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Xavier University Athletics
Friday, March 5
Uncasville, Conn.
11 a.m.
Xavier University
vs
No. 8 Seed St. John's
Musketeers Open BIG EAST Tournament Action vs No. 8 Seed St. John's
03.04.21 | Women's Basketball
Tip-off is slated for 11 a.m. from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
CINCINNATI - Xavier women's basketball opens BIG EAST Tournament action on Friday, March 5 vs No. 8 seed St. John's. Tip-off is slated for 11 a.m. from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
XAVIER MUSKETEERS (5-9, 2-8) vs ST. JOHN'S RED STORM (7-14, 4-12)
Game Info - Friday, March 5 - 11 a.m. ET - Mohegan Sun Arena (10,000)
Live Video (BEDN/FloHoops) - bit.ly/2PzUrMp
Live Stats - bit.ly/2SHIK1J
2020-21 Record: 7-14 (4-12 BIG EAST)
2019-20 Record: 19-12 (11-7 BIG EAST)
Series History: Xavier trails, 12-2
Last Meeting: St. John's 74, Xavier 37 (March 1, 2020 - Queens, N.Y.)
NOTABLES
• St. John's ranks second in the BIG EAST in blocks (5.9), fourth in field-goal percentage (.430) and sixth in scoring offense (64.0).
• Leilani Correa was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team on Thursday. The sophomore guard ranks fifth in the BIG EAST in scoring (18.0).
• Rayven Peeples ranks second in the conference in field-goal percentage (.604) and fourth in blocks (1.3). Kadaja Bailey ranks 12th in the BIG EAST in rebounding.
• Xavier trails the all-time series with St. John's, 12-2. The Musketeers have dropped 10 straight in the series.
• Xavier's last win over St. John's was on March 1, 2015 at Cintas Center by a score of 74-61.
• Xavier and St. John's are meeting for the first time in the BIG EAST Tournament. The Musketeers and Red Storm did not play during the 2020-21 regular-season as both games were postponed and never rescheduled.
LAST FIVE MEETINGS VS ST. JOHN'S
March 1, 2020 - St. John's 74, Xavier 37 (Queens, N.Y.)
Dec. 29, 2019 - St. John's 75, Xavier 67 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Feb. 3, 2019 - St. John's 70, Xavier 41 (Queens, N.Y.)
Jan. 4, 2019 - St. John's 76, Xavier 57 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Feb. 4, 2018 - St. John's 70, Xavier 36 (Queens, N.Y.)
• Xavier and St. John's are meeting for the first time in the BIG EAST Tournament.
• Xavier is 1-7 all-time in BIG EAST Tournament action. The Musketeers lone BIG EAST Tournament win was over Georgetown, 70-67, on March 7, 2015.
• Since joining the BIG EAST in 2013-14, the Musketeers have never been higher than the No. 7 seed (twice). Xavier has been No. 10 seed three times, No. 9 seed twice and No. 8 seed once.
• Since 1983, the No. 9 seed is 15-24 vs the No. 8 seed in the opening round of the BIG EAST Tournament. The last No. 9 seed to win its opening round game was St. John's at the 2019 BIG EAST Tournament. The Red Storm topped Seton Hall, 76-51, at Wintrust Arena (Chicago, Ill.) on March 9, 2019.
• Last season, the No. 10 seed Musketeers lost to No. 7 seed Villanova in overtime, 64-56, on March 6 at Wintrust Arena (Chicago, Ill.).
• All told, Xavier is 36-26 in conference tournament history. The Musketeers posted a 28-12 record in Atlantic 10 Tournament action (1996-2013) with six championships.
• Xavier is coming a 58-48 win over Georgetown on Sunday, Feb. 28 at Cintas Center.
• A'riana Gray posted her 28th career double-double in the win, scoring a team-high 14 points and grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds. She matched her career high in assists with seven.
• Aaliyah Dunham finished the game with 10 points, six steals and five rebounds. The six steals matched her career high in the category. Xavier had 12 steals in the game, its seventh game of the year with 10 or more steals.
• Sarah Leyendecker posted nine rebounds, eight points and two blocks. Ayanna Townsend finished the game with 10 points on 5-for-6 shooting.
• Georgetown won the battle on the glass, 36-34. Xavier held a 19-5 advantage in points off of turnovers.
• The win snapped a four-game home losing streak vs the Hoyas. Xavier moved to 8-10 in the all-time series with Georgetown.
• A'riana Gray is averaging 6.7 rebounds per game, ranking eighth in the BIG EAST. She also ranks 20th in scoring (12.9). Gray has averaged 18.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game in her last three outings. She has posted a .489 field-goal percentage (22-for-45) in those games.
• Aaliyah Dunham ranks second in the BIG EAST in assist/turnover ratio, while ranking fifth in the NCAA. The senior guard also ranks eighth in the conference in assists (3.9) and third in steals (2.1).
