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Xavier University Athletics
Sunday, January 12
Villanova, Pa.
1 P.M.
Xavier University
at
Villanova
Musketeers Continue BIG EAST Action at Villanova
01.11.20 | Women's Basketball
Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. from Finneran Pavilion
VILLANOVA, Pa. - Xavier women's basketball continues BIG EAST action at Villanova on Sunday, Jan. 12. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. from Finneran Pavilion.
A win on Sunday at Villanova would give the Musketeers their first back-to-back BIG EAST road wins in the same weekend since joining the conference in 2013-14. It would also be Xavier's first win over Villanova since Dec. 31, 2015.
XAVIER MUSKETEERS (2-13, 1-3) at VILLANOVA WILDCATS (8-7, 3-2)
Game Info - Sunday, Jan. 12 - 1 p.m. - Finneran Pavilion (6,500)
Live Video - BEDN - bit.ly/2QKtYd6
Live Stats - bit.ly/2QJvQ5P
2019-20 Record: 8-7 (3-2 BIG EAST)
2018-19 Record: 19-13 (9-9 BIG EAST)
2018-19 Postseason: WNIT - Second Round
Series History: Xavier trails, 12-1
Last Meeting: Villanova 68, Xavier 63 (March 1, 2019 - Cincinnati, Ohio)
NOTABLES
• Villanova leads the BIG EAST in three-point field-goal percentage defense (.272), while ranking second in field-goal percentage defense (.362) and third in scoring defense (59.9). The Wildcats also lead the conference in blocks (4.7).
• Freshman Madison Siegrist leads the BIG EAST in scoring (19.9), while ranking 19th in the NCAA. She also ranks second in the conference in rebounding (8.9) and eighth in field-goal percentage (.489).
• Villanova is 3-4 in home games this season, most recently dropping a 58-41 game vs Butler on Friday, Jan. 10.
• Xavier trails the all-time series with Villanova, 12-1. The Musketeers lone win in the series was a 74-67 overtime victory on Dec. 31, 2015 at Cintas Center.
LAST FIVE MEETINGS VS VILLANOVA
March 1, 2019 - Villanova 68, Xavier 63 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Dec. 31, 2018 - Villanova 75, Xavier 71 (Villanova, Pa.)
Jan. 26, 2018 - Villanova 89, Xavier 50 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Jan. 5, 2018 - Villanova 75, Xavier 57 (Villanova, Pa.)
Feb. 17, 2017 - Villanova 76, Xavier 71 - OT2 (Villanova, Pa.)
• Xavier is coming off an 85-64 win at Georgetown on Friday night. The 85 points are the most in a conference road game since joining the BIG EAST in 2013-14. The last time Xavier scored 85 or more points in a BIG EAST game was on Feb. 6, 2015 vs Marquette (W, 91-72).
• Junior Aaliyah Dunham scored a career-high 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting. She was 4-for-4 from behind the arc. The guard added a game-high seven assists.
• Junior A'riana Gray scored 20 points on 6-for-12 shooting. The forward added four assists, three rebounds and one steal. She now has 12 career 20-point performances.
• Sophomore Sarah Leyendecker scored 13 points and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds. She has scored in double figures in three of her last four games.
• Sophomore Lauren Wasylson scored 12 points on 4-for-6 shooting from behind the arc. She has now scored in double figures five times this season. The guard added three rebounds, one block and one steal.
• Sophomore Carrie Gross rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points on 5-for-8 shooting. She added a game-high four steals to go along with three assists and two rebounds.
• Xavier knocked down a season-high 13 three pointers as the Musketeers hit 65 percent (13-for-20) of their shot attempts. Five different players made a three pointer for the Musketeers. Xavier has made 10 or more three pointers in a game five times this season.
• Xavier also posted a season-high .509 field-goal percentage (29-for-57). The Musketeers were 14-for-20 from the free throw line.
• Junior A'riana Gray was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday morning. The forward earns the recognition for the third time this season.
