Xavier, Providence Slated for Sunday Matinee

Sunday, February 18

Providence, R.I.

1 p.m.

Xavier University

Providence

02.17.18 | Women's Basketball

XU Notes (PDF)Live Stats Watch Live (BEDN)

Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. ET on the BIG EAST Digital Network

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Xavier women's basketball travels to Providence for its final BIG EAST road game of the regular season. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. ET with the game being aired on the BIG EAST Digital Network.

The Musketeers enter the game with a 9-18 (2-14 BIG EAST) record, while the Friars are 9-18 (2-13 BIG EAST).

THE MATCHUP AT PROVIDENCE

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (9-18, 2-14) at PROVIDENCE FRIARS (9-18, 2-13)
Game Info - Sunday, Feb. 18 - 1 p.m. ET - Alumni Hall (1,854)
Live video (BEDN) - bit.ly/2ExVDoW
Live stats - bit.ly/2HqETSf

ABOUT PROVIDENCE

2017-18 Record: 9-18 (2-14)
2017 Postseason: None
Series History: Xavier leads, 8-1

NOTABLES
• The Friars have lost four straight games, most recently coming off a 69-48 loss to Butler on Friday night. Providence is 3-10 at home this season with a 1-7 mark in conference games.
• Providence leads the BIG EAST in three-point field-goal percentage (.388), while ranking ninth in scoring offense (60.1) and seventh in scoring defense (67.0).
• Jovana Nogic leads the conference in free-throw percentage (.951), while ranking fourth in scoring (16.9).

SERIES HISTORY

• Xavier is 8-1 all-time against the Friars. The Musketeers have won seven straight in the series.

LAST TIME OUT VS PROVIDENCE

• Xavier won the first meeting between the two schools this season, 69-58, at Cintas Center on Jan. 19. Anniina Äijänen recorded her first career double-double by scoring 19 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. She went 8-for-11 from the field and 3-for-6 from behind the arc.

• Three Musketeers scored in double figures with Äijänen scoring 19 points, Kindell Fincher scoring 14 points and Jada Byrd scoring 11 points.

• The Musketeers never trailed during the game with their largest lead coming at the 5:58 mark of the fourth quarter where they led by 18 points. Xavier outrebounded Providence, 35-28, with Äijänen recording 11 rebounds and Imani Partlow recording six.

LAST TIME OUT

• Xavier is coming off a 65-54 loss at Creighton on Friday night. Na'Teshia Owens paced the Musketeers with a career-high 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting. She added two steals and two rebounds.

• Jada Byrd added 13 points on 6-for-10 shooting with two rebounds. Imani Partlow finished with eight points and Princess Stewart added six points.

• Creighton won the battle on the glass, 30-23, and held a 15-7 advantage in points off of turnovers. A'riana Gray led Xavier on the glass with six rebounds.

BREAKOUT SENIOR SEASONS

• Jada Byrd leads the team in scoring (9.8). The senior guard entered the year averaging 2.1 points per game over her first three seasons. She also ranks fifth in the conference in field-goal percentage (.497).

• Anniina Äijänen ranks third on the team in scoring, averaging 8.4 points per game. The senior forward entered the year averaging 3.0 points per game over her first three seasons. She also ranks 10th in the conference in field-goal percentage (.464).

BIG EAST PLAY

• Imani Partlow ranks second on the team in scoring during BIG EAST action, averaging 9.0 points per game. She has added a .505 field-goal percentage – the fifth best percentage in the conference – and 5.5 rebounds per game.

• Anniina Äijänen has added 8.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game during conference action. Her .486 field-goal percentage ranks tied for seventh in the BIG EAST.

• Na'Teshia Owens ranks second in the conference in three-point field-goal percentage (.448), going 13-for-29 from behind the arc.

NOTABLES

• Jada Byrd has averaged 13.2 points per game in her last six outings. The senior guard has posted a .689 field-goal percentage (31-for-45) with 11 assists and eight rebounds. She is also 16-for-23 from the foul line during that stretch.

• Anniina Äijänen has posted a .524 field-goal percentage (11-for-21) in her last three games. The senior forward added 9.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.

• Na'Teshia Owens has averaged 11.0 points per game in her last three outings with a .684 field-goal percentage (13-for-19). The sophomore guard has added seven rebounds, nine assists and five steals.

• Princess Stewart has hit 61.5 percent (8-for-13) of her shot attempts in her last three outings. She has scored 7.0 points per game in those games with eight rebounds, five assists and two steals.

• Xavier has had nine different leading scorers through 27 games this season. Jada Byrd has led the team in scoring eight times.

• A'riana Gray has averaged 5.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game this season. Gray's 5.4 rebounds per game leads all BIG EAST freshmen, while ranking 15th overall. She posted her first career double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) at Minnesota on Nov. 22.

• Xavier ranks 19th nationally in fewest fouls committed per game (14.1). The Musketeers also rank 48th in total three pointers made (196).

NOTABLES TEAM PERFORMANCES

• Xavier posted a season-high .600 field-goal percentage (27-for-45) against DePaul, the team's highest field-goal percentage since hitting 62.7 percent (32-for-51) of its shot attempts versus Richmond on Feb. 15, 2012.

• Xavier attempted a school record 35 three pointers against Cincinnati. The previous record was 34 attempts at Richmond on Jan. 20, 2002. The Musketeers also had 35 attempts against FAMU on Dec. 22.

• Xavier held Cincinnati to only 50 points on Dec. 10, the seventh time in the last two seasons the Musketeers have held an opponent to 50 or fewer points.

• The overtime win against New Hampshire was the first overtime victory for the Musketeers since a 74-67 win against Villanova on Dec. 31, 2015. Xavier went 0-3 in overtime games last season and is 1-1 in overtime games this season.

XU FROM THREE POINT RANGE

• Xavier has made 10 three pointers in a game seven times this season. 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 7.3 three pointers per game to rank fourth in the BIG EAST. The Musketeers averaged 5.4 three pointers per game last season. The Musketeers have made 196 three pointers this season, 35 more than all of last season (161).

• Aaliyah Dunham leads the BIG EAST in three-point field-goal percentage (.423), going 30-for-71 from behind the arc. Na'Teshia Owens ranks second in the category (.418).

RECORD WATCH

• Xavier has made 196 three pointers this season to rank eighth in single-season school history. The Musketeers are five 3-pointers away from moving into seventh place.

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's underclassmen have played in 57.4 percent of the team's minutes this season.

• 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 was 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 opened 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 traveled to Hinkle Fieldhouse on Dec. 29 for a nationally televised matchup on FS2 and host the Bulldogs on Feb. 25.

• The Musketeers have won 33 non-conference games over the last four seasons with a 28-4 mark at Cintas Center.

OPPONENT BREAKDOWN

• Xavier took on three opponents for the first time in school history in Mount St. Mary's, Furman and FAMU. The contests with New Hampshire, Minnesota and Grambling were 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 took 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.

UP NEXT

• Xavier closes regular-season action against Butler on Sunday, Feb. 25 at Cintas Center. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. ET.