Musketeers Open BIG EAST Action at No. 3 UConn

Saturday, December 19

Storrs, Conn.

1 p.m.

Xavier University

Connecticut

Musketeers Open BIG EAST Action at No. 3 UConn

12.17.20 | Women's Basketball

Live Stats Live Audio Watch Live XU Notes (PDF)

Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. from Gampel Pavilion with the game being aired on SNY

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier women's basketball opens BIG EAST action at No. 3 UConn on Saturday, Dec. 19. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. from Gampel Pavilion with the game being aired on SNY.

THE MATCHUP AT UCONN

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (3-1, 0-0) at UCONN HUSKIES (3-0, 2-0)
Game Info - Saturday, Dec. 19 - 1 p.m. ET - Gampel Pavilion (10,167)
Live Video - foxs.pt/3rhufo6
Live Stats - bit.ly/3r77VgN

ABOUT UCONN

2020-21 Record: 3-0 (2-0 BIG EAST)
2019-20 Record: 29-3 (16-0 AAC)
Series History: Xavier trails, 1-0
Last Meeting: UConn 86, Xavier 84 (March 14, 1999 - Storrs, Conn. - NCAA Midwest Second Round)

NOTABLES
• UConn moved to 2-0 in BIG EAST action on Thursday following an 80-47 win over Creighton. Olivia Nelson-Ododa led the team with 24 points vs the Bluejays.
• The Huskies are averaging 83.7 points per game behind a .550 field-goal percentage. UConn has a +38.7 scoring margin and +16.3 rebounding margin this season.
• Freshman Paige Bueckers leads the team in scoring (17.7), while ranking second in rebounding (6.7). She also has a team-high 15 assists and seven steals.

SERIES HISTORY

• UConn leads the all-time series with the Musketeers, 1-0. The Huskies won the lone meeting, 86-84, on March 14, 1999 inside Gampel Pavilion. The meeting was in the NCAA Midwest Second Round with the Musketeers as the No. 8 seed, and the Huskies as the No. 1 seed.

XU VS THE TOP-25

• The Musketeers are 11-45 all-time against teams ranked in the top-25. The last time Xavier played a top-25 team was on Feb. 16, 2020 (L, 97-65 at No. 13 DePaul).

• Saturday's matchup vs No. 3 UConn is the Musketeers' highest ranked opponent since Nov. 28, 2013 vs No. 2 Duke at the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands (L, 81-54).

• The Musketeers last win over a top-25 team was on Nov. 26, 2009 over No. 18 Kansas, 76-71, at the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas.

LAST TIME OUT

• Xavier is coming off an 88-83 loss at Valparaiso on Wednesday afternoon. The 83 points were a season high for the Musketeers.

• A'riana Gray scored 22 points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds, nearly missing her 28th career double-double. She now has 50 career games in double figures, including 16 games with 20 or more points.

• A'riana Gray had a game-high six steals. The Musketeers had 13 steals in the game, their second game of the season with 12 or more steals.

• Nia Clark scored a career-high 19 points on 8-for-15 shooting. She added three rebounds and one steal.

• Carrie Gross matched her career high in scoring with 17 points on 5-for-7 shooting. She was also 7-for-8 from the foul line.

• Aaliyah Dunham matched her career high in assists with nine. The nine assists are the most by a BIG EAST player this season. She added five rebounds and two steals.

• Xavier won the battle on the glass, 35-29. The Musketeers also held a 28-15 advantage in points off of turnovers.

• Xavier made a season-high 23 free throws, connecting on 82.1 percent (23-for-28) of their trips to the line.

NOTABLES

• Kae Satterfield is averaging 11.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game this season with a .680 field-goal percentage (17-for-25). She ranks third in the BIG EAST in both rebounding and field-goal percentage. The New York, N.Y., native ranks fifth in the NCAA in field-goal percentage and 50th in rebounding.

• Xavier leads the BIG EAST in steals (14.0), while ranking eighth in the NCAA. Nia Clark leads the Musketeers with 13 steals, while averaging 3.3 steals per game to rank second in the BIG EAST and seventh in the NCAA. The guard also paces the team in scoring, averaging 15.8 points per game - ranking 10th in the BIG EAST.

• Xavier is averaging 5.8 blocks per game, ranking second in the BIG EAST and 10th in the NCAA. Ayanna Townsend leads the team with seven blocks, while Lauren Wasylson has six blocks. Wasylson only had seven total blocks during the 2019-20 season.

• A'riana Gray is averaging 8.8 rebounds per game, ranking tied for third in the BIG EAST. She also ranks 17th in scoring (14.3).

• Aaliyah Dunham ranks second in the BIG EAST in assist/turnover ratio, while ranking 44th in the NCAA. The senior guard also ranks fourth in assists (5.3) and fifth in steals (2.5).

• The Musketeers have hit 42.8 percent of their shot attempts this season, up from their .361 field-goal percentage in 2019-20. Xavier is also averaging 76.5 points per game, up from their 60.1 points per game a year ago.

• Xavier pulled down 56 rebounds vs Wofford on Sunday, the most rebounds in a game by a BIG EAST team this season. The 56 rebounds are the most by the Musketeers since pulling down 64 (2nd in school history) on Nov. 25, 2015 vs Southeastern Louisiana (W, 67-27).

• Xavier had 22 steals at Detroit Mercy, the most steals in a game by a BIG EAST team this season. The Musketeers also forced 28 turnovers, the most in a game by Xavier since Nov. 7, 2018 vs Chicago State (26 turnovers).

1,000 CAREER POINTS - ARI GRAY

• Senior forward A'riana Gray became the 25th member of the 1,000-point club at Xavier in the team's win over Wofford on Dec. 13. She currently has 1,039 career points. The last Xavier player to score 1,000 points in their career was Raeshaun Gaffney (1,074 points - 2014-17).

ARI GRAY CAREER WATCH

• Senior A'riana Gray has 785 career rebounds, raking seventh in career rebounding at Xavier. She is 68 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.

AALIYAH DUNHAM CAREER WATCH

• Senior Aaliyah Dunham has 335 career assists to rank ninth all-time at Xavier in assists. She is 16 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.

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.

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.

BIG EAST ACTIVE CAREER LEADERS

A'riana Gray - rebounds - 785 - 1st
A'riana Gray - double doubles - 27 - 1st
A'riana Gray - scoring - 1,039 - 2nd
A'riana Gray - steals - 140 - 2nd
A'riana Gray - blocks 47 - 7th

Aaliyah Dunham - assists - 335 - 1st
Aaliyah Dunham - steals - 121 - 3rd

Ayanna Townsend - blocks - 51 - 9th
Sarah Leyendecker - blocks - 44 - 10th

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

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.

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

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 Tuesday, Dec. 22 vs Marquette. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. from Cintas Center with the game being aired on FloHoops/BEDN.