Musketeers Play Host Villanova on Friday Night

Friday, February 7

Cincinnati, Ohio

7 P.M.

Xavier University

Villanova

Musketeers Play Host Villanova on Friday Night

02.06.20 | Women's Basketball

Live Stats Watch Live - BEDN XU Notes (PDF)Villanova Notes (PDF)

Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. from Cintas Center

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier women's basketball continues BIG EAST action against Villanova on Friday, Feb. 7. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. from Cintas Center.

THE MATCHUP VS VILLANOVA

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (2-19, 1-9) vs VILLANOVA WILDCATS (12-10, 6-5)
Game Info - Friday, Feb. 7 - 7 p.m. - Cintas Center (10,224)
Live Video - BEDN - bit.ly/2UvQw3g
Live Stats - bit.ly/2qqIPeu

ABOUT VILLANOVA

2019-20 Record: 12-10 (6-5 BIG EAST)
2018-19 Record: 19-13 (9-9 BIG EAST)
2018-19 Postseason: WNIT - Second Round
Series History: Xavier trails, 13-1
Last Meeting: Villanova 66, Xavier 54 (Jan. 12, 2020 - Villanova, Pa.)

NOTABLES
• Freshman Madison Siegrist leads the team in scoring (20.1) and rebounding (8.8). She ranks second in the NCAA in scoring among freshman players and 13th overall.
• Senior Mary Gedaka ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in scoring (17.5), seventh in assists (3.1) and eighth in field-goal percentage (.482).
• The Wildcats lead the conference in three-point field-goal percentage defense (.264), while ranking third scoring defense (60.6) and field-goal percentage defense (.373). Villanova ranks 17th in the NCAA in three-point field-goal percentage defense and 30th in assist/turnover ratio.

SERIES HISTORY

• Xavier trails the all-time series with Villanova, 13-1. The Musketeers lone win in the series was a 74-67 overtime victory on Dec. 31, 2015 at Cintas Center.

LAST FIVE MEETINGS VS VILLANOVA
Jan. 12, 2020 - Villanova 66, Xavier 54 (Villanova, Pa.)
March 1, 2019 - Villanova 68, Xavier 63 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Dec. 31, 2018 - Villanova 75, Xavier 71 (Villanova, Pa.)
Jan. 26, 2018 - Villanova 89, Xavier 50 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Jan. 5, 2018 - Villanova 75, Xavier 57 (Villanova, Pa.)

FIRST MEETING VS VILLANOVA

• Xavier dropped the first meeting between the two schools, 66-54, on Jan. 12 at Finneran Pavilion. Junior A'riana Gray led the Musketeers with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

• Sophomore Carrie Gross added 10 points, five rebounds and three steals. Classmate Lauren Wasylson chipped in nine points and three rebounds.

NOTABLES VS VILLANOVA

• Junior A'riana Gray has averaged 11.8 points and 9.6 rebounds per game in five career meetings with Villanova. The forward has added nine steals, five assists and one block in those games.

• Junior Deja Ross has averaged 6.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in four games vs the Wildcats. Classmate Aaliyah Dunham had added 7.0 points and 2.6 assists per game in five meetings with Villanova.

LAST TIME OUT

• Xavier is coming off a 63-61 overtime loss at Butler on Friday, Jan. 31. The Musketeers were short handed as Ashley Gomez, A'riana Gray and Sarah Leyendecker did not dress due to injuries.

• Ayanna Townsend led four Musketeers in double figures with 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting. She added a team-high eight rebounds.

• Courtney Prenger added 11 points and seven rebounds, while Lauren Wasylson chipped in 12 points and six rebounds. Carrie Gross added 10 point and seven rebounds.

• Morgan Sharps finished with 11 points and four rebounds. Aaliyah Dunham dished out a game-high eight assists to go along with three rebounds.

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 leads the BIG EAST in rebounding (9.5) this season, while adding 16.4 points per game - ranking seventh in the BIG EAST. The junior forward ranks 43rd in the NCAA in rebounds per game.

• Junior Aaliyah Dunham ranks fourth on the team in scoring (7.8), while leading the team in total assists (97) and total steals (36). The guard ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in assists (4.6). She ranks 25th in the NCAA in assist turnover ratio.

• Junior Aaliyah Dunham ranks tied for second in the BIG EAST in three-point field-goal percentage (.429). She is 27-for-63 from the behind the arc.

• Freshman Morgan Sharps has 33 three pointers this year to rank third among BIG EAST freshmen this season. She also ranks eighth in the BIG EAST in three-point field goal percentage (.384).

• Xavier ranks fifth in the BIG EAST in three-point field-goal percentage (.345), while ranking sixth in three pointers made per game (6.8). The Musketeers rank 55th in the NCAA in three-point field-goal percentage.

• Sophomore Carrie Gross ranks second on the team in scoring (9.1) and fifth in rebounding (3.3) 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 nine BIG EAST games, the forward has posted 8.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game - while connecting on 45.2 percent (28-for-62) of her shot attempts.

• Xavier had three players with 10 or more rebounds at Creighton on Jan. 24. The last time Xavier had three players with 10 or more rebounds in a game was on Jan. 27, 2013 in a 73-63 loss at Richmond.

• 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 680 career rebounds, raking ninth in career rebounding at Xavier. She is 62 rebounds away from moving into eighth place ahead of Jennifer Phillips (742 - 1997-01).

• Gray also has 866 career points. She is 134 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 10 BIG EAST games, the Musketeers rank third in blocks (3.6) and fourth in steals (7.1) Xavier also ranks sixth in three-point field-goal percentage (.333).

• Junior A'riana Gray leads the BIG EAST in scoring (19.6) and third in rebounding (8.6). Sophomore Sarah Leyendecker ranks seventh in rebounding (7.6), tied for fifth in free-throw percentage (.800) and 15th in field-goal percentage (.452).

• Junior Aaliyah Dunham is averaging 5.2 assists in BIG EAST play to rank fourth. Freshman Morgan Sharps also ranks 11th in three-point field-goal percentage (.366), going 15-for-41 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 continues BIG EAST action vs Georgetown on Sunday, Feb. 9 at 2 p.m. Fans are encouraged to wear pink as it will be Xavier's Play4Kay Pink Game.