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Xavier University Athletics
Wednesday, December 16
Valparaiso, Ind.
2 p.m.
Xavier University
at
Valparaiso
Non-Conference Action Continues at Valparaiso
12.15.20 | Women's Basketball
The Musketeers look to remain undefeated on Wednesday afternoon
CINCINNATI - Xavier women's basketball continues non-conference action on Wednesday, Dec. 16 at Valparaiso. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. ET from the Athletics-Recreation Center with the game being aired on ESPN+.
Wednesday's game is the third of four games this week for the Musketeers. Xavier opens BIG EAST action on Saturday at No. 3 UConn.
XAVIER MUSKETEERS (3-0) at VALPARAISO CRUSADERS (3-2)
Game Info - Wednesday, Dec. 16 - 2 p.m. ET - ARC (5,000)
Live Video - ESPN+ ($) - es.pn/37noKfI
Live Stats - bit.ly/3novmQf
2020-21 Record: 3-2 (0-0 MVC)
2019-20 Record: 17-12 (9-9 MVC)
Series History: Xavier leads, 8-0
Last Meeting: Xavier 64, Valparaiso 53 (Cincinnati, Ohio - Nov. 18, 2007)
NOTABLES
• Valparaiso is coming off a 75-51 win vs Western Michigan in the team's home opener on Dec. 12. The Crusaders other two wins this season were against Big Ten members Illinois (W, 62-59) and Purdue (W, 52-47).
• Carie Weinman leads the team in scoring (14.2), three pointers made (12) and total steals (18). Grace White has added 13.5 points per game and a team-leading 6.8 rebounds per game. She also leads the team in field-goal percentage (.488).
• Valparaiso is averaging 10.0 steals per game and has 20 more steals (50-30) than its opponents this season. The Crusader defense is holding teams to a .337 field-goal percentage and a .196 three-point field-goal percentage.
• Xavier leads the all-time series with Valparaiso, 8-0. The Musketeers are 3-0 when playing at Valparaiso with their last visit to Indiana coming on Nov. 18, 1997 (W, 77-63).
• Xavier won the last meeting between the two schools, 64-53, on Nov. 18, 2007 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
• Xavier moved to 3-0 on Monday night following a 72-65 win over Indiana State at Cintas Center. The three wins matches the Musketeers' win total from the 2019-20 season (3-27). It is Xavier's first 3-0 start since the 2017-18 season.
• A'riana Gray led three Musketeers in double figures with 16 points. The senior forward added seven rebounds.
• Kae Satterfield scored 14 points on 6-for-7 shooting. The sophomore also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. She added two steals, two blocks and two assists in 24 minutes of action off the bench.
• Nia Clark added 13 points on 6-for-14 shooting. The guard added two assists, two steals and one block.
• Courtney Prenger scored eight points on 3-for-4 shooting, while Ayanna Townsend chipped in five points, seven rebounds and three blocks.
• Aaliyah Dunham scored seven points to go along with six assists and three steals.
• Xavier posted a season-high 11 blocks and had 12 steals - its second game with 12 or more steals this season. The 11 blocks are the most blocks in a game for the Musketeers since March 6, 2011 vs Charlotte (11 blocks - W, 69-53).
• Indiana State won the battle on the glass, 45-34. The Musketeers held a 32-16 advantage in points off of turnovers and scored 14 more fastbreak points (23-9).
• Kae Satterfield is averaging 13.7 points and 10.0 rebounds per game this season with a .762 field-goal percentage (16-for-21). She leads the BIG EAST in field-goal percentage, while ranking second in rebounding. The New York, N.Y., native ranks fifth in the NCAA in field-goal percentage and 50th in rebounding.
• Xavier is averaging 7.0 blocks per game, ranking first in the BIG EAST and 10th in the NCAA. Ayanna Townsend and Lauren Wasylson pace the team in blocks with six each. Wasylson only had seven total blocks during the 2019-20 season.
• Xavier is averaging 14.3 steals per game to rank third in the BIG EAST and eighth in the NCAA. Nia Clark leads the Musketeers with 12 steals, while averaging 4.0 steals per game to rank second in the BIG EAST and seventh in the NCAA. The guard also paces the team in scoring, averaging 14.7 points per game - ranking 14th in the BIG EAST.
• A'riana Gray is averaging 8.7 rebounds per game, ranking fifth in the BIG EAST. She also ranks 21st in scoring (11.7).