• Kae Satterfield is averaging 8.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game this season with a .460 field-goal percentage (52-for-113). She ranks tied for 16th in the BIG EAST in rebounding (5.9). Satterfield has hit 57.9 percent (11-for-19) of her shots attempts in her last three games.
• Nia Clark leads the Musketeers in scoring with 11.8 points per game, ranking 22nd in the conference. The freshman guard ranks tied for seventh in the BIG EAST in steals per game (2.0), while ranking 128th in the NCAA. She also ranks eighth in the conference in three-point field-goal percentage (.375).
• Xavier ranks third in the BIG EAST in steals (9.5) and fifth in blocks (3.9). The Musketeers rank 49th in the NCAA in steals, while ranking 83rd in blocks.
• Lauren Wasylson leads the team in blocks (14) and ranks second in three-pointers made (13). The junior guard ranks tied for 12th in the conference in blocks this year after only have seven total blocks during the 2019-20 season.
• Ayanna Townsend has averaged 6.3 points and 2.7 rebounds per game in her last three games. She is 7-for-10 from the floor in those outings.
• 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.
March 2 - A'riana Gray - Weekly Honor Roll
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
• 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 1,137 career points. The last Xavier player to score 1,000 points in their career was Raeshaun Gaffney (1,074 points - 2014-17).
• Senior A'riana Gray has 830 career rebounds, raking seventh in career rebounding at Xavier. She is 22 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.
• Senior Aaliyah Dunham has 368 career assists to rank ninth all-time at Xavier in assists. She is nine 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 has 58 career blocks, ranking 10th all-time at Xavier with Briana Glover (2012-16). She is one block away from moving into ninth place with Jennifer Phillips (1998-02).
• 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.
• 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.
A'riana Gray - rebounds - 830 - 1st
A'riana Gray - double doubles - 28 - 1st
A'riana Gray - scoring - 1,137 - 2nd
A'riana Gray - steals - 147 - 2nd
A'riana Gray - blocks 48 - 7th
Aaliyah Dunham - assists - 368 - 1st
Aaliyah Dunham - steals - 141 - 3rd
Ayanna Townsend - blocks - 58 - 9th
Sarah Leyendecker - blocks - 50 - 10th
• 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.
• 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.
• The winner of Friday's game will take on No. 1 UConn on Saturday, March 6 at noon. The game will be aired nationally on FS1.
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THE MATCHUP VS ST. JOHN'S |
XAVIER MUSKETEERS (5-9, 2-8) vs ST. JOHN'S RED STORM (7-14, 4-12)
Game Info - Friday, March 5 - 11 a.m. ET - Mohegan Sun Arena (10,000)
Live Video (BEDN/FloHoops) - bit.ly/2PzUrMp
Live Stats - bit.ly/2SHIK1J
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ABOUT ST. JOHN'S |
2020-21 Record: 7-14 (4-12 BIG EAST)2019-20 Record: 19-12 (11-7 BIG EAST)
Series History: Xavier trails, 12-2
Last Meeting: St. John's 74, Xavier 37 (March 1, 2020 - Queens, N.Y.)
NOTABLES
• St. John's ranks second in the BIG EAST in blocks (5.9), fourth in field-goal percentage (.430) and sixth in scoring offense (64.0).
• Leilani Correa was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team on Thursday. The sophomore guard ranks fifth in the BIG EAST in scoring (18.0).
• Rayven Peeples ranks second in the conference in field-goal percentage (.604) and fourth in blocks (1.3). Kadaja Bailey ranks 12th in the BIG EAST in rebounding.
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SERIES HISTORY |
• Xavier trails the all-time series with St. John's, 12-2. The Musketeers have dropped 10 straight in the series.
• Xavier's last win over St. John's was on March 1, 2015 at Cintas Center by a score of 74-61.
• Xavier and St. John's are meeting for the first time in the BIG EAST Tournament. The Musketeers and Red Storm did not play during the 2020-21 regular-season as both games were postponed and never rescheduled.
LAST FIVE MEETINGS VS ST. JOHN'S
March 1, 2020 - St. John's 74, Xavier 37 (Queens, N.Y.)
Dec. 29, 2019 - St. John's 75, Xavier 67 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Feb. 3, 2019 - St. John's 70, Xavier 41 (Queens, N.Y.)
Jan. 4, 2019 - St. John's 76, Xavier 57 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Feb. 4, 2018 - St. John's 70, Xavier 36 (Queens, N.Y.)
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BIG EAST TOURNAMENT HISTORY |
• Xavier and St. John's are meeting for the first time in the BIG EAST Tournament.
• Xavier is 1-7 all-time in BIG EAST Tournament action. The Musketeers lone BIG EAST Tournament win was over Georgetown, 70-67, on March 7, 2015.
