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Xavier University Athletics
Friday, March 4
Uncasville, Conn.
1:30 p.m.
Xavier University
vs
No. 7 seed St. John's
Xavier Opens BIG EAST Tournament Action vs St. John's on Friday
03.02.22 | Women's Basketball
Tip-off is slated for 1:30 p.m. Mohegan Sun Arena
CINCINNATI - Xavier women's basketball opens BIG EAST Tournament action vs St. John's on Friday afternoon at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Tip-off is slated for 1:30 p.m. ET.
The No. 10 seed Musketeers are taking on No. 7 seed St. John's for the second time in as many BIG EAST Tournaments. The No. 8 seed Red Storm topped No. 9 seed Xavier, 65-57, on March 5, 2021 at Mohegan Sun Arena.
XAVIER MUSKETEERS (9-20, 4-16) vs ST. JOHN'S RED STORM (11-18, 7-12)
Game Info - Friday, March 4 - 1:30 p.m. ET - Mohegan Sun Arena (10,000)
Live Video - bit.ly/35sptOh
Live Stats - bit.ly/3MhiND9
2021-22 Record: 11-18 (7-12 BIG EAST)
2020-21 Record: 8-15 (4-12 BIG EAST)
2021 Postseason: None
Series History: Xavier trails, 15-2
Last Meeting: St. John's 96, Xavier 62 (Feb. 6, 2022 - Cincinnati, Ohio)
NOTABLES
• St. John's ranks third in the BIG EAST in three pointers made per game (8.3) and fourth in both scoring offense (72.6) and field-goal percentage (.432). The Red Storm also rank ninth in both scoring defense (73.8) and field-goal percentage defense (.437). St. John's also ranks 17th in the NCAA in three pointers made (241).
• Leilani Correa ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in scoring (17.6), while Kadaja Bailey ranks 11th (13.9). Bailey also ranks 11th in field-goal percentage (.470) and seventh in free-throw percentage (.793).
• The Red Storm have won four of their last seven games. St. John's ended regular-season action with a 79-75 loss at Marquette on Feb. 27.
• Xavier trails the all-time series with St. John's, 15-2. The Musketeers have dropped 13 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.
LAST FIVE MEETINGS VS ST. JOHN'S
Feb. 6, 2022 - St. John's 96, Xavier 62 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Feb. 2, 2022 - St. John's 83, Xavier 63 (Queens, N.Y.)
March 5, 2021 - St. John's 65, Xavier 57 (Uncasville, Conn.)
March 1, 2020 - St. John's 74, Xavier 37 (Queens, N.Y.)
Dec. 29, 2019 - St. John's 75, Xavier 67 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
• Xavier went 0-2 vs the Red Storm this season. The Musketeers averaged 62.5 points per game with a .326 field-goal percentage (42-for-129), while St. John's averaged 89.5 points per game with a .512 field-goal percentage (64-for-125).
• Shelby Calhoun averaged 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game vs the Red Storm. She added a team-high five steals as the Musketeers posted 10 more steals (21-11) than St. John's in the series.
• Shaila Beeler added 9.5 points and 5.0 assists per game. Ayanna Townsend chipped in 9.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
• Xavier and St. John's are meeting for the second time in the BIG EAST Tournament. St. John's won the meeting last season, 65-57, on March 5, 2021 at Mohegan Sun Arena.
• Xavier is 1-8 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 four times, No. 9 seed twice and No. 8 seed once.
• Since 1983, the No. 10 seed is 4-26 vs the No. 7 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament. The No. 10 seed has dropped four straight games in the tournament. The last time the No. 10 seed upset the No. 7 was on March 4, 2017 (No. 10 Butler 68, No. 7 seed Xavier 66).
• All told, Xavier is 36-27 in conference tournament history. The Musketeers posted a 28-12 record in Atlantic 10 Tournament action (1996-2013) with six championships.