• Aaliyah Dunham ranks third in the BIG EAST in assist/turnover ratio, while ranking 44th in the NCAA. The senior guard also ranks fourth in the conference in steals (2.7) and fifth in assists (4.0).
• Sophomore Courtney Prenger has made the most of her minutes off the bench this season, averaging 7.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. The forward has hit 69.2 percent (9-for-13) of her shot attempts in 20.3 minutes per game.
• The Musketeers have hit 42.7 percent of their shot attempts this season, up from their .361 field-goal percentage in 2019-20.
• Senior forward A'riana Gray scored 13 points in the win over Wofford, increasing her career point total to 1,001 points. She became the 25th player at Xavier to eclipse the milestone. The last Xavier player to score 1,000 points in their career was Raeshaun Gaffney (1,074 points - 2014-17).
• Senior A'riana Gray has 776 career rebounds, raking seventh in career rebounding at Xavier. She is 76 rebounds away from moving into sixth place ahead of Taru Tuukkanen (852 - 1997-01). Her 8.7 rebounds per game career average ranks fourth in program history.
• Senior Aaliyah Dunham has 326 career assists to rank ninth all-time at Xavier in assists. She is 25 assists away from moving into eighth place (351 - Judy Smith - 1980-84). Her 3.5 assists per game career average ranks 10th in program history.
• Xavier returns nine letterwinners and all five starters from last season. The Musketeers have a three-person senior class, anchored by two-time All-BIG EAST selection A'riana Gray.
• Senior Aaliyah Dunham averaged 7.5 points, 4.5 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game last year. She ranked fourth in the BIG EAST in assists (4.5), sixth in steals (1.9), sixth in three-point field-goal percentage (.388) and second in assist/turnover ratio (2.3). The guard ranked 25th in the NCAA in assist/turnover ratio and 72nd in total assists (135). she also finished the season ranked ninth in career assists at Xavier (314).
• Sophomore Morgan Sharps averaged 6.1 points per game with 43 assists and 18 steals last season. She led the team in three pointers made (48), while ranking ninth in the BIG EAST. The guard ranked third among BIG EAST freshman in three pointers made.
• After suffering a season-ending injury seven games into her freshman season, Ayanna Townsend bounced back to play in all 30 games (21 starts) in year two with the program. She averaged 5.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game and led the team in blocks with 32, while ranking sixth in the BIG EAST.
• Senior forward A'riana Gray was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team on Oct. 29 as voted on by conference head coaches. The Cleveland, Ohio, native earned the preseason honors for the second time in as many seasons. Gray averaged a team-high 15.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per game last year. She ranked first in the conference in rebounding and sixth in scoring. Gray also ranked 53rd in the NCAA in rebounding.
• She earned All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention Team honors at the end of the 2019-20 season, picking up the accolades for the second time in her career.
A'riana Gray - rebounds - 776 - 1st
A'riana Gray - double doubles - 27 - 1st
A'riana Gray - scoring - 1,017 - 2nd
A'riana Gray - steals - 134 - 2nd
A'riana Gray - blocks 47 - 7th
Aaliyah Dunham - assists - 326 - 1st
Aaliyah Dunham - steals - 119 - 3rd
Ayanna Townsend - blocks - 50 - 9th
Sarah Leyendecker - blocks - 44 - 10th
• Xavier postponed three games on Dec. 4-10 due to COVID-19 issues. The Musketeers look to reschedule both conference games (Creighton, DePaul) and the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout vs Cincinnati.
• The Musketeers have won 47 non-conference games over the last six seasons with a 39-9 mark at Cintas Center.
Friday, Dec. 4 vs CREIGHTON - POSTPONED
Sunday, Dec. 6 at DePaul - POSTPONED
Saturday, Dec. 19 at UCONN - 1 PM
Tuesday, Dec. 22 vs MARQUETTE - 2 PM
HOME GAMES IN BOLD CAPS
• 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 Saturday, Dec. 19 at UConn. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. from Gampel Pavilion with the game being aired on SNY.
Wednesday's game is the third of four games this week for the Musketeers. Xavier opens BIG EAST action on Saturday at No. 3 UConn.
