aired on the BIG EAST Digital Network.

• BEDN, launched in September 2014, is its own dedicated channel within the FOX Sports app, the mobile app that provides live streaming video of FOX Sports content at home or on-the-go. Streaming on the FOX Sports app is now available on several connected devices, including Apple TV, Roku and Chromecast.

LAUREN HILL TIPOFF CLASSIC

• Xavier takes on Fairfield in the Fourth Annual Lauren Hill Tipoff Classic on Saturday, Nov. 17 at 2 p.m. Mount St. Joseph University will face UC-Clermont at 5 p.m.

PRESEASON COACHES POLL

1.	DePaul (5)	77
	Marquette (5)	77
3.	Villanova	57
4.	Creighton	53
5.	Georgetown	52
6.	St. John's	48
7.	Butler	34
8.	Seton Hall	23
9.	Providence	17
10.	Xavier	12

First-place votes in parentheses

SEASON TICKET INFORMATION

• Season tickets are on sale now through the Xavier Athletics Ticket Office. For more information on ticket options, call the ticket office at 513-745-3411 ext. 7 or CLICK HERE for additional information.

UP NEXT

• Xavier continues its four-game homestand on Sunday, Nov. 11 against Tennessee Tech at 6 p.m.

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