March 4 – First Round
Game 1: 8 seed Providence vs. 9 seed Georgetown, 11 a.m. (BEDN on FloSports)
Game 2: 7 seed St. John's vs. 10 seed Xavier, 1:30 p.m. (BEDN on FloSports)
Game 3: 6 seed Seton Hall vs. 11 seed Butler, 4 p.m. (BEDN on FloSports)
March 5 – Quarterfinals
Game 4: Game 1 winner vs. 1 seed Connecticut, Noon (FS1)
Game 5: 4 seed DePaul vs. 5 seed Marquette, 2:30 p.m. (FS2)
Game 6: Game 2 winner vs. 2 seed Villanova, 7 p.m. (FS2)
Game 7: Game 3 winner vs. 3 seed Creighton, 9:30 p.m. (FS2)
March 6 – Semifinals
Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 3 p.m. (FS1)
Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner, 5:30 p.m. (FS1)
March 7 - Final
Game 10: Game 8 winner vs Game 9 winner, 8 p.m. (FS1)
All times Eastern
WEEKLY HONOREES
Nov. 22 - Nia Clark - BIG EAST Player of the Week
Dec. 20 - Ayanna Townsend - BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Jan. 3 - Kae Satterfield - BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
• Xavier is coming off a 74-53 loss vs Seton Hall on Tuesday to wrap up regular-season action. Aanaya Harris led three Musketeers in double figures, scoring 15 points on 6-for-12 shooting. She added two rebounds and one steal.
• Shaila Beeler chipped in 14 points on 7-for-12 shooting to go along with four assists and one rebound. Kaysia Woods finished with 10 points and matched her season-high in rebounds with six.
• Ayanna Townsend had seven points and a team-high seven rebounds. She added two blocks, moving her career total to 79 blocks - ranking seventh all-time at Xavier.
• Seton Hall won the battle on the glass, 42-33, and scored eight more points off of turnovers (14-6). The Pirates also had 11 more second-chance points (17-8).
• Xavier was limited to a .375 field-goal percentage (21-for-56). The Musketeers were also 2-for-12 from behind the arc and 9-for-12 from the foul line.
• Xavier has had nine different players lead the team in scoring through 29 games. Aanaya Harris has led the team in scoring six times followed by Ayanna Townsend (five times), Shaila Beeler (three times), Mackayla Scarlett (three), Shelby Calhoun (twice), Mikayla Hayes (once) and Kaysia Woods (once).
• All told, five (active) players are averaging 7.9 points per game or more this season. Four different (active) players have dished out 25 or more assists this season.
• Ayanna Townsend has led the team in scoring (9.6) and rebounding (6.0) in the team's last five outings. She has added five blocks, four steals and three assists. Shaila Beeler has chipped in 7.8 points and 4.6 assists per game during that span.
• Xavier ranks fifth the BIG EAST in free-throw percentage (.743), while ranking 74th in the NCAA. The Musketeers rank 38th in the NCAA in free-throws made (381). Xavier has made more free throws than any other team in the BIG EAST this season (next closest team is DePaul with 360 free throws).
• Ayanna Townsend ranks 13th in the BIG EAST in field-goal percentage (.467) and 18th in rebounding (5.4). Shaila Beeler ranks sixth in the BIG EAST in free-throw percentage (.800) and seventh in assists (3.9).
• Freshman Aanaya Harris leads the team (active players) in scoring, averaging 9.2 points per game. She has hit 45.7 percent (96-for-210) of her shot attempts this season, ranking second on the team. She ranks third on the team (active players) in total blocks (8) and third in total assists (51).
• Sophomore Mackayla Scarlett has averaged 7.9 points per game this season and has made a team-high 36 three pointers. The guard averaged 0.6 points per game as a freshman and made one three pointer. She is averaging 8.7 points per game in BIG EAST only games this season.
• Xavier picked up its first BIG EAST win of the season on Dec. 29, defeating Butler, 77-55, at Cintas Center. The 22-point win was the third largest margin of victory for the Musketeers vs a BIG EAST opponent since joining the conference in 2013-14.
• Xavier ranks second in the BIG EAST with seven newcomers, only trailing Providence (eight newcomers).
• Xavier is replacing over half of its points, rebounds and assists from players who departed the program in the offseason. The Musketeers lost 57.9 percent of their total points (549), 54.8 percent of their total rebounds (297) and 66.7 percent of their total assists (140).