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THE MATCHUP AT VALPO |
XAVIER MUSKETEERS (3-0) at VALPARAISO CRUSADERS (3-2)
Game Info - Wednesday, Dec. 16 - 2 p.m. ET - ARC (5,000)
Live Video - ESPN+ ($) - es.pn/37noKfI
Live Stats - bit.ly/3novmQf
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ABOUT VALPO |
2020-21 Record: 3-2 (0-0 MVC)2019-20 Record: 17-12 (9-9 MVC)
Series History: Xavier leads, 8-0
Last Meeting: Xavier 64, Valparaiso 53 (Cincinnati, Ohio - Nov. 18, 2007)
NOTABLES
• Valparaiso is coming off a 75-51 win vs Western Michigan in the team's home opener on Dec. 12. The Crusaders other two wins this season were against Big Ten members Illinois (W, 62-59) and Purdue (W, 52-47).
• Carie Weinman leads the team in scoring (14.2), three pointers made (12) and total steals (18). Grace White has added 13.5 points per game and a team-leading 6.8 rebounds per game. She also leads the team in field-goal percentage (.488).
• Valparaiso is averaging 10.0 steals per game and has 20 more steals (50-30) than its opponents this season. The Crusader defense is holding teams to a .337 field-goal percentage and a .196 three-point field-goal percentage.
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SERIES HISTORY |
• Xavier leads the all-time series with Valparaiso, 8-0. The Musketeers are 3-0 when playing at Valparaiso with their last visit to Indiana coming on Nov. 18, 1997 (W, 77-63).
• Xavier won the last meeting between the two schools, 64-53, on Nov. 18, 2007 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
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LAST TIME OUT |
• Xavier moved to 3-0 on Monday night following a 72-65 win over Indiana State at Cintas Center. The three wins matches the Musketeers' win total from the 2019-20 season (3-27). It is Xavier's first 3-0 start since the 2017-18 season.
• A'riana Gray led three Musketeers in double figures with 16 points. The senior forward added seven rebounds.
• Kae Satterfield scored 14 points on 6-for-7 shooting. The sophomore also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. She added two steals, two blocks and two assists in 24 minutes of action off the bench.
• Nia Clark added 13 points on 6-for-14 shooting. The guard added two assists, two steals and one block.
• Courtney Prenger scored eight points on 3-for-4 shooting, while Ayanna Townsend chipped in five points, seven rebounds and three blocks.
• Aaliyah Dunham scored seven points to go along with six assists and three steals.
• Xavier posted a season-high 11 blocks and had 12 steals - its second game with 12 or more steals this season. The 11 blocks are the most blocks in a game for the Musketeers since March 6, 2011 vs Charlotte (11 blocks - W, 69-53).
• Indiana State won the battle on the glass, 45-34. The Musketeers held a 32-16 advantage in points off of turnovers and scored 14 more fastbreak points (23-9).
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NOTABLES |
• Kae Satterfield is averaging 13.7 points and 10.0 rebounds per game this season with a .762 field-goal percentage (16-for-21). She leads the BIG EAST in field-goal percentage, while ranking second in rebounding. The New York, N.Y., native ranks fifth in the NCAA in field-goal percentage and 50th in rebounding.
• Xavier is averaging 7.0 blocks per game, ranking first in the BIG EAST and 10th in the NCAA. Ayanna Townsend and Lauren Wasylson pace the team in blocks with six each. Wasylson only had seven total blocks during the 2019-20 season.
• Xavier is averaging 14.3 steals per game to rank third in the BIG EAST and eighth in the NCAA. Nia Clark leads the Musketeers with 12 steals, while averaging 4.0 steals per game to rank second in the BIG EAST and seventh in the NCAA. The guard also paces the team in scoring, averaging 14.7 points per game - ranking 14th in the BIG EAST.
• A'riana Gray is averaging 8.7 rebounds per game, ranking fifth in the BIG EAST. She also ranks 21st in scoring (11.7).
• Aaliyah Dunham ranks third in the BIG EAST in assist/turnover ratio, while ranking 44th in the NCAA. The senior guard also ranks fourth in the conference in steals (2.7) and fifth in assists (4.0).
• Sophomore Courtney Prenger has made the most of her minutes off the bench this season, averaging 7.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. The forward has hit 69.2 percent (9-for-13) of her shot attempts in 20.3 minutes per game.
• The Musketeers have hit 42.7 percent of their shot attempts this season, up from their .361 field-goal percentage in 2019-20.