2019-20 BIG EAST HONOREES
Jan. 6 - A'riana Gray - Weekly Honor Roll
Dec. 30 - Sarah Leyendecker - Weekly Honor Roll
Dec. 23 - A'riana Gray - Weekly Honor Roll
Dec. 16 - Morgan Sharps - Weekly Honor Roll
Nov. 11 - A'riana Gray - Weekly Honor Roll
• The Melanie Moore Era began on Thursday, Nov. 11 with a 70-63 win over Utah. She was introduced as the eighth head women's basketball coach in program history on April 9 at Cintas Center.
• Moore joined the Musketeers after a seven-year stint at Michigan, most recently serving as associate head coach. She helped the Wolverines to a 156-85 overall record with seven postseason berths, including three NCAA Tournament appearances.
• The Glandorf, Ohio, native also has assistant coaching stops at Princeton (2007-12), Dayton (2006-07), Indiana State (2004-06) and Siena (2002-04).
• A'riana Gray averaged 14.0 points and 14.5 rebounds per game in the two meetings vs Villanova last season. She has averaged 9.8 points and 9.5 rebounds in four career meetings with the Hoyas. Gray has added six steals in those contests.
• Aaliyah Dunham scored 7.5 points and 2.5 assists per game in the two meetings with Villanova last season. She has averaged 6.8 points per game in four career meetings with the Wildcats.
• A'riana Gray leads the BIG EAST in rebounding (9.3) this season, while adding 16.2 points per game - ranking eighth in the BIG EAST. The junior forward ranks 53rd in the NCAA in rebounds per game.
• Junior Aaliyah Dunham ranks third on the team in scoring (8.7), while leading the team in total assists (69) and total steals (29). The guard ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in assists (4.6). She ranks 41st in the NCAA in assist turnover ratio.
• Junior Aaliyah Dunham ranks second in the BIG EAST in three-point field-goal percentage (.481). She is 25-for-52 from the behind the arc.
• Freshman Morgan Sharps has 29 three pointers this year to rank third among BIG EAST freshmen this season. She also ranks fifth in the BIG EAST in three-point field goal percentage (.433). The guard is 10-for-19 from behind the arc in her last three games.
• Xavier leads the BIG EAST in three-point field-goal percentage (.385), while ranking third in three pointers made per game (7.8). The Musketeers rank 14th in the NCAA in three-point field-goal percentage.
• Sophomore Carrie Gross ranks second on the team in scoring (9.3) and fourth in rebounding (3.4) this season. She averaged 3.3 points and 1.3 rebounds per game during her freshman campaign.
• Sophomore Sarah Leyendecker made 19 consecutive free throws entering the Georgetown game before missing her first attempt on Friday night. She is now 25-for-27 from the charity stripe this season.
• Xavier's non-conference opponents finished non-conference action with a 79-40 (.664) record. Ten of Xavier's 11 non-conference opponents posted a .500 record or better.
• Through two weeks of BIG EAST action, the Musketeers lead the conference in three-point field-goal percentage (.474), while ranking fourth in free-throw percentage (.728). Xavier also ranks fourth in scoring offense (70.8) and steals (7.8), and third in assists (16.0).
• Junior A'riana Gray ranks second in the BIG EAST in scoring (22.5) and ninth in rebounding (6.8). Sophomore Sarah Leyendecker ranks fifth in rebounding (7.8), sixth in free-throw percentage (.867) and seventh in field-goal percentage (.533).
• Junior Aaliyah Dunham is averaging 6.0 assists in BIG EAST play to rank second. Freshman Morgan Sharps also ranks third in three-point field-goal percentage (.500), going 11-for-22 from behind the arc.
• Junior forward A'riana Gray was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team on Oct. 10. The Musketeers were also picked to finish eighth in the preseason coaches' poll.
• Xavier returns its leading rebounder and scorer in junior A'riana Gray. The forward averaged 13.9 points and 11.5 rebounds per game last season. She also added a team-high 58 steals.
• A'riana Gray earned All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention Team honors last season. She led the BIG EAST in rebounding (11.5), while ranking 10th in the NCAA.
• A'riana Gray was one of only two underclassmen to earn All-BIG EAST honors last season. St. John's Tiana England (R-So.) was also named to the honorable mention team.
• A'riana Gray finished the 2018-19 season with 344 rebounds to rank tied for 19th in the NCAA in total rebounds. The 344 rebounds also rank fifth in single-season school history.
