Women's Basketball Opens Three Game Road Swing at Creighton

Friday, January 24

Omaha, Neb.

8 P.M.

Xavier University

Creighton

Women's Basketball Opens Three Game Road Swing at Creighton

01.23.20 | Women's Basketball

Live Stats Live Video - BEDN Creighton Notes XU Notes (PDF)

Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. ET from D.J. Sokol Arena

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier women's basketball opens a three-game road swing at Creighton Friday, Jan. 24. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. ET from D.J. Sokol Arena.

THE MATCHUP AT CREIGHTON

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (2-16, 1-6) at CREIGHTON BLUEJAYS (12-6, 4-3)
Game Info - Friday, Jan. 24 - 8 p.m. ET - D.J. Sokol Arena (2,500)
Live Video - BEDN - bit.ly/2GepHZh
Live Stats - bit.ly/30Ma3hm

ABOUT CREIGHTON

2019-20 Record: 12-6 (4-3 BIG EAST)
2018-19 Record: 15-16 (8-10 BIG EAST)
2018-19 Postseason: None
Series History: Xavier trails, 10-2
Last Meeting: Creighton 53, Xavier 52 (Feb. 17, 2019 - Cincinnati, Ohio)

NOTABLES
• Creighton ranks second in the BIG EAST in three pointers made per game (8.6) and free-throw percentage (.772), while ranking fifth in scoring offense (65.6) and scoring defense (62.0).
• The Bluejays rank sixth in the NCAA in fewest turnovers (194), 14th in free-throw percentage (.772) and 19th in three pointers made (155).
• Jaylyn Agnew ranks second in the BIG EAST in scoring, averaging 19.8 points per game. The senior also ranks 11th in the rebounding (6.7) and first in free-throw percentage (.930). She leads the conference in three pointers made with 51.

SERIES HISTORY

• Xavier trails the all-time series with Creighton, 10-2. Xavier has dropped six straight in the series and is 0-6 vs the Bluejays when playing in Omaha.

• The Musketeers last win in the series was on Feb. 7, 2016 at Cintas Center. Xavier won the game, 57-55.

LAST FIVE MEETINGS VS CREIGHTON
Feb. 17, 2019 - Creighton 53, Xavier 52 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Jan. 18, 2019 - Creighton 66, Xavier 62 (Omaha, Neb.)
Feb. 16, 2018 - Creighton 65, Xavier 54 (Omaha, Neb.)
Jan. 22, 2018 - Creighton 71, Xavier 64 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Feb. 24, 2017 - Creighton 67, Xavier 57 (Cincinnati, Ohio)

LAST TIME OUT

• Xavier is coming off an 80-60 loss to Marquette on Sunday, Jan. 19 at Cintas Center. Junior A'riana Gray posted her 22nd career double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. The forward scored all 13 of her points in the second half.

• Sophomores Lauren Wasylson and Sarah Leyendecker both added nine points, while Carrie Gross and Deja Ross both chipped in eight. Gross added four assists, while Aaliyah Dunham dished out a team-high six assists.

• The Musketeers matched their season-high in blocks with seven. Sarah Leyendecker paced the Musketeers with four blocks.

• Xavier scored 10 more points off of turnovers (17-7) than the Golden Eagles. The Musketeers committed a season-low seven turnovers.

BIG EAST WEEKLY HONORS

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 averaged 15.5 points and 11.0 rebounds per game in the two meetings vs Creighton last season. She added seven steals, two blocks and one assist.

• A'riana Gray leads the BIG EAST in rebounding (9.5) this season, while adding 16.3 points per game - ranking seventh in the BIG EAST. The junior forward ranks 42nd 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 (83) and total steals (33). The guard ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in assists (4.6). She ranks 22nd in the NCAA in assist turnover ratio.

• Junior Aaliyah Dunham ranks second in the BIG EAST in three-point field-goal percentage (.448). She is 26-for-58 from the behind the arc.

• Freshman Morgan Sharps has 31 three pointers this year to rank third among BIG EAST freshmen this season. She also ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in three-point field goal percentage (.425).

• Xavier ranks third in the BIG EAST in three-point field-goal percentage (.366), while ranking sixth in three pointers made per game (7.3). The Musketeers rank 28th in the NCAA in three-point field-goal percentage.

• Sophomore Carrie Gross ranks second on the team in scoring (9.4) 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 seven BIG EAST games, the forward has posted 9.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game - while connecting on 44.9 percent (22-for-49) 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 661 career rebounds, raking ninth in career rebounding at Xavier. She is 82 rebounds away from moving into eighth place ahead of Jennifer Phillips (742 - 1997-01).

• Gray also has 831 career points. She is 169 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 four weeks of BIG EAST action, the Musketeers lead the conference in three-point field-goal percentage (.383), while ranking fourth in steals (8.0) and fourth in assists (14.4).

• Junior A'riana Gray ranks second in the BIG EAST in scoring (20.1) and third in rebounding (8.3). Sophomore Sarah Leyendecker ranks 14th in rebounding (6.4), 12th in both in field-goal percentage (.449) and 11th free-throw percentage (.783).

• Junior Aaliyah Dunham is averaging 5.4 assists in BIG EAST play to rank second. Freshman Morgan Sharps also ranks second in three-point field-goal percentage (.464), going 13-for-28 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 on Sunday, Jan. 26 at Providence. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. with the game being aired nationally on FS2.