Xavier Travels to Providence for BIG EAST Matchup

Sunday, February 18

Providence, R.I.

2 p.m.

Xavier University

Providence

Xavier Travels to Providence for BIG EAST Matchup

02.16.24 | Women's Basketball

Watch Live Live Stats XU Notes (PDF)PC Notes (PDF)

Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. from Alumni Hall on Feb. 18

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier women's basketball continues BIG EAST action on Sunday, Feb. 18 at Providence. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. from Alumni Hall.

GAME INFORMATION

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (1-21, 0-13) vs PROVIDENCE FRIARS (11-15, 5-8)
Sunday, Feb. 18 - 2 p.m. ET - Alumni Hall (2,620) - Providence, R.I.
Watch Live (BEDN) - flosports.link/3RvqOqo
Live Stats - bit.ly/3wrnmHC

ABOUT PROVIDENCE

• Providence was picked to finish ninth in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Friars posted a 13-19 (4-16 BIG EAST) record last season. Providence is led by first-year head coach Erin Batth.

• The Friars have dropped four straight games, most recently a 55-48 setback vs Butler on Feb. 14 at Alumni Hall. Providence is 7-6 at home this season with a 2-4 mark in BIG EAST games.

• Three players are averaging 10 or more points per game: Olivia Olsen (14.5), Grace Efosa (12.3) and Brynn Farrell (10.7). Olsen also leads the team in rebounding (8.8), total blocks (47) and total steals (28). Olsen ranks second in the BIG EAST in blocks, third in rebounding, fourth in field-goal percentage and 11th in scoring.

• Providence ranks first in the BIG EAST in three-point field-goal percentage defense (.275), while ranking 36th in the NCAA. The Friars also rank third in the conference in field-goal percentage defense (.374), while ranking 44th nationally. Providence ranks seventh in the BIG EAST in scoring defense (61.0) and ninth in scoring offense (58.8).

SERIES HISTORY

SERIES HISTORY
• Xavier leads the all-time series with the Friars, 11-10, and is 1-4 in the last five meetings. The Musketeers are 4-5 vs the Friars when playing at Alumni Hall.

LAST FIVE MEETINGS VS PROVIDENCE
Jan. 27, 2024 - Providence 69, Xavier 60 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Jan. 28, 2023 - Providence 50, Xavier 48 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Jan. 11, 2023 - Providence 64, Xavier 50 (Providence, R.I.)
Feb. 13, 2022 - Xavier 62, Providence 60 (Providence, R.I.)
Jan. 11, 2022 - Providence 54, Xavier 49 (Cincinnati, Ohio)

LAST MEETING VS PROVIDENCE

• Xavier dropped the first meeting between the two schools this season on Jan. 27 at Cintas Center. The game featured eight ties and four lead changes with neither team leading by more than nine points in the contest.

• Freshman Aizhanique Mayo scored a game and season-high 20 points on 8-for-15 shooting. Mackayla Scarlett added 17 points, while Tae'lor Purvis rounded out the double-figure scorers with 11 points. Nila Blackford pulled down a game-high eight rebounds and scored six points. Daniela López chipped in six points and a game-high four steals.

• Xavier had 15 steals and forced 22 turnovers, covering the miscues into 19 points. The Musketeers were also 14-for-14 from the foul line in the loss.

SCARLETT NAMED TO BIG EAST WEEKLY HONOR ROLL

• Mackayla Scarlett was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday afternoon. She is the first Xavier player to earn the recognition this season.

• The senior guard averaged a team-high 22.5 points per game last week with a .405 field-goal percentage (15-for-37). She was also 8-for-20 from behind the arc and 7-for-10 from the free throw line. The Bronx, N.Y., native added 3.5 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game.

LAST FIVE GAMES

• Mackayla Scarlett has averaged a team-high 17.2 points per game in the team's last five games. She has added 3.0 steals and 2.8 rebounds per game. The senior guard has also knocked down a team-high 12 three pointers and made 80 percent of her free throws (12-for-15).

