Xavier University Athletics

Xavier Renews Rivalry vs Dayton on Tuesday Night
11.10.25 | Women's Basketball
Tip-off is slated for 6:30 p.m. from Cintas Center
CINCINNATIÂ - Xavier women's basketball continues its five-game homestand on Tuesday, Nov. 11 vs Dayton. Tip-off is slated for 6:30 p.m. with the game being aired on ESPN+ and The Varsity Network.
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XAVIER MUSKETEERS (2-0) vs DAYTON FLYERS (1-1)
Game Info - Tueday, Nov. 11 - 6:30 p.m. ET - Cintas Center (10,224) - Cincinnati, Ohio
Live Stats -Â statb.us/b/621514
ESPN+ -Â bit.ly/47xEOdN
Varsity Network -Â bit.ly/43a3vKI
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2025-26 Record: 1-1
2024-25Â Record:Â 18-13 (11-7 Atlantic 10)
2025 Postseason:Â None
Series History:Â Dayton leads the series, 34-30
Last Meeting:Â Dayton 78, Xavier 68 (Feb. 7, 2013 - Cincinnati, Ohio)
NOTABLES
• Dayton is off to a 1-1 start with a loss at Illinois State and a home win over Mercyhurst. The Flyers are averaging 81.0 points per game with a .565 field-goal percentage (65-for-115).
• Four players are averaging double figures, paced by Nayo Lear who is averaging 21.0 points per game. Fatima Ibrahim has added a team-high 8.0 rebounds per game to go along with 11.0 points per game.
• Dayton was picked to finish fifth in the Atlantic 10 Preseason Coaches' Poll. Nicole Stephens was named to the preseason all-conference third team.
• The Flyers are led by fourth-year head coach Tamika Williams-Jeter.
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1. UConn - 100 (10 first-place votes)
2. Marquette - 85
3. Seton Hall - 80 (1)
4. Villanova - 78
5. Creighton - 61
6. St. John's - 56
7. Georgetown - 48
8. DePaul - 32
9. Butler - 30
10. Providence - 20
11. Xavier - 15
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GAME INFORMATION
XAVIER MUSKETEERS (2-0) vs DAYTON FLYERS (1-1)
Game Info - Tueday, Nov. 11 - 6:30 p.m. ET - Cintas Center (10,224) - Cincinnati, Ohio
Live Stats -Â statb.us/b/621514
ESPN+ -Â bit.ly/47xEOdN
Varsity Network -Â bit.ly/43a3vKI
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ABOUT DAYTON
2025-26 Record: 1-1
2024-25Â Record:Â 18-13 (11-7 Atlantic 10)
2025 Postseason:Â None
Series History:Â Dayton leads the series, 34-30
Last Meeting:Â Dayton 78, Xavier 68 (Feb. 7, 2013 - Cincinnati, Ohio)
NOTABLES
• Dayton is off to a 1-1 start with a loss at Illinois State and a home win over Mercyhurst. The Flyers are averaging 81.0 points per game with a .565 field-goal percentage (65-for-115).
• Four players are averaging double figures, paced by Nayo Lear who is averaging 21.0 points per game. Fatima Ibrahim has added a team-high 8.0 rebounds per game to go along with 11.0 points per game.
• Dayton was picked to finish fifth in the Atlantic 10 Preseason Coaches' Poll. Nicole Stephens was named to the preseason all-conference third team.
• The Flyers are led by fourth-year head coach Tamika Williams-Jeter.
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SERIES HISTORY
- Xavier trails the all-time series with Dayton, 34-30. The Musketeers have dropped three straight games in the series.
- Xavier is 9-3 all-time vs the Flyers at Cintas Center (opened in the fall of 2000). Dayton won the last meeting vs the two teams at Cintas Center, 74-65, on Feb. 5, 2012.
- Xavier has won 17 of the last 22 meetings with the Flyers. The Musketeers are looking for their first win in the series since March 7, 2011 (W, 67-60 in the A-10 Championship in Lowell, Mass.)
- Xavier's last home win vs the Flyers was on Jan. 9, 2011 (W, 63-59).
LAST WEEK
- Xavier went 2-0 last week with wins over New Haven and Purdue Fort Wayne. The Musketeers averaged 57.5 points per game last week with a .382 field-goal percentage.
- Mariyah Noel average a team-high 17.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. She added two assists and two blocks. The guard posted a .419 field-goal percentage (13-for-31).