• All told, the Musketeers five players who graduated in the offseason (A'riana Gray, Aaliyah Dunham, Sarah Leyendecker, Lauren Wasylson, Deja Ross) combined for the following career statistics: 406 games played, 2,933 points, 1,764 rebounds and 636 assists.
• Ayanna Townsend has 79 career blocks, ranking seventh all-time at Xavier. She is seven blocks away from moving into seventh place with Tracey Trgovac (1988-92).
• Xavier played nine non-conference games (five on the road, four at home). The Musketeers will play teams from eight different conferences (AAC, Pac-12, MAC, MVC, Horizon, ASUN, MAAC, OVC). The contest with Niagara on Dec. 8 will be the first meeting between the two schools.
• Xavier plays six teams that advanced to postseason action last season: Wright State (NCAA), Marquette (NCAA), UConn (NCAA), Villanova (WNIT), DePaul (WNIT), Creighton (WNIT).
• The Musketeers will play four games on national television: Jan. 15 at UConn (SNY), Jan. 23 vs DePaul (CBS Sports Network), Feb. 13 at Providence (FS1) and Feb. 18 vs UConn (SNY). Xavier's remaining 16 conference games will be aired BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN) presented by SoFi. FloSports will serve as the digital home for conference women's basketball for the second straight season.
• The conference season began on Dec. 3 at Marquette and concludes on March 1 at Cintas Center vs Seton Hall. The Musketeers played four BIG EAST games before the start of 2022.
• The BIG EAST Tournament will be held at Mohegan Sun Arena for the second straight year. The tournament will be held on March 5-7. Xavier will play in an opening round game on Friday, March 5.
• The Musketeers have won 52 non-conference games over the last six seasons with a 42-10 mark at Cintas Center.
• 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.
The No. 10 seed Musketeers are taking on No. 7 seed St. John's for the second time in as many BIG EAST Tournaments. The No. 8 seed Red Storm topped No. 9 seed Xavier, 65-57, on March 5, 2021 at Mohegan Sun Arena.
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THE MATCHUP VS ST. JOHN'S |
XAVIER MUSKETEERS (9-20, 4-16) vs ST. JOHN'S RED STORM (11-18, 7-12)
Game Info - Friday, March 4 - 1:30 p.m. ET - Mohegan Sun Arena (10,000)
Live Video - bit.ly/35sptOh
Live Stats - bit.ly/3MhiND9
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ABOUT ST. JOHN'S |
2021-22 Record: 11-18 (7-12 BIG EAST)2020-21 Record: 8-15 (4-12 BIG EAST)
2021 Postseason: None
Series History: Xavier trails, 15-2
Last Meeting: St. John's 96, Xavier 62 (Feb. 6, 2022 - Cincinnati, Ohio)
NOTABLES
• St. John's ranks third in the BIG EAST in three pointers made per game (8.3) and fourth in both scoring offense (72.6) and field-goal percentage (.432). The Red Storm also rank ninth in both scoring defense (73.8) and field-goal percentage defense (.437). St. John's also ranks 17th in the NCAA in three pointers made (241).
• Leilani Correa ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in scoring (17.6), while Kadaja Bailey ranks 11th (13.9). Bailey also ranks 11th in field-goal percentage (.470) and seventh in free-throw percentage (.793).
• The Red Storm have won four of their last seven games. St. John's ended regular-season action with a 79-75 loss at Marquette on Feb. 27.
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SERIES HISTORY |
• Xavier trails the all-time series with St. John's, 15-2. The Musketeers have dropped 13 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.
LAST FIVE MEETINGS VS ST. JOHN'S
Feb. 6, 2022 - St. John's 96, Xavier 62 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Feb. 2, 2022 - St. John's 83, Xavier 63 (Queens, N.Y.)
March 5, 2021 - St. John's 65, Xavier 57 (Uncasville, Conn.)
March 1, 2020 - St. John's 74, Xavier 37 (Queens, N.Y.)
