Xavier, Georgetown Set for Sunday Matinee

Sunday, February 9

Cincinnati, Ohio

2 P.M.

Xavier University

Georgetown

02.08.20 | Women's Basketball

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

Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. from Cintas Center

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier women's basketball continues BIG EAST action on Sunday, Feb. 9 vs Georgetown. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. from Cintas Center.

Sunday's contest will serve as Xavier's Play4Kay Pink Game.

THE MATCHUP VS GEORGETOWN

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (2-20, 1-10) vs GEORGETOWN HOYAS (4-19, 1-11)
Game Info - Sunday, Feb. 9 - 2 p.m. - Cintas Center (10,224)
Live Video - BEDN - bit.ly/2UzICpF
Live Stats - bit.ly/2qqIPeu

ABOUT GEORGETOWN

2019-20 Record: 4-19 (1-11 BIG EAST)
2018-19 Record: 19-16 (9-9 BIG EAST)
2018-19 Postseason: WNIT - Quarterfinals
Series History: Xavier trails, 9-7
Last Meeting: Xavier 85, Georgetown 64 (Jan. 10, 2020 - Washington, D.C.)

NOTABLES
• Georgetown has lost 10 straight games, most recently falling at Butler, 60-42, on Friday night. The Hoyas last win was on Dec. 31 at Providence (W, 62-53).
• The Hoyas rank 10th in the BIG EAST in scoring offense (56.6), third in blocks (4.1) and fourth in free-throw percentage (.716).
• Senior Anita Kelava ranks third in the BIG EAST in blocks (1.6) and fifth in rebounding (7.7). Classmate Taylor Barnes ranks sixth in free-throw percentage (.805) and 15th in scoring (12.6).

SERIES HISTORY

• Xavier trails the all-time series with Georgetown, 9-7. The Musketeers snapped a seven-game losing streak in the series on Jan. 10 earlier this season at Georgetown.

• Xavier is 4-3 against the Hoyas when playing at Cintas Center. The Musketeers have lost three straight at home vs the Hoyas. Xavier is looking for its first home win over Georgetown since a 59-54 victory on Dec. 29, 2015.

LAST FIVE MEETINGS VS GEORGETOWN
Jan. 10, 2020 - Xavier 85, Georgetown 64 (Washington, D.C.)
March 3, 2019 - Georgetown 67, Xavier 64 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Dec. 29, 2018 - Georgetown 68, Xavier 61 (Washington, D.C.)
Jan. 28, 2018 - Georgetown 65, Xavier 48 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Jan. 2, 2018 - Georgetown 65, Xavier 60 (Washington, D.C.)

FIRST MEETING VS GEORGETOWN

• Xavier won the first meeting between the two schools, 85-64, in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 10. The 85 points are a season-high for the Musketeers.

• The Musketeers also posted a season-high .509 (29-for-57) field-goal percentage and hit a season-high 13 three pointers. Xavier was 13-for-20 from behind the arc.

• Junior Aaliyah Dunham scored a career-high 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting. She was 4-for-4 from behind the arc. The guard added a game-high seven assists.

• Junior A'riana Gray scored 20 points on 6-for-12 shooting. The forward added four assists, three rebounds and one steal.

• Sophomore Sarah Leyendecker scored 13 points and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds. Classmate Lauren Wasylson scored 12 points on 4-for-6 shooting from behind the arc.

NOTABLES VS GEORGETOWN

• Junior A'riana Gray has averaged 10.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in five career meetings with Georgetown. She has added eight steals and five assists in those games.

• Junior Aaliyah Dunham has averaged 9.4 points and 3.4 assists per game in five career meetings with Georgetown. She has added a .500 (15-for-30) field-goal percentage in those games.

LAST TIME OUT

• Xavier is coming off a 55-54 loss to Villanova on Friday night. The Musketeers last two games have been decided by a combined three points.

• Junior Aaliyah Dunham and sophomore Carrie Gross led the Musketeers in scoring with 11 points each. Dunham also dished out a team-high seven assists.

• Freshman Morgan Sharps added 10 points on 4-for-10 shooting, while classmate Courtney Prenger added nine points. Prenger also pulled down four rebounds and recorded a team-high four steals.

• Junior Deja Ross led the team on the glass with a career-high 12 rebounds. She added six points.

• Xavier won the battle on the glass, 43-42, despite the Musketeers missing their top two rebounders (A'riana Gray and Sarah Leyendecker) due to injuries. The Musketeers also hed a 15-10 advantage in points off of 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 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 44th in the NCAA in rebounds per game.

• Junior Aaliyah Dunham ranks third on the team in scoring (8.0), while leading the team in total assists (104) and total steals (38). The guard ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in assists (4.7). She ranks 22nd in the NCAA in assist turnover ratio.

• Junior Aaliyah Dunham leads the BIG EAST in three-point field-goal percentage (.433). She is 29-for-67 from the behind the arc.

• Freshman Morgan Sharps has 35 three pointers this year to rank third among BIG EAST freshmen this season. She also ranks ninth in the BIG EAST in three-point field goal percentage (.376).

• Xavier ranks fifth in the BIG EAST in three-point field-goal percentage (.341), while ranking sixth in three pointers made per game (6.7). The Musketeers rank 65th 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 11 BIG EAST games, the Musketeers rank tied for fourth in blocks (3.5) and fourth in steals (7.3) Xavier also ranks seventh in three-point field-goal percentage (.325).

• Junior A'riana Gray leads the BIG EAST in scoring (19.6) and fourth in rebounding (8.6). Sophomore Sarah Leyendecker ranks seventh in rebounding (7.6), tied for fifth in free-throw percentage (.800) and 11th in field-goal percentage (.452).

• Junior Aaliyah Dunham is averaging 5.4 assists in BIG EAST play to rank fourth. Freshman Morgan Sharps also ranks 14th in three-point field-goal percentage (.354), going 17-for-48 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 at Marquette on Friday, Feb. 14 at 8 p.m. ET.