• Sophomore Lauren Wasylson made a team-leading 57 three pointers during her first year on the team - leading all BIG EAST freshmen in the category, while ranking 11th overall in the conference. She also ranked 10th in the BIG EAST in three-point field-goal percentage (.383).
• Lauren Wasylson's 57 three pointers were the most by a Musketeer since Ashley Wanninger in 2013-14 (62-for-186). Her 57 three pointers also rank fourth in single-season school history by a freshman.
• Xavier will play 14 games at Cintas Center this season, including nine BIG EAST games.
• The Musketeers open and close BIG EAST play against St. John's. Xavier opens conference play against the Red Storm on Dec. 29 at Cintas Center before closing the year in Queens, N.Y., on March 1.
• The Musketeers have won 44 non-conference games over the last five seasons with a 37-8 mark at Cintas Center.
• Six of Xavier's non-conference opponents posted winning records last season, including five teams with 20 or more wins. Five of Xavier's opponents played in a postseason tournament last season: Rider (WNIT), Wright State (NCAA), Robert Morris (NCAA), Cincinnati (WNIT) and Northwestern (WNIT).
• Xavier played teams from nine different conferences before the start of BIG EAST play, including two teams from both the American Athletic Conference and the Pac-12 Conference. The Musketeers played a team from the Big Ten (Northwestern) and the Southeastern Conference (Florida).
• Xavier played four opponents for the first time in program history: Utah, Rider, Colorado and Northwestern.
• Xavier will play two games on national television with each game being aired on FS2. The Musketeers will play at Georgetown on FS2 on Jan. 10 and at Providence on FS2 on Jan. 26.
1. DePaul (9) - 81
2. St. John's (1) - 70
3. Seton Hall - 58
4. Creighton - 50
t-5. Providence - 44
t-5. Villanova - 44
7. Butler - 43
8. Xavier - 23
9. Marquette - 19
10. Georgetown - 18
first-place votes in parentheses
• 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.
• Xavier returns to action on Friday, Jan. 17 vs DePaul. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. from Cintas Center.
A win on Sunday at Villanova would give the Musketeers their first back-to-back BIG EAST road wins in the same weekend since joining the conference in 2013-14. It would also be Xavier's first win over Villanova since Dec. 31, 2015.
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THE MATCHUP AT VILLANOVA |
XAVIER MUSKETEERS (2-13, 1-3) at VILLANOVA WILDCATS (8-7, 3-2)
Game Info - Sunday, Jan. 12 - 1 p.m. - Finneran Pavilion (6,500)
Live Video - BEDN - bit.ly/2QKtYd6
Live Stats - bit.ly/2QJvQ5P
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ABOUT VILLANOVA |
2019-20 Record: 8-7 (3-2 BIG EAST)2018-19 Record: 19-13 (9-9 BIG EAST)
2018-19 Postseason: WNIT - Second Round
Series History: Xavier trails, 12-1
Last Meeting: Villanova 68, Xavier 63 (March 1, 2019 - Cincinnati, Ohio)
NOTABLES
• Villanova leads the BIG EAST in three-point field-goal percentage defense (.272), while ranking second in field-goal percentage defense (.362) and third in scoring defense (59.9). The Wildcats also lead the conference in blocks (4.7).
• Freshman Madison Siegrist leads the BIG EAST in scoring (19.9), while ranking 19th in the NCAA. She also ranks second in the conference in rebounding (8.9) and eighth in field-goal percentage (.489).
• Villanova is 3-4 in home games this season, most recently dropping a 58-41 game vs Butler on Friday, Jan. 10.
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SERIES HISTORY |
• Xavier trails the all-time series with Villanova, 12-1. The Musketeers lone win in the series was a 74-67 overtime victory on Dec. 31, 2015 at Cintas Center.
LAST FIVE MEETINGS VS VILLANOVA
March 1, 2019 - Villanova 68, Xavier 63 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Dec. 31, 2018 - Villanova 75, Xavier 71 (Villanova, Pa.)
Jan. 26, 2018 - Villanova 89, Xavier 50 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Jan. 5, 2018 - Villanova 75, Xavier 57 (Villanova, Pa.)
Feb. 17, 2017 - Villanova 76, Xavier 71 - OT2 (Villanova, Pa.)