• Since joining the BIG EAST in 2013-14, the Musketeers have never been higher than the No. 7 seed (twice). Xavier has been No. 10 seed three times, No. 9 seed twice and No. 8 seed once.
• Since 1983, the No. 9 seed is 15-24 vs the No. 8 seed in the opening round of the BIG EAST Tournament. The last No. 9 seed to win its opening round game was St. John's at the 2019 BIG EAST Tournament. The Red Storm topped Seton Hall, 76-51, at Wintrust Arena (Chicago, Ill.) on March 9, 2019.
• Last season, the No. 10 seed Musketeers lost to No. 7 seed Villanova in overtime, 64-56, on March 6 at Wintrust Arena (Chicago, Ill.).
• All told, Xavier is 36-26 in conference tournament history. The Musketeers posted a 28-12 record in Atlantic 10 Tournament action (1996-2013) with six championships.
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LAST TIME OUT |
• Xavier is coming a 58-48 win over Georgetown on Sunday, Feb. 28 at Cintas Center.
• A'riana Gray posted her 28th career double-double in the win, scoring a team-high 14 points and grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds. She matched her career high in assists with seven.
• Aaliyah Dunham finished the game with 10 points, six steals and five rebounds. The six steals matched her career high in the category. Xavier had 12 steals in the game, its seventh game of the year with 10 or more steals.
• Sarah Leyendecker posted nine rebounds, eight points and two blocks. Ayanna Townsend finished the game with 10 points on 5-for-6 shooting.
• Georgetown won the battle on the glass, 36-34. Xavier held a 19-5 advantage in points off of turnovers.
• The win snapped a four-game home losing streak vs the Hoyas. Xavier moved to 8-10 in the all-time series with Georgetown.
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NOTABLES |
• A'riana Gray is averaging 6.7 rebounds per game, ranking eighth in the BIG EAST. She also ranks 20th in scoring (12.9). Gray has averaged 18.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game in her last three outings. She has posted a .489 field-goal percentage (22-for-45) in those games.
• Aaliyah Dunham ranks second in the BIG EAST in assist/turnover ratio, while ranking fifth in the NCAA. The senior guard also ranks eighth in the conference in assists (3.9) and third in steals (2.1).
• Kae Satterfield is averaging 8.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game this season with a .460 field-goal percentage (52-for-113). She ranks tied for 16th in the BIG EAST in rebounding (5.9). Satterfield has hit 57.9 percent (11-for-19) of her shots attempts in her last three games.
• Nia Clark leads the Musketeers in scoring with 11.8 points per game, ranking 22nd in the conference. The freshman guard ranks tied for seventh in the BIG EAST in steals per game (2.0), while ranking 128th in the NCAA. She also ranks eighth in the conference in three-point field-goal percentage (.375).
• Xavier ranks third in the BIG EAST in steals (9.5) and fifth in blocks (3.9). The Musketeers rank 49th in the NCAA in steals, while ranking 83rd in blocks.
• Lauren Wasylson leads the team in blocks (14) and ranks second in three-pointers made (13). The junior guard ranks tied for 12th in the conference in blocks this year after only have seven total blocks during the 2019-20 season.
• Ayanna Townsend has averaged 6.3 points and 2.7 rebounds per game in her last three games. She is 7-for-10 from the floor in those outings.
• 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.
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BIG EAST WEEKLY HONORS |
March 2 - A'riana Gray - Weekly Honor Roll
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
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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 1,137 career points. The last Xavier player to score 1,000 points in their career was Raeshaun Gaffney (1,074 points - 2014-17).
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ARI GRAY CAREER WATCH |
• Senior A'riana Gray has 830 career rebounds, raking seventh in career rebounding at Xavier. She is 22 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.
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AALIYAH DUNHAM CAREER WATCH |
• Senior Aaliyah Dunham has 368 career assists to rank ninth all-time at Xavier in assists. She is nine 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.
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AYANNA TOWNSEND CAREER WATCH |
• Ayanna Townsend has 58 career blocks, ranking 10th all-time at Xavier with Briana Glover (2012-16). She is one block away from moving into ninth place with Jennifer Phillips (1998-02).
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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.
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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.
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BIG EAST ACTIVE CAREER LEADERS |
A'riana Gray - rebounds - 830 - 1st
A'riana Gray - double doubles - 28 - 1st
A'riana Gray - scoring - 1,137 - 2nd
A'riana Gray - steals - 147 - 2nd
A'riana Gray - blocks 48 - 7th
Aaliyah Dunham - assists - 368 - 1st
Aaliyah Dunham - steals - 141 - 3rd
Ayanna Townsend - blocks - 58 - 9th
Sarah Leyendecker - blocks - 50 - 10th
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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 |
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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.
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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.
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UP NEXT |
• The winner of Friday's game will take on No. 1 UConn on Saturday, March 6 at noon. The game will be aired nationally on FS1.
Players Mentioned
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