Xavier, DePaul Set for Sunday Matinee on FS2

Sunday, January 27

Cincinnati, Ohio

2 p.m.

Xavier University

DePaul

01.26.19 | Women's Basketball

Live Stats Watch Live - FS2 XU Notes (PDF)

Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. from Cintas Center

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier women's basketball continues BIG EAST action against DePaul on Sunday, Jan. 27. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. from Cintas Center with the game be aired nationally on FS2.

THE MATCHUP VS DEPAUL

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (10-9, 1-7) vs DEPAUL BLUE DEMONS (14-6, 5-3)
Game Info - Sunday, Jan. 27 - 2 p.m. ET - Cintas Center (10,224)
Live Video - FS2 - bit.ly/2RH5T8U
Live Stats - bit.ly/2qqIPeu

ABOUT DEPAUL

2018-19 Record: 14-6 (5-3 BIG EAST)
2017-18 Record: 27-8 (15-3 BIG EAST)
2017-18 Postseason: NCAA - Second Round
Series History: Xavier trails, 16-1
Last Meeting: DePaul 73, Xavier 72 (02/11/18 - Cincinnati, Ohio - Cintas Center)

NOTABLES
• DePaul is coming off an 86-78 road win at Butler on Friday night. Chante Stonewall led four players in double figures with 25 points on 9-for-12 shooting with six 3-pointers. She also pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.
• The Blue Demons lead the BIG EAST in three pointers made (12.0), assists (19.0) and free-throw percentage (.783), while ranking second in scoring (82.7). DePaul leads the NCAA in three pointers made, while ranking seventh in assists and 11th in scoring offense.
• DePaul has three of the top 14 scorers in the conference: Chante Stonewall (10th - 13.8), Ashton Miller (13th - 13.3) and Mart'e Grays (14th - 12.9). Kelly Campbell ranks third in the BIG EAST in assists (4.8), while ranking first in assist/turnover ratio (2.7).

DEPAUL SERIES HISTORY

• Xavier trails the all-time series, 16-1. The Musketeers lone victory was on Jan. 23, 1984 in the first meeting between the two schools, 82-72.

LAST TIME OUT

• Xavier is coming off a 90-44 loss to No. 9/10 Marquette on Friday night. The Musketeers were held to a season-low .276 field-goal percentage (16-for-58), while the 44 points were the second fewest in a game this season.

• Sophomore Aaliyah Dunham matched her career high in scoring with 16 points. She was 6-for-15 from the floor and 4-for-8 from behind the arc. The guard added two steals and two assists. Dunham has scored in double figures 11 times in her Xavier career.

• Sophomore forward A'riana Gray added six points and a team-high 11 rebounds. She has pulled down 10 or more rebounds in 13 games this year.

• Na'Teshia Owens added seven points and four assists, while Maddy Johnson posted four points and four rebounds.

BIG EAST WEEKLY HONOR ROLL

• A'riana Gray was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday for her on-court performance last week. The sophomore forward averaged 18.0 points and 13.0 rebounds per game in two contests last weekend.

GRAY'S BREAKOUT SEASON

• Sophomore A'riana Gray leads the BIG EAST in rebounding (11.4), while ranking ninth in scoring (13.9). The forward's 11.4 rebounds per game also ranks 16th nationally.

• A'riana Gray posted a career-high seven steals against Creighton. She averages 2.3 steals per game, ranking tied for fourth in the conference.

• Sophomore A'riana Gray leads the BIG EAST in double-doubles with 10, while also ranking 17th nationally. She has 205 rebounds on the year to rank 17th in the NCAA.

• In eight BIG EAST games, A'riana Gray is averaging 14.0 points and 13.1 rebounds per game. She also has a team-high 17 steals and 11 assists in those games.

