BIG EAST Announces Women's Basketball Schedule

NEW YORK - The BIG EAST Conference announced the 2023-24 women's basketball schedule on Thursday afternoon. The Musketeers open their 18-game conference slate on Wednesday, Dec. 20 vs DePaul at Cintas Center.

SCHEDULE NOTES

• Xavier plays an 18-game BIG EAST schedule beginning on Wednesday, Dec. 20 vs DePaul. The Musketeers will only play UConn (Feb. 14) and Villanova (Dec. 30) once during the 2023-24 season.

• The 2024 BIG EAST Tournament presented by JEEP will be played at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., on March 8-11. FOX Sports will air the quarterfinal, semifinal and championship games.

• Xavier will play three nationally televised games: Jan. 13 vs Seton Hall (FS1), Feb. 14 vs UConn (SNY) and Feb. 21 at Butler (FS2).

• The Musketeers open the regular season on the road for the fourth consecutive year, traveling to Youngstown State on Nov. 8. The Musketeers and Penguins are playing each other for the first time since 2004.

• Xavier's home opener is slated for Saturday, Nov. 11 vs James Madison. It marks the first meeting between the two programs. All told, the Musketeers will play five home games at Cintas Center during non-conference action. Xavier will play six games on the road, including a trip to the Arizona State Tournament on Dec. 1-2.

• The annual Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout is set for Sunday, Dec. 10 at Fifth Third Arena. Xavier won the meeting last season, 48-35, at Cintas Center on Dec. 9.

• Xavier will play teams from seven different leagues during non-conference action: Mid-American (3), Horizon (2), Sun Belt (2), American, Pac-12, Big 12 and Ohio Valley. The Musketeers non-conference opponents combined to post a 181-166 record last year with three postseason appearances.

NATIONAL TV GAMES

Saturday, Jan. 13 vs Seton Hall - 4 PM - FS1
Wednesday, Feb. 14 vs UConn - 7 PM - SNY
Wednesday, Feb. 21 at Butler - 6:30 PM - FS2

ABOUT THE MUSKETEERS

• Xavier is under the direction of first-year head coach Billi Chambers. She joined the Musketeers after spending 10 seasons at Iona University (2013-23). She led the Gaels to the NCAA Tournament twice (2015-16, 2022-23), captured two Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Regular-Season Championships (2013-14, 2022-23) and won two MAAC Tournament Championships (2015-16, 2022-23). The conference titles and NCAA Tournament appearances were program firsts.

• The two-time MAAC Coach of the Year led the Gaels to a 26-7 (18-2 MAAC) record in 2022-23 and earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Three players earned All-MAAC honors, highlighted by Juana Camilion who was named the MAAC Player of the Year and MAAC Defensive Player of the Year.

• Xavier returns three of its top five scorers from a year ago in Mackayla Scarlett (10.9), Taylor Smith (7.5) and Nila Blackford (6.3). Blackford also led the team in rebounding (5.5).

• The Musketeers also return Shelby Calhoun. The guard led the team in total assists (67), while ranking second in rebounding (4.6) and eighth in scoring (4.2).

SEASON TICKETS

• Season tickets are available for purchase at GoXavier.com/Tickets or by calling the Xavier Ticket Office at (513) 745-3411 x. 7.

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