Dec. 29, 2019 - St. John's 75, Xavier 67 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
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LAST TIME OUT VS THE RED STORM |
• Xavier went 0-2 vs the Red Storm this season. The Musketeers averaged 62.5 points per game with a .326 field-goal percentage (42-for-129), while St. John's averaged 89.5 points per game with a .512 field-goal percentage (64-for-125).
• Shelby Calhoun averaged 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game vs the Red Storm. She added a team-high five steals as the Musketeers posted 10 more steals (21-11) than St. John's in the series.
• Shaila Beeler added 9.5 points and 5.0 assists per game. Ayanna Townsend chipped in 9.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
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CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT HISTORY |
• Xavier and St. John's are meeting for the second time in the BIG EAST Tournament. St. John's won the meeting last season, 65-57, on March 5, 2021 at Mohegan Sun Arena.
• Xavier is 1-8 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 four times, No. 9 seed twice and No. 8 seed once.
• Since 1983, the No. 10 seed is 4-26 vs the No. 7 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament. The No. 10 seed has dropped four straight games in the tournament. The last time the No. 10 seed upset the No. 7 was on March 4, 2017 (No. 10 Butler 68, No. 7 seed Xavier 66).
• All told, Xavier is 36-27 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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BIG EAST TOURNAMENT BRACKET |
March 4 – First Round
Game 1: 8 seed Providence vs. 9 seed Georgetown, 11 a.m. (BEDN on FloSports)
Game 2: 7 seed St. John's vs. 10 seed Xavier, 1:30 p.m. (BEDN on FloSports)
Game 3: 6 seed Seton Hall vs. 11 seed Butler, 4 p.m. (BEDN on FloSports)
March 5 – Quarterfinals
Game 4: Game 1 winner vs. 1 seed Connecticut, Noon (FS1)
Game 5: 4 seed DePaul vs. 5 seed Marquette, 2:30 p.m. (FS2)
Game 6: Game 2 winner vs. 2 seed Villanova, 7 p.m. (FS2)
Game 7: Game 3 winner vs. 3 seed Creighton, 9:30 p.m. (FS2)
March 6 – Semifinals
Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 3 p.m. (FS1)
Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner, 5:30 p.m. (FS1)
March 7 - Final
Game 10: Game 8 winner vs Game 9 winner, 8 p.m. (FS1)
All times Eastern
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BIG EAST HONOREES |
WEEKLY HONOREES
Nov. 22 - Nia Clark - BIG EAST Player of the Week
Dec. 20 - Ayanna Townsend - BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Jan. 3 - Kae Satterfield - BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
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LAST TIME OUT |
• Xavier is coming off a 74-53 loss vs Seton Hall on Tuesday to wrap up regular-season action. Aanaya Harris led three Musketeers in double figures, scoring 15 points on 6-for-12 shooting. She added two rebounds and one steal.
• Shaila Beeler chipped in 14 points on 7-for-12 shooting to go along with four assists and one rebound. Kaysia Woods finished with 10 points and matched her season-high in rebounds with six.
• Ayanna Townsend had seven points and a team-high seven rebounds. She added two blocks, moving her career total to 79 blocks - ranking seventh all-time at Xavier.
• Seton Hall won the battle on the glass, 42-33, and scored eight more points off of turnovers (14-6). The Pirates also had 11 more second-chance points (17-8).
• Xavier was limited to a .375 field-goal percentage (21-for-56). The Musketeers were also 2-for-12 from behind the arc and 9-for-12 from the foul line.
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BALANCED OFFENSE |
• Xavier has had nine different players lead the team in scoring through 29 games. Aanaya Harris has led the team in scoring six times followed by Ayanna Townsend (five times), Shaila Beeler (three times), Mackayla Scarlett (three), Shelby Calhoun (twice), Mikayla Hayes (once) and Kaysia Woods (once).
• All told, five (active) players are averaging 7.9 points per game or more this season. Four different (active) players have dished out 25 or more assists this season.
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NOTABLES |
• Ayanna Townsend has led the team in scoring (9.6) and rebounding (6.0) in the team's last five outings. She has added five blocks, four steals and three assists. Shaila Beeler has chipped in 7.8 points and 4.6 assists per game during that span.
