Women's Basketball Plays Host to Seton Hall on Wednesday Night

Wednesday, February 24

Cincinnati, Ohio

7 p.m.

Xavier University

Seton Hall

Women's Basketball Plays Host to Seton Hall on Wednesday Night

02.23.21 | Women's Basketball

Live Stats Watch Live (BEDN/FloHoops)XU Notes (PDF)Seton Hall Notes (PDF)

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

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier women's basketball closes out regular-season action with back-to-back games at Cintas Center. The Musketeers open the homestand on Wednesday, Feb. 24 vs Seton Hall at 7 p.m.

THE MATCHUP VS SETON HALL

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (4-8, 1-7) vs SETON HALL (11-6, 9-5)
Game Info - Wednesday, Feb. 24 - 7 p.m. ET - Cintas Center (10,224)
Live Video (BEDN/FloHoops) - bit.ly/2MfVTC2
Live Stats - bit.ly/2qqIPeu

ABOUT SETON HALL

2020-21 Record: 11-6 (9-5 BIG EAST)
2019-20 Record: 19-11 (11-7 BIG EAST)
Series History: Xavier trails, 13-3
Last Meeting: Seton Hall 85, Xavier 59 (Jan. 23, 2021 - South Orange, N.J.)

NOTABLES
• Andra Espinoza-Hunter scored a game-high 28 points in the first meeting between the two schools. Desiree Elmore and Mya Jackson each added 13 points.
• Seton Hall ranks third in the BIG EAST in scoring (76.5) and three pointers per game (8.2), while ranking second in three-point field-goal percentage (.337). The Pirates rank 40th in the NCAA in three pointers per game.
• Andra Espinoza-Hunter ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in scoring (19.0), while ranking 51st in the NCAA. She also leads the BIG EAST in three pointers per game (3.2), while ranking 14th in the NCAA.

SERIES HISTORY

• Xavier trails the all-time series, 13-3. The Musketeers are 2-3 in the last five meetings with the Pirates.

• Eight of the last 12 meetings have been decided by 10 or fewer points.

LAST FIVE MEETINGS VS SETON HALL
Jan. 23, 2021 - Seton Hall 85, Xavier 59 (South Orange, N.J.)
Feb. 28, 2020 - Seton Hall 69, Xavier 59 (South Orange, N.J.)
Dec. 31, 2019 - Seton Hall 83, Xavier 61 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Feb. 1, 2019 - Xavier 80, Seton Hall 76 (South Orange, N.J.)
Jan. 6, 2019 - Xavier 63, Seton Hall 62 (OT) (Cincinnati, Ohio)

LAST TIME OUT VS SETON HALL

• Seton Hall won the last meeting between the two schools, 85-59, on Jan. 21 in South Orange, N.J. Nia Clark led the Musketeers in scoring with 14 points on 5-for-12 shooting. The guard was 4-for-8 from behind the arc.

• Carrie Gross added seven points, while three other Musketeers (Aaliyah Dunham, Kae Satterfield and Deja Ross) added six points. Dunham had five of the Musketeers 11 steals, their fifth game of the year with 10 or more steals.

• Seton Hall held a 37-15 advantage in points off of turnovers. The Musketeers committed 28 turnovers in the loss.

• The Pirates also posted a 44-33 advantage in rebounds. Xavier scored one more second-chance point (11-10) and held a 26-18 advantage in bench points.

LAST TIME OUT

• Xavier is coming off a 73-61 road loss at Butler. The Musketeers led by one point at halftime, but the Bulldogs pulled away behind a season-high .429 field-goal percentage.

• A'riana Gray scored a team-high 23 points on 9-for-20 shooting. She added eight rebounds and three assists. She now has 17 career games with 20 or more points.

• Nia Clark scored 13 points with four 3-pointers, while Aaliyah Dunham chipped in nine points. Dunham added a career-high eight rebounds, five assists and one steal.

• Kae Satterfield finished with five points and five rebounds. Carrie Gross and Ayanna Townsend both chipped in four points.

• Xavier won the battle on the glass, 39-38, and scored thee more second-change points (11-8). Butler held a 15-6 advantage in points off of turnovers.

