Xavier, Marquette Set for Sunday Matinee

Sunday, January 19

Cincinnati, Ohio

2 P.M.

Xavier University

Marquette

01.18.20 | Women's Basketball

Live Stats Watch Live - BEDN Marquette Info 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 plays host to Marquette on Sunday, Jan. 19. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. from Cintas Center.

THE MATCHUP VS MARQUETTE

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (2-15, 1-5) vs MARQUETTE GOLDEN EAGLES (12-5, 3-3)
Game Info - Sunday, Jan. 19 - 2 p.m. - Cintas Center (10,224)
Live Video - BEDN - bit.ly/2R9UUDn
Live Stats - bit.ly/2qqIPeu

ABOUT MARQUETTE

2019-20 Record: 12-5 (3-3 BIG EAST)
2018-19 Record: 27-8 (15-3 BIG EAST)
2018-19 Postseason: NCAA Tournament - Second Round
Series History: Xavier trails, 14-7
Last Meeting: Marquette 79, Xavier 53 (Feb. 24, 2019 - Milwaukee, Wis.)

NOTABLES
• Marquette leads the BIG EAST in field-goal percentage (.447) and rebounding margin (+8.6), while ranking second in blocks (4.2), assists (18.5) and three-point field-goal percentage defense (.292). The Golden Eagles rank eighth in the NCAA in assists per game (18.5).
• Junior Selena Lott leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.9 points per game to rank ninth in the BIG EAST. She also leads the conference in assists (5.8), while ranking third in field-goal percentage (.532). Her 5.8 assists per game rank ninth in the NCAA.
• Freshman Camryn Taylor adds 9.2 points per game. She ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in field-goal percentage (.532).

SERIES HISTORY

• Xavier trails the all-time series with Marquette, 14-7. The Musketeers have dropped seven straight in the series.

• The Musketeers last win over the Golden Eagles was on Jan. 15, 2016 at Cintas Center. Xavier defeated Marquette, 71-66.

LAST FIVE MEETINGS VS MARQUETTE
Feb. 24, 2019 - Marquette 79, Xavier 53 (Milwaukee, Wis.)
Jan. 25, 2019 - Marquette 90, Xavier 40 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Feb. 9, 2018 - Marquette 80, Xavier 63 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Feb. 14, 2018 - Marquette 88, Xavier 67 (Milwaukee, Wis.)
Feb. 12, 2017 - Marquette 86, Xavier 71 (Cincinnati, Ohio)

LAST TIME OUT

• Xavier dropped a 91-68 contest with No. 14 DePaul on Friday night. Junior A'riana Gray posted her 21st career double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. She added four assists and one steal.

• Junior Aaliyah Dunham scored 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting. The guard added four rebounds, four assists and two steals.

• Xavier had 13 steals on the night, coming from eight different players. The Musketeers have posted 10 or more steals in six games this season.

• Sophomores Lauren Wasylson and Carrie Gross both added 12 points. Sarah Leyendecker chipped in five points and eight rebounds.

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 fourth time this season.

2019-20 BIG EAST HONOREES
Jan. 13 - A'riana Gray - Weekly Honor Roll
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

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).

NOTABLES

• A'riana Gray leads the BIG EAST in rebounding (9.5) this season, while adding 16.5 points per game - ranking seventh in the BIG EAST. The junior forward ranks 51st in the NCAA in rebounds per game.

• Junior Aaliyah Dunham ranks third on the team in scoring (9.0), while leading the team in total assists (77) and total steals (33). The guard ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in assists (4.5). She ranks 36th in the NCAA in assist turnover ratio.

• Junior Aaliyah Dunham ranks second in the BIG EAST in three-point field-goal percentage (.456). She is 26-for-57 from the behind the arc.

• Freshman Morgan Sharps has 30 three pointers this year to rank third among BIG EAST freshmen this season. She also ranks sixth in the BIG EAST in three-point field goal percentage (.417). The guard is 11-for-24 from behind the arc in her last five games.

• Xavier ranks third in the BIG EAST in three-point field-goal percentage (.368), while ranking fifth in three pointers made per game (7.4). The Musketeers rank 17th in the NCAA in three-point field-goal percentage.

• Sophomore Carrie Gross ranks second on the team in scoring (9.5) 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 averaged 3.7 points and 2.6 rebounds per game with a .275 field-goal percentage (14-for-51) during non-conference play. In six BIG EAST games, the forward has posted 9.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game - while connecting on 47.5 percent (19-for-40) of her shot attempts.

• 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.

A'RIANA GRAY CAREER WATCH

• Junior A'riana Gray has 651 career rebounds, raking ninth in career rebounding at Xavier. She is 92 rebounds away from moving into eighth place ahead of Jennifer Phillips (742 - 1997-01).

• Gray also has 818 career points. She is 182 points away from becoming the 25th member of the 1,000-point club. The last Xavier player to score 1,000 points was Raeshaun Gaffney (2014-17).

BIG EAST ONLY NOTABLES

• Through three weeks of BIG EAST action, the Musketeers lead the conference in three-point field-goal percentage (.395), while ranking second in steals (8.8) and fourth in assists (14.7). Xavier also ranks fifth in field-goal percentage (.402).

• Junior A'riana Gray ranks second in the BIG EAST in scoring (21.3) and fourth in rebounding (8.0). Sophomore Sarah Leyendecker ranks ninth in rebounding (7.0) and 11th in both in field-goal percentage (.475) and free-throw percentage (.789).

• Junior Aaliyah Dunham is averaging 5.3 assists in BIG EAST play to rank second. Freshman Morgan Sharps also ranks sixth in three-point field-goal percentage (.444), going 12-for-27 from behind the arc.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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 returns to action Friday, Jan. 24 at Creighton. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. ET from D.J. Sokol Arena.