• Aizhanique Mayo has chipped in 12.2 points and 1.8 rebounds per game in those outings. She has added 11 three pointers. Júlia Garcia Roig has added a team-high 14 assists.

NOTABLES

• Mackayla Scarlett is averaging a team-high 14.3 points per game. She has scored in double figures 11 times this season with four, 20-point performances. The guard scored a career-high 26 points vs No. 21 Creighton on Feb. 6.

• Aizhanique Mayo has added 10.4 points per game to rank second on the team scoring. The freshman guard scored a season-high 20 points vs Providence on Jan. 27. She has a team-best .384 three-point field-goal percentage (28-for-73).

• Nila Blackford ranks third on the team in scoring (8.5) and first in rebounding (8.4). The forward also ranks first in total blocks (15), while ranking tied for third in total assists (24) and third in total steals (19). She ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in rebounding (8.4). She has 61 career double-figure scoring games and 34 career double-figure rebounding games.

• Tae'lor Purvis has a team-high 32 steals and 59 assists. She has added 7.0 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. The guard is averaging 29.5 minutes per game, ranking 27th in the BIG EAST. Purvis also ranks 15th in steals per game (1.5).

• Daniela López is averaging 31.3 minutes per game, ranking 16th in the BIG EAST. She leads all BIG EAST freshmen in the category. The guard is averaging 6.4 points and 2.6 rebounds per game this season. López ranks 16th in the NCAA in minutes per game by a freshman.

• Xavier went 14-for-14 from the foul line on Jan. 27 vs Providence, the team's second game of the season going perfect from the charity stripe (went 11-for-11 at Villanova on Dec. 30). Previously, the last time the Musketeers were perfect from the charity stripe (minimum 10 made free throws) was on Dec. 22, 2018 vs New Orleans (10-for-10).

• Six different Musketeers have led the team in scoring this season, paced by Mackayla Scarlett who has led the team in scoring nine times. Five Musketeers are averaging 7.0 or more points per game this year.

• Xavier's freshmen have logged 41.7 percent of the team's 4,425 minutes this season. The Musketeer freshmen have played 1,847 minutes this season.

BIG EAST ONLY NOTABLES

• Mackayla Scarlett (15.0) and Aizhanique Mayo (10.1) lead the Musketeers in scoring during BIG EAST action. Scarlett has a team-high 23 steals, while Mayo has added a team-high 26 three pointers.

• Aizhanique Mayo ranks second in the BIG EAST in scoring among freshmen, averaging 10.1 points per game. She also ranks sixth in three pointers made per game (2.0) and 14th in three-point field-goal percentage (.382).

• Nila Blackford has chipped in a team-high 7.4 rebounds per game to go along with 6.3 points per game. The forward ranks eighth in the conference in rebounding.

• Xavier ranks fifth in steals (7.1) and three pointers made per game (6.5), while ranking seventh in three-point field-goal percentage defense (.337).

• Xavier's freshmen have logged 50 percent of the team's 2,600 minutes through 13 conference games. The Musketeer freshmen have played 1,300 minutes in those contests.

SCHEDULE NOTES

• 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.

• 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 have won 60 non-conference games over the last seven seasons with a 48-15 mark at Cintas Center.

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).

BIG EAST PRESEASON POLL

1. UConn (10) - 100
2. Creighton (1) - 90
3. Marquette - 79
4. Villanova - 76
5. Seton Hall - 58
6. St. John's - 52
7. DePaul - 49
8. Butler - 37
9. Providence - 32
10. Georgetown - 20
11. Xavier - 12

XAVIER 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.

TICKET INFORMATION

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

UP NEXT

• Xavier returns to action on Wednesday, Feb. 21 at Butler. Tip-off is slated for 6:30 p.m. from Hinkle Fieldhouse with the game being aired nationally on FS2.