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LAST TIME OUT |
• Xavier is coming off an 85-64 win at Georgetown on Friday night. The 85 points are the most in a conference road game since joining the BIG EAST in 2013-14. The last time Xavier scored 85 or more points in a BIG EAST game was on Feb. 6, 2015 vs Marquette (W, 91-72).
• Junior Aaliyah Dunham scored a career-high 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting. She was 4-for-4 from behind the arc. The guard added a game-high seven assists.
• Junior A'riana Gray scored 20 points on 6-for-12 shooting. The forward added four assists, three rebounds and one steal. She now has 12 career 20-point performances.
• Sophomore Sarah Leyendecker scored 13 points and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds. She has scored in double figures in three of her last four games.
• Sophomore Lauren Wasylson scored 12 points on 4-for-6 shooting from behind the arc. She has now scored in double figures five times this season. The guard added three rebounds, one block and one steal.
• Sophomore Carrie Gross rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points on 5-for-8 shooting. She added a game-high four steals to go along with three assists and two rebounds.
• Xavier knocked down a season-high 13 three pointers as the Musketeers hit 65 percent (13-for-20) of their shot attempts. Five different players made a three pointer for the Musketeers. Xavier has made 10 or more three pointers in a game five times this season.
• Xavier also posted a season-high .509 field-goal percentage (29-for-57). The Musketeers were 14-for-20 from the free throw line.
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BIG EAST WEEKLY HONORS |
• Junior A'riana Gray was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday morning. The forward earns the recognition for the third time this season.
2019-20 BIG EAST HONOREES
Jan. 6 - A'riana Gray - Weekly Honor Roll
Dec. 30 - Sarah Leyendecker - Weekly Honor Roll
Dec. 23 - A'riana Gray - Weekly Honor Roll
Dec. 16 - Morgan Sharps - Weekly Honor Roll
Nov. 11 - A'riana Gray - Weekly Honor Roll
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START OF MEL MOORE ERA |
• The Melanie Moore Era began on Thursday, Nov. 11 with a 70-63 win over Utah. She was introduced as the eighth head women's basketball coach in program history on April 9 at Cintas Center.
• Moore joined the Musketeers after a seven-year stint at Michigan, most recently serving as associate head coach. She helped the Wolverines to a 156-85 overall record with seven postseason berths, including three NCAA Tournament appearances.
• The Glandorf, Ohio, native also has assistant coaching stops at Princeton (2007-12), Dayton (2006-07), Indiana State (2004-06) and Siena (2002-04).
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NOTABLES VS VILLANOVA |
• A'riana Gray averaged 14.0 points and 14.5 rebounds per game in the two meetings vs Villanova last season. She has averaged 9.8 points and 9.5 rebounds in four career meetings with the Hoyas. Gray has added six steals in those contests.
• Aaliyah Dunham scored 7.5 points and 2.5 assists per game in the two meetings with Villanova last season. She has averaged 6.8 points per game in four career meetings with the Wildcats.
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NOTABLES |
• A'riana Gray leads the BIG EAST in rebounding (9.3) this season, while adding 16.2 points per game - ranking eighth in the BIG EAST. The junior forward ranks 53rd in the NCAA in rebounds per game.
• Junior Aaliyah Dunham ranks third on the team in scoring (8.7), while leading the team in total assists (69) and total steals (29). The guard ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in assists (4.6). She ranks 41st in the NCAA in assist turnover ratio.
• Junior Aaliyah Dunham ranks second in the BIG EAST in three-point field-goal percentage (.481). She is 25-for-52 from the behind the arc.
• Freshman Morgan Sharps has 29 three pointers this year to rank third among BIG EAST freshmen this season. She also ranks fifth in the BIG EAST in three-point field goal percentage (.433). The guard is 10-for-19 from behind the arc in her last three games.
• Xavier leads the BIG EAST in three-point field-goal percentage (.385), while ranking third in three pointers made per game (7.8). The Musketeers rank 14th in the NCAA in three-point field-goal percentage.
• Sophomore Carrie Gross ranks second on the team in scoring (9.3) and fourth in rebounding (3.4) this season. She averaged 3.3 points and 1.3 rebounds per game during her freshman campaign.
