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Xavier University Athletics
Tuesday, February 6
Cincinnati, Ohio
7 p.m.
Xavier University
vs
Creighton
Xavier Plays Host to No. 21 Creighton on Tuesday Night
02.05.24 | Women's Basketball
Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. from Cintas Center
CINCINNATI - Xavier women's basketball continues BIG EAST action on Tuesday, Feb. 6 vs No. 21 Creighton. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. ET from Cintas Center.
XAVIER MUSKETEERS (1-18, 0-10) vs CREIGHTON BLUEJAYS (18-3, 9-2)
Tuesday, Feb. 6 - 7 p.m. ET - Cintas Center (10,224) - Cincinnati, Ohio
Watch Live (BEDN/FloSports) - flosports.link/3RvqOqo
Live Stats - bit.ly/49gNcwR
• Creighton was picked to finish second in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll after posting a 22-9 (15-5 BIG EAST) record last season and advancing to the NCAA Tournament.
• Lauren Jensen, Morgan Maly and Emma Ronsiek were all named to the preseason all-conference team. All three players are averaging double figures this season: Ronsiek (18.3), Jensen (17.0) and Maly (14.8). Maly also leads the team in rebounding (6.3).
• Creighton leads the BIG EAST in three pointers per game (8.8), assist/turnover ratio (1.6) and free-throw percentage (.823). The Bluejays also rank third in both scoring offense (73.5) and scoring margin (+10.1).
• Creighton ranks second in the NCAA in free-throw percentage, third in assist/turnover ratio and 62nd in field-goal percentage (.441).
• Xavier trails the all-time series with Creighton, 17-2. Xavier has dropped 13 straight in the series and is 2-8 when playing at Cintas Center.
• The Musketeers last win in the series was on Feb. 7, 2016 at Cintas Center. Xavier won the game, 57-55.
LAST FIVE MEETINGS VS CREIGHTON
Feb. 12, 2023 - Creighton 73, Xavier 53 (Omaha, Neb.)
Nov. 25, 2022 - Creighton 57, Xavier 51 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Feb. 11, 2022 - Creighton 68, Xavier 47 (Omaha, Neb.)
Jan. 2, 2022 - Creighton 67, Xavier 51 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Jan. 3, 2021 - Creighton 53, Xavier 50 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
• The Musketeers are 11-56 all-time against teams ranked in the top-25. The last time Xavier played a top-25 team was on Jan. 6, 2024 (L, 81-52 at No. 19 Marquette).
• The Musketeers last win over a top-25 team was on Nov. 26, 2009 over No. 18 Kansas, 76-71, at the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas.
• Xavier is coming off a 67-55 loss at St. John's on Jan. 31. Xavier led by as many as 10 points twice late in the second quarter. The game featured seven lead changes and six ties. The Musketeers led for nearly 15 minutes in the contest.
• Tae'lor Purvis posted a career-high 15 points and eight rebounds. Mackayla Scarlett finished with 15 points, three assists and three rebounds. The guard added a team and game-high five steals.
• Nila Blackford rounded out the double-figure scorers with 11 points on 5-for-9 shooting. The forward added seven rebounds.
• Mackayla Scarlett is averaging a team-high 13.5 points per game. She has scored in double figures nine times this season with three, 20-point performances. The guard leads the team in made free throws (38) and free-throw percentage (.760).
• Aizhanique Mayo has added 9.7 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 .380 three-point field-goal percentage (20-for-56).
• 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 third in total assists (24) and third in total steals (19). She ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in rebounding (8.4), while ranking 83rd in the NCAA. 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 56 assists. She has added 7.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. The guard is averaging 30.8 minutes per game, ranking 18th in the BIG EAST. Purvis also ranks ninth in steals per game (1.7).
• Daniela López is averaging 30.8 minutes per game, ranking 18th in the BIG EAST. She leads all BIG EAST freshmen in the category. The guard is averaging 5.9 points and 2.4 rebounds per game this season. López ranks 12th 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 seven times. Five Musketeers are averaging 7.4 or more points per game this year.
• Xavier's freshmen have logged 38.7 percent of the team's 3,825 minutes this season. The Musketeer freshmen have played 1,482 minutes this season.
• Mackayla Scarlett (13.5) and Aizhanique Mayo (9.3) lead the Musketeers in scoring during BIG EAST action. Scarlett has a team-high 16 steals, while Mayo has added a team-high 18 three pointers.
• Aizhanique Mayo ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in scoring among freshmen, averaging 9.3 points per game. She also ranks eighth in three pointers made per game (1.8) and 30th in minutes played per game (29.5).
• 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 sixth in the conference in rebounding.
• Xavier ranks fifth in steals (7.1), sixth in three pointers made per game (6.3) and sixth in three-point field-goal percentage (.325). The Musketeers also rank sixth in three-point field-goal percentage defense (.329).
• Xavier's freshmen have logged 46.8 percent of the team's 2,000 minutes through 10 conference games. The Musketeer freshmen have played 935 minutes in those contests.
