Musketeers, Friars Set for New Year's Eve Matinee

Thursday, December 31

Cincinnati, Ohio

1 p.m.

Xavier University

Providence

Musketeers, Friars Set for New Year's Eve Matinee

12.30.20 | Women's Basketball

Watch Live ($)Live Stats PC Notes (PDF)XU Notes (PDF)

Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. from Cintas Center on New Year's Eve

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier women's basketball continues BIG EAST action on Thursday, Dec. 31 vs Providence. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. from Cintas Center with the game being aired on FloHoops/BEDN.

THE MATCHUP VS PROVIDENCE

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (3-3, 0-2) vs PROVIDENCE FRIARS (4-4, 2-1)
Game Info - Thursday, Dec. 31 - 1 p.m. ET - Cintas Center (10,224)
Live Video - bit.ly/34MxtpS
Live Stats - bit.ly/2qqIPeu

ABOUT PROVIDENCE

2020-21 Record: 4-4 (2-1 BIG EAST)
2019-20 Record: 13-19 (3-15 BIG EAST)
Series History: Xavier leads, 9-6
Last Meeting: Xavier 61, Providence 42 (Feb. 21, 2020 - Cintas Center)

NOTABLES
• The Friars are coming off a 76-53 win over St. John's on Dec. 19. Providence's other BIG EAST win was at Butler on Dec. 5 (W, 73-52).
• Providence ranks second in the BIG EAST in scoring defense (59.4) and field-goal percentage defense (.373). Offensively, the Friars rank second in three-point field-goal percentage (.357).
• Mary Baskerville leads the Friars in scoring (13.0) and rebounding (7.0). She ranks seventh in the conference in rebounding and fifth in blocks (1.8).

SERIES HISTORY

• Xavier leads the all-time series with the Friars, 9-6, with a 6-1 mark in home games.

• The Musketeers defeated Providence, 61-42, in the last meeting between the two schools on Feb. 21, 2020 at Cintas Center. The win snapped a five-game losing streak in the series for Xavier.

LAST FIVE MEETINGS VS PROVIDENCE
Feb. 21, 2020 - Xavier 61, Providence 42 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Jan. 26, 2020 - Providence 60, Xavier 48 (Providence, R.I.)
March 9, 2019 - Providence 70, Xavier 62 (Chicago, Ill.)
Feb. 15, 2019 - Providence 63, Xavier 55 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Jan. 20, 2019 - Providence 71, Xavier 58 (Providence, R.I.)

LAST TIME OUT

• Xavier is coming off a 69-56 loss to Marquette on Tuesday, Dec. 22 at Cintas Center.

• Nia Clark led three Musketeers in double figures with 17 points on 8-for-15 shooting. The guard added three rebounds and a team-high three steals. The Musketeers had 11 steals, their fourth game of the year with 10 or more steals.

• Aaliyah Dunham added 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting. The senior guard chipped in two assists and two rebounds.

• A'riana Gray scored 10 points and grabbed four rebounds. The senior forward added two assists and a steal.

• Marquette won the battle on the glass, 40-25. Xavier held a 26-17 advantage in points off of turnovers and scored two more fastbreak points (10-8).

NOTABLES

• Kae Satterfield is averaging 8.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game this season with a .500 field-goal percentage (18-for-36). She ranks 11th in the BIG EAST in rebounding and 15th field-goal percentage.

• Nia Clark leads the Musketeers in scoring with 15.2 points per game, ranking 13th in the conference. The freshman guard also leads the BIG EAST in total steals (18), while ranking second in steals per game (3.0). She ranks 35th in the NCAA in steals per game.

• Xavier ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in steals (11.8) and fifth in blocks (4.7). The Musketeers rank 22nd in the NCAA in steals, while ranking 55th in blocks.

• Ayanna Townsend leads the team with eight blocks (8th in BIG EAST), while Lauren Wasylson has seven blocks (9th in BIG EAST). Wasylson only had seven total blocks during the 2019-20 season.

• A'riana Gray is averaging 7.0 rebounds per game, ranking seventh in the BIG EAST. She also ranks 22nd in scoring (12.7) and 12th in steals (2.0).

• Aaliyah Dunham ranks second in the BIG EAST in assist/turnover ratio, while ranking 35th in the NCAA. The senior guard also ranks fifth in assists (4.2).

• The Musketeers have hit 40.3 percent of their shot attempts this season, up from their .361 field-goal percentage in 2019-20. Xavier is also averaging 70.2 points per game, up from their 60.1 points per game a year ago.

• Xavier pulled down 56 rebounds vs Wofford on Dec. 13, 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). Nia Clark paced Xavier with 10 steals vs Detroit, the most by a BIG EAST player this season.

• Aaliyah Dunham matched her career high in assists with nine at Valparaiso on Dec. 16. The nine assists are the second most by a BIG EAST player this season.

BIG EAST WEEKLY HONORS

Dec. 28 - Nia Clark - Weekly Honor Roll
Dec. 14 - Kae Satterfield - Weekly Honor Roll
Nov. 30 - Nia Clark - Freshman of the Week

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 1,058 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 792 career rebounds, raking seventh in career rebounding at Xavier. She is 61 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 339 career assists to rank ninth all-time at Xavier in assists. She is 12 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.

AYANNA TOWNSEND CAREER WATCH

• Ayanna Townsend has 52 career blocks, three blocks away from moving into the career top-10 rankings at Xavier. Briana Glover (2012-16) ranks 10th with 55 career blocks.

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 - 792 - 1st
A'riana Gray - double doubles - 27 - 1st
A'riana Gray - scoring - 1,058 - 2nd
A'riana Gray - steals - 141 - 2nd
A'riana Gray - blocks 47 - 7th

Aaliyah Dunham - assists - 339 - 1st
Aaliyah Dunham - steals - 121 - 3rd

Ayanna Townsend - blocks - 52 - 9th
Sarah Leyendecker - blocks - 45 - 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 have rescheduled both the Creighton (Jan. 3) and DePaul (Feb. 17) games. The Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout vs Cincinnati is in the process of being rescheduled.

• The Musketeers have won 47 non-conference games over the last six seasons with a 39-9 mark at Cintas Center.

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 ends a three-game homestand on Sunday, Jan. 3 vs Creighton. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. inside Cintas Center with the game being aired on FloHoops/BEDN.