• Sophomore Sarah Leyendecker made 19 consecutive free throws entering the Georgetown game before missing her first attempt on Friday night. She is now 25-for-27 from the charity stripe this season.
• Xavier's non-conference opponents finished non-conference action with a 79-40 (.664) record. Ten of Xavier's 11 non-conference opponents posted a .500 record or better.
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BIG EAST ONLY NOTABLES |
• Through two weeks of BIG EAST action, the Musketeers lead the conference in three-point field-goal percentage (.474), while ranking fourth in free-throw percentage (.728). Xavier also ranks fourth in scoring offense (70.8) and steals (7.8), and third in assists (16.0).
• Junior A'riana Gray ranks second in the BIG EAST in scoring (22.5) and ninth in rebounding (6.8). Sophomore Sarah Leyendecker ranks fifth in rebounding (7.8), sixth in free-throw percentage (.867) and seventh in field-goal percentage (.533).
• Junior Aaliyah Dunham is averaging 6.0 assists in BIG EAST play to rank second. Freshman Morgan Sharps also ranks third in three-point field-goal percentage (.500), going 11-for-22 from behind the arc.
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PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST |
• Junior forward A'riana Gray was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team on Oct. 10. The Musketeers were also picked to finish eighth in the preseason coaches' poll.
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A'RIANA GRAY - NOTABLES |
• Xavier returns its leading rebounder and scorer in junior A'riana Gray. The forward averaged 13.9 points and 11.5 rebounds per game last season. She also added a team-high 58 steals.
• A'riana Gray earned All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention Team honors last season. She led the BIG EAST in rebounding (11.5), while ranking 10th in the NCAA.
• A'riana Gray was one of only two underclassmen to earn All-BIG EAST honors last season. St. John's Tiana England (R-So.) was also named to the honorable mention team.
• A'riana Gray finished the 2018-19 season with 344 rebounds to rank tied for 19th in the NCAA in total rebounds. The 344 rebounds also rank fifth in single-season school history.
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WASYLSON - NOTABLES |
• Sophomore Lauren Wasylson made a team-leading 57 three pointers during her first year on the team - leading all BIG EAST freshmen in the category, while ranking 11th overall in the conference. She also ranked 10th in the BIG EAST in three-point field-goal percentage (.383).
• Lauren Wasylson's 57 three pointers were the most by a Musketeer since Ashley Wanninger in 2013-14 (62-for-186). Her 57 three pointers also rank fourth in single-season school history by a freshman.
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SCHEDULE NOTES |
• Xavier will play 14 games at Cintas Center this season, including nine BIG EAST games.
• The Musketeers open and close BIG EAST play against St. John's. Xavier opens conference play against the Red Storm on Dec. 29 at Cintas Center before closing the year in Queens, N.Y., on March 1.
• The Musketeers have won 44 non-conference games over the last five seasons with a 37-8 mark at Cintas Center.
• Six of Xavier's non-conference opponents posted winning records last season, including five teams with 20 or more wins. Five of Xavier's opponents played in a postseason tournament last season: Rider (WNIT), Wright State (NCAA), Robert Morris (NCAA), Cincinnati (WNIT) and Northwestern (WNIT).
• Xavier played teams from nine different conferences before the start of BIG EAST play, including two teams from both the American Athletic Conference and the Pac-12 Conference. The Musketeers played a team from the Big Ten (Northwestern) and the Southeastern Conference (Florida).
• Xavier played four opponents for the first time in program history: Utah, Rider, Colorado and Northwestern.
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XAVIER ON NATIONAL TV |
• Xavier will play two games on national television with each game being aired on FS2. The Musketeers will play at Georgetown on FS2 on Jan. 10 and at Providence on FS2 on Jan. 26.
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PRESEASON BIG EAST COACHES' POLL |
1. DePaul (9) - 81
2. St. John's (1) - 70
3. Seton Hall - 58
4. Creighton - 50
t-5. Providence - 44
t-5. Villanova - 44
7. Butler - 43
8. Xavier - 23
9. Marquette - 19
10. Georgetown - 18
first-place votes in parentheses
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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.
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UP NEXT |
• Xavier returns to action on Friday, Jan. 17 vs DePaul. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. from Cintas Center.
Players Mentioned
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