• 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.
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
• 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).
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 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.
• 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.
• Xavier returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 10 at Seton Hall. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. from Walsh Gymnasium.
GAME INFORMATION
XAVIER MUSKETEERS (1-18, 0-10) vs CREIGHTON BLUEJAYS (18-3, 9-2)
Tuesday, Feb. 6 - 7 p.m. ET - Cintas Center (10,224) - Cincinnati, Ohio
Watch Live (BEDN/FloSports) - flosports.link/3RvqOqo
Live Stats - bit.ly/49gNcwR
ABOUT CREIGHTON
• Creighton was picked to finish second in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll after posting a 22-9 (15-5 BIG EAST) record last season and advancing to the NCAA Tournament.
• Lauren Jensen, Morgan Maly and Emma Ronsiek were all named to the preseason all-conference team. All three players are averaging double figures this season: Ronsiek (18.3), Jensen (17.0) and Maly (14.8). Maly also leads the team in rebounding (6.3).
• Creighton leads the BIG EAST in three pointers per game (8.8), assist/turnover ratio (1.6) and free-throw percentage (.823). The Bluejays also rank third in both scoring offense (73.5) and scoring margin (+10.1).
• Creighton ranks second in the NCAA in free-throw percentage, third in assist/turnover ratio and 62nd in field-goal percentage (.441).
SERIES HISTORY
• Xavier trails the all-time series with Creighton, 17-2. Xavier has dropped 13 straight in the series and is 2-8 when playing at Cintas Center.
• The Musketeers last win in the series was on Feb. 7, 2016 at Cintas Center. Xavier won the game, 57-55.
LAST FIVE MEETINGS VS CREIGHTON
Feb. 12, 2023 - Creighton 73, Xavier 53 (Omaha, Neb.)
Nov. 25, 2022 - Creighton 57, Xavier 51 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Feb. 11, 2022 - Creighton 68, Xavier 47 (Omaha, Neb.)
Jan. 2, 2022 - Creighton 67, Xavier 51 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Jan. 3, 2021 - Creighton 53, Xavier 50 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
XAVIER VS THE TOP-25
• The Musketeers are 11-56 all-time against teams ranked in the top-25. The last time Xavier played a top-25 team was on Jan. 6, 2024 (L, 81-52 at No. 19 Marquette).
• The Musketeers last win over a top-25 team was on Nov. 26, 2009 over No. 18 Kansas, 76-71, at the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas.
LAST WEEK
• Xavier is coming off a 67-55 loss at St. John's on Jan. 31. Xavier led by as many as 10 points twice late in the second quarter. The game featured seven lead changes and six ties. The Musketeers led for nearly 15 minutes in the contest.
• Tae'lor Purvis posted a career-high 15 points and eight rebounds. Mackayla Scarlett finished with 15 points, three assists and three rebounds. The guard added a team and game-high five steals.
• Nila Blackford rounded out the double-figure scorers with 11 points on 5-for-9 shooting. The forward added seven rebounds.
NOTABLES
• Mackayla Scarlett is averaging a team-high 13.5 points per game. She has scored in double figures nine times this season with three, 20-point performances. The guard leads the team in made free throws (38) and free-throw percentage (.760).
• Aizhanique Mayo has added 9.7 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 .380 three-point field-goal percentage (20-for-56).
• 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 third in total assists (24) and third in total steals (19). She ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in rebounding (8.4), while ranking 83rd in the NCAA. 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 56 assists. She has added 7.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. The guard is averaging 30.8 minutes per game, ranking 18th in the BIG EAST. Purvis also ranks ninth in steals per game (1.7).
• Daniela López is averaging 30.8 minutes per game, ranking 18th in the BIG EAST. She leads all BIG EAST freshmen in the category. The guard is averaging 5.9 points and 2.4 rebounds per game this season. López ranks 12th 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 seven times. Five Musketeers are averaging 7.4 or more points per game this year.
• Xavier's freshmen have logged 38.7 percent of the team's 3,825 minutes this season. The Musketeer freshmen have played 1,482 minutes this season.
BIG EAST ONLY NOTABLES
• Mackayla Scarlett (13.5) and Aizhanique Mayo (9.3) lead the Musketeers in scoring during BIG EAST action. Scarlett has a team-high 16 steals, while Mayo has added a team-high 18 three pointers.
• Aizhanique Mayo ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in scoring among freshmen, averaging 9.3 points per game. She also ranks eighth in three pointers made per game (1.8) and 30th in minutes played per game (29.5).
• 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 sixth in the conference in rebounding.
• Xavier ranks fifth in steals (7.1), sixth in three pointers made per game (6.3) and sixth in three-point field-goal percentage (.325). The Musketeers also rank sixth in three-point field-goal percentage defense (.329).
• Xavier's freshmen have logged 46.8 percent of the team's 2,000 minutes through 10 conference games. The Musketeer freshmen have played 935 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 Saturday, Feb. 10 at Seton Hall. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. from Walsh Gymnasium.
Players Mentioned
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