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1,000 CAREER POINTS - ARI GRAY |
• Senior forward A'riana Gray scored 13 points in the win over Wofford, increasing her career point total to 1,001 points. She became the 25th player at Xavier to eclipse the milestone. The last Xavier player to score 1,000 points in their career was Raeshaun Gaffney (1,074 points - 2014-17).
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ARI GRAY CAREER WATCH |
• Senior A'riana Gray has 776 career rebounds, raking seventh in career rebounding at Xavier. She is 76 rebounds away from moving into sixth place ahead of Taru Tuukkanen (852 - 1997-01). Her 8.7 rebounds per game career average ranks fourth in program history.
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AALIYAH DUNHAM CAREER WATCH |
• Senior Aaliyah Dunham has 326 career assists to rank ninth all-time at Xavier in assists. She is 25 assists away from moving into eighth place (351 - Judy Smith - 1980-84). Her 3.5 assists per game career average ranks 10th in program history.
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ABOUT THE MUSKETEERS |
• Xavier returns nine letterwinners and all five starters from last season. The Musketeers have a three-person senior class, anchored by two-time All-BIG EAST selection A'riana Gray.
• Senior Aaliyah Dunham averaged 7.5 points, 4.5 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game last year. She ranked fourth in the BIG EAST in assists (4.5), sixth in steals (1.9), sixth in three-point field-goal percentage (.388) and second in assist/turnover ratio (2.3). The guard ranked 25th in the NCAA in assist/turnover ratio and 72nd in total assists (135). she also finished the season ranked ninth in career assists at Xavier (314).
• Sophomore Morgan Sharps averaged 6.1 points per game with 43 assists and 18 steals last season. She led the team in three pointers made (48), while ranking ninth in the BIG EAST. The guard ranked third among BIG EAST freshman in three pointers made.
• After suffering a season-ending injury seven games into her freshman season, Ayanna Townsend bounced back to play in all 30 games (21 starts) in year two with the program. She averaged 5.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game and led the team in blocks with 32, while ranking sixth in the BIG EAST.
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ARI GRAY - PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST |
• Senior forward A'riana Gray was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team on Oct. 29 as voted on by conference head coaches. The Cleveland, Ohio, native earned the preseason honors for the second time in as many seasons. Gray averaged a team-high 15.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per game last year. She ranked first in the conference in rebounding and sixth in scoring. Gray also ranked 53rd in the NCAA in rebounding.
• She earned All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention Team honors at the end of the 2019-20 season, picking up the accolades for the second time in her career.
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BIG EAST ACTIVE CAREER LEADERS |
A'riana Gray - rebounds - 776 - 1st
A'riana Gray - double doubles - 27 - 1st
A'riana Gray - scoring - 1,017 - 2nd
A'riana Gray - steals - 134 - 2nd
A'riana Gray - blocks 47 - 7th
Aaliyah Dunham - assists - 326 - 1st
Aaliyah Dunham - steals - 119 - 3rd
Ayanna Townsend - blocks - 50 - 9th
Sarah Leyendecker - blocks - 44 - 10th
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PRESEASON COACHES' POLL |
| Place | Team (First-Place Votes) | Points |
| 1. | Connecticut (10) | 100 |
| 2. | DePaul (1) | 90 |
| 3. | Marquette | 83 |
| 4. | St. John's | 69 |
| 5. | Creighton | 60 |
| 6. | Seton Hall | 59 |
| 7. | Villanova | 44 |
| 8. | Butler | 37 |
| 9. | Xavier | 31 |
| 10. | Providence | 22 |
| 11. | Georgetown | 10 |
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SCHEDULE NOTES |
• Xavier postponed three games on Dec. 4-10 due to COVID-19 issues. The Musketeers look to reschedule both conference games (Creighton, DePaul) and the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout vs Cincinnati.
• The Musketeers have won 47 non-conference games over the last six seasons with a 39-9 mark at Cintas Center.
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DECEMBER BIG EAST SCHEDULE |
Friday, Dec. 4 vs CREIGHTON - POSTPONED
Sunday, Dec. 6 at DePaul - POSTPONED
Saturday, Dec. 19 at UCONN - 1 PM
Tuesday, Dec. 22 vs MARQUETTE - 2 PM
HOME GAMES IN BOLD CAPS
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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 Saturday, Dec. 19 at UConn. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. from Gampel Pavilion with the game being aired on SNY.
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