NOTABLES

• Nia Clark leads the Musketeers in scoring with 13.2 points per game, ranking 15th in the conference. The freshman guard ranks tied for second the BIG EAST in steals per game (2.3), while ranking 74th in the NCAA. She also ranks sixth in the conference in three-point field-goal percentage (.385).

• Kae Satterfield is averaging 8.9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game this season with a .443 field-goal percentage (43-for-97). She ranks 14th in the BIG EAST in rebounding.

• Xavier ranks third in the BIG EAST in steals (10.0) and third in blocks (4.3). The Musketeers rank 37th in the NCAA in steals, while ranking 58th in blocks.

• In BIG EAST only games, Xavier ranks fourth the conference in free-throw percentage (.766). A'riana Gray ranks 10th in the conference in those games, connecting on 76.2 percent of her free throws (16-for-21).

• Lauren Wasylson leads the team in blocks (13) and ranks second in three-pointers made (11). The junior guard ranks tied for 10th in the conference in blocks this year after only have seven total blocks during the 2019-20 season. She has hit 38.1 percent (8-for-21) of her three pointers in BIG EAST only games, ranking seventh in the conference.

• A'riana Gray is averaging 6.5 rebounds per game, ranking tied for eighth in the BIG EAST. She also ranks 21st in scoring (12.4) and tied for 11th in steals (1.7).

• Aaliyah Dunham ranks second in the BIG EAST in assist/turnover ratio, while ranking sixth in the NCAA. The senior guard also ranks ninth in the conference in assists (3.8) and tied for fifth in steals (2.0).

• 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 third most by a BIG EAST player this season.

BIG EAST WEEKLY HONORS

Jan. 4 - Kae Satterfield - Weekly Honor Roll
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 1,106 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 815 career rebounds, raking seventh in career rebounding at Xavier. She is 37 rebounds away from moving into sixth place ahead of Taru Tuukkanen (852 - 1997-01). Her 8.5 rebounds per game career average ranks fourth in program history.

AALIYAH DUNHAM CAREER WATCH

• Senior Aaliyah Dunham has 360 career assists to rank ninth all-time at Xavier in assists. She is 17 assists away from moving into seventh place (377 - Sheryl Krmpotich - 1988-92). Her 3.5 assists per game career average ranks 10th in program history.

AYANNA TOWNSEND CAREER WATCH

• Ayanna Townsend has 57 career blocks, ranking 10th all-time at Xavier with Briana Glover (2012-16). She is two blocks away from moving into ninth place with Jennifer Phillips (1998-02).

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 - 815 - 1st
A'riana Gray - double doubles - 27 - 1st
A'riana Gray - scoring - 1,106 - 2nd
A'riana Gray - steals - 146 - 2nd
A'riana Gray - blocks 48 - 7th

Aaliyah Dunham - assists - 360 - 1st
Aaliyah Dunham - steals - 135 - 3rd

Ayanna Townsend - blocks - 57 - 9th
Sarah Leyendecker - blocks - 48 - 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

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.

2021 WBB SIGNEES

• Xavier women's basketball head coach Melanie Moore has announced the signing of three players to the 2021-22 roster. The three players signed National Letters of Intent on Wednesday, Nov. 11.

• Shaila Beeler is a 5-7 guard from Indianapolis, Ind. (Warren Central). She is a transfer from Vincennes University after starting her career at Indiana University. She was rated as the No. 19 recruit by ProspectsNation in 2019 and was rated as a three-star recruit from ESPN Hoopgurlz.

• Kaybriana Hallman is a 6-2 forward from Grand Rapids, Mich. (East Kentwood). She is ranked as the 46th best player in the nation by 2021 ESPN HoopGurlz. Hallman is also rated as a four-star recruit by 2021 ESPN HoopGurlz. She averaged 12.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.5 blocks per game as a junior.

• Aanaya Harris is a 5-11 guard/forward from Omaha Nebraska (Burke). She averaged 14.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game as a junior. Harris earned all-metro honors and all-state honors in 2019-20 and was ranked as the No. 3 player in Nebraska.

• Hallman and Harris are nominees for the 2021 McDonald's All-American Game. Hallman was one of 14 players nominated from Michigan, while Harris was one of only three players nominated from Nebraska.

UP NEXT

• Xavier wraps up BIG EAST regular-season action on Sunday, Feb. 28 vs Georgetown. Tip-off is slated for noon from Cintas Center with the game being aired nationally on FS1.