INDIVIDUAL NOTABLES

• Freshman Lauren Wasylson ranks 10th in the BIG EAST in three-point field-goal percentage (.392), while ranking 67th nationally. She is 40-for-102 from behind the arc and leads all BIG EAST freshmen in total three pointers made. The guard ranks 12th nationally among freshmen in three pointers made. Her 40 made three pointers are eight more than Xavier's individual player total for made three pointers from last season (Aaliyah Dunham - 32).

• In 11 games this season, sophomore Princess Stewart is averaging 8.3 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. She has added 24 assists and 23 steals in those games. The guard averaged 4.2 points and 2.1 rebounds per game last year (30 games) and totaled 10 steals.

• Sophomore Deja Ross pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds against Seton Hall. She ranks second on the team in rebounding (4.4), while adding 5.4 points per game.

• Sophomore Aaliyah Dunham ranks ninth in the BIG EAST in assists (3.4) and seventh in assists-to-turnover ratio (1.9). The guard has also added 8.1 points per game this season. She averaged 2.5 assists per game last season as a freshman.

• Junior Na'Teshia Owens ranks seventh in the BIG EAST in assists (3.5). The guard ranks second on the team in scoring (12.2) and total steals (24).

• Na'Teshia Owens averaged 11.0 points per game last year in the series against DePaul. She was 4-for-6 from the floor, while adding six assists.

• Princess Stewart hit 66.7 percent (8-for-12) of her shot attempts against DePaul last season. She averaged 10.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game in the series.

TEAM NOTABLES

• Xavier ranks fifth in the BIG EAST in steals (9.1) and fourth in three pointers made (8.8). The 8.8 three pointers made per game rank 22nd in the NCAA. The Musketeers have made 10 or more three pointers in six games this season.

• The Musketeers have now matched last year's win total (10-20). The win over New Orleans gave Xavier nine non-conference wins, the most non-conference wins since the 2015-16 season (9-3 record; finished 17-13 overall).

• Xavier is averaging 6.1 more points per game this season than a year ago (64.7 ppg vs 58.6 ppg). Xavier already has four more total blocks (59-55) than a year ago and is averaging 3.0 more steals per game (9.1 - 6.1).

• Xavier has had a player score 20 or more points in a game seven times this season. The Musketeers only had one player score 20 or more points in a game twice last season.

• Xavier has scored 80 or more points in a game four times this season. The Musketeers' season-high last season was 75 points against Furman on Dec. 17.

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.

BIG EAST WEEKLY HONORS

• Xavier has had a player named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll five times this season. Lauren Wasylson was also named Freshman of the Week on Nov. 19 and A'riana Gray earned Player of the Week Honors on Dec. 3, the first Xavier player to earn the honors since joining the BIG EAST in 2013.

Jan. 21	A'riana Gray	Weekly Honor Roll
Jan. 7	A'riana Gray	Weekly Honor Roll
Dec. 17	Na'Teshia Owens	Weekly Honor Roll
Dec. 3	A'riana Gray	Player of the Week
Nov. 26	A'riana Gray	Weekly Honor Roll
Nov. 19	Lauren Wasylson	Freshman of the Week
Nov. 12	A'riana Gray	Weekly Honor Roll

2018 SIGNING CLASS

• Head Coach Brian Neal announced the addition of Hannah Noveroske and Courtney Prenger to the 2019-20 roster on Nov. 15.

• Noveroske is a 6-foot-4 center from Michigan City, Ind. She averaged 20.6 points, 15.7 rebounds and 6.9 blocks per game as a junior. She recently earned all-state honors in volleyball after helping her team to a sectional title.

• Prenger helped her team win the 2018 OHSAA Division IV State Title, averaging 10.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-1 forward from Minster, Ohio, is a three-time all-conference first-team selection. She is also a standout track and field athlete, participating in the 4x200 and 4x400 meter relays at the 2016 and 2017 OHSAA State Championships.

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).

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 43 non-conference games over the last five seasons with a 36-5 mark at Cintas Center.

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

• Xavier played 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.

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.

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

• The Musketeers open the second half of BIG EAST action at Seton Hall on Friday, Feb. 1. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.