• Xavier ranks fifth the BIG EAST in free-throw percentage (.743), while ranking 74th in the NCAA. The Musketeers rank 38th in the NCAA in free-throws made (381). Xavier has made more free throws than any other team in the BIG EAST this season (next closest team is DePaul with 360 free throws).
• Ayanna Townsend ranks 13th in the BIG EAST in field-goal percentage (.467) and 18th in rebounding (5.4). Shaila Beeler ranks sixth in the BIG EAST in free-throw percentage (.800) and seventh in assists (3.9).
• Freshman Aanaya Harris leads the team (active players) in scoring, averaging 9.2 points per game. She has hit 45.7 percent (96-for-210) of her shot attempts this season, ranking second on the team. She ranks third on the team (active players) in total blocks (8) and third in total assists (51).
• Sophomore Mackayla Scarlett has averaged 7.9 points per game this season and has made a team-high 36 three pointers. The guard averaged 0.6 points per game as a freshman and made one three pointer. She is averaging 8.7 points per game in BIG EAST only games this season.
• Xavier picked up its first BIG EAST win of the season on Dec. 29, defeating Butler, 77-55, at Cintas Center. The 22-point win was the third largest margin of victory for the Musketeers vs a BIG EAST opponent since joining the conference in 2013-14.
• Xavier ranks second in the BIG EAST with seven newcomers, only trailing Providence (eight newcomers).
• Xavier is replacing over half of its points, rebounds and assists from players who departed the program in the offseason. The Musketeers lost 57.9 percent of their total points (549), 54.8 percent of their total rebounds (297) and 66.7 percent of their total assists (140).
• All told, the Musketeers five players who graduated in the offseason (A'riana Gray, Aaliyah Dunham, Sarah Leyendecker, Lauren Wasylson, Deja Ross) combined for the following career statistics: 406 games played, 2,933 points, 1,764 rebounds and 636 assists.
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AYANNA TOWNSEND CAREER WATCH |
• Ayanna Townsend has 79 career blocks, ranking seventh all-time at Xavier. She is seven blocks away from moving into seventh place with Tracey Trgovac (1988-92).
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SCHEDULE NOTES |
• Xavier played nine non-conference games (five on the road, four at home). The Musketeers will play teams from eight different conferences (AAC, Pac-12, MAC, MVC, Horizon, ASUN, MAAC, OVC). The contest with Niagara on Dec. 8 will be the first meeting between the two schools.
• Xavier plays six teams that advanced to postseason action last season: Wright State (NCAA), Marquette (NCAA), UConn (NCAA), Villanova (WNIT), DePaul (WNIT), Creighton (WNIT).
• The Musketeers will play four games on national television: Jan. 15 at UConn (SNY), Jan. 23 vs DePaul (CBS Sports Network), Feb. 13 at Providence (FS1) and Feb. 18 vs UConn (SNY). Xavier's remaining 16 conference games will be aired BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN) presented by SoFi. FloSports will serve as the digital home for conference women's basketball for the second straight season.
• The conference season began on Dec. 3 at Marquette and concludes on March 1 at Cintas Center vs Seton Hall. The Musketeers played four BIG EAST games before the start of 2022.
• The BIG EAST Tournament will be held at Mohegan Sun Arena for the second straight year. The tournament will be held on March 5-7. Xavier will play in an opening round game on Friday, March 5.
• The Musketeers have won 52 non-conference games over the last six seasons with a 42-10 mark at Cintas Center.
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BIG EAST COACHES' POLL |
| 1. | UConn (10) | 100 |
| 2. | DePaul (1) | 90 |
| 3. | Seton Hall | 80 |
| 4. | Marquette | 74 |
| 5. | Villanova | 62 |
| 6. | Creighton | 54 |
| 7. | St. John's | 51 |
| 8. | Providence | 32 |
| 9. | Georgetown | 27 |
| 10. | Xavier | 18 |
| 11. | Butler | 17 |
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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.
Players Mentioned
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