- Savannah White added 10.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. She added five blocks, five steals and six assists. The forward added a .467 field-goal percentage (7-for-15).
NOTABLES
- Xavier ranks third in the BIG EAST and 95th in the NCAA in scoring defense (53.5). The Musketeers also rank fourth in the conference in turnovers forced per game (19.5).
- Mariyah Noel ranks ninth in the BIG EAST in scoring (17.5) and fifth in rebounding (9.0).
- Meri Kanerva ranks fourth in the BIG EAST and 98th in the NCAA in steals per game (3.0).
- Sophomore MacKenzie Givens is averaging 7.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game this season. She averaged 2.2 points and 1.3 rebounds per game last season.
- Xavier had 12 steals vs New Haven on Nov. 4, the 11th time the Musketeers have posted 10 or more steals in a game over the last two seasons.
- Xavier pulled down 43 rebounds vs Purdue Fort Wayne on Nov. 7. The 43 rebounds were the most in a game by the Musketeers sine Dec. 9, 2022 vs Cincinnati (47 rebounds; W, 48-35).
KANERVA NAMED TO ALL-BIG EAST TEAM
- Meri Kanerva was named to the 2025-26 Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention Team on Oct. 21 at BIG EAST Media Day at Madison Square Garden. She is the first Musketeer to pick-up preseason all-conference honors since A'riana Gray in 2020.
SCHEDULE NOTES
- Xavier will play seven non-conference home games at Cintas Center, including five straight to open the 2025-26 season. The Musketeers will play a total of 17 home games during the season (10 home BIG EAST games; seven non-conference games).
- Xavier will play teams from five different leagues during non-conference action: Mid-American (3), Northeast (3), Horizon, Big 12 and Atlantic 10. The Musketeers non-conference opponents combined to make two postseason appearances last season.
- The Musketeers travel to Cincinnati on Sunday, Dec. 7 for the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout. Xavier looks to snap its two-game losing streak in the series and pick up its first win at Fifth Third Arena since Dec. 11, 2016 (W, 72-61).
- Xavier will play two opponents for the first time in program history in New Haven and Long Island.
- Xavier will be playing Kent State for the second time in as many seasons.
- The Musketeers are renewing their rivalry with Dayton. The two teams are playing for the first time since Feb. 7, 2013.
ABOUT THE MUSKETEERS
- Xavier returns six letterwinners from the 2024-25 season, highlighted by Meri Kanerva who was named to the All-BIG EAST Freshman Team. The guard led the team in scoring (11.2) and assists (3.4).
- The Musketeers also welcome back starter Petra Oborilova. She averaged 4.2 points and 2.8 rebounds per game, while knocking down 33 three pointers (ranked third on the team).
- Third-year head coach Billi Chambers welcomes eight newcomers to the team this summer, including four transfers: Savannah White (Indiana State), Mya Moore (Cleveland State), Audia Young (Auburn) and Mariyah Noel (Ole Miss).
- Xavier also welcomes four freshman to the program: Penda Dieng (Louga, Senegal), Denise Neves (Lisbon, Portugal), Payton Richards (Lake Travis, Texas) and Kodee Williams-Sefo (Auckland, New Zealand).
- All told, the Musketeers will have players from eight different countries on the 2025-26Â roster.
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.
TV BROADCAST INFORMATION
- The upcoming season marks the first of a six-year media agreement, which will span from 2025-26 through 2030-31, encompassing coverage on FOX Sports (FOX, FS1), NBC Sports (NBC, Peacock), and TNT Sports (TNT, TBS, truTV and Max). The agreement will provide major national broadcast, cable, and direct-to-consumer streaming coverage of BIG EAST women's and men's basketball games. ESPN+ will also stream a minimum of 75 women's basketball games.
- Xavier will play 27 games on ESPN+ (16 home games; 11 away games). The Musketeers will also play one game on FS1 (Nov. 30 vs UConn) and one game on Peacock (Jan. 8 at UConn).
RADIO BROADCAST INFORMATION
- Xavier has added to its broadcast coverage for the upcoming 2025-26 season by providing radio broadcasts on The Varsity Network.
- All 17 home games (and select road games) will be aired on The Varsity Network. The free app can be downloaded in the Apple Store or Google Play Store on any mobile device.
- John Baldridge ('25) will handle the play-by-play for the Musketeers. He did play-by-play broadcasts for the Xavier women's basketball program during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons on the Xavier University Sports Radio Network.
- Baldridge served as a broadcaster for the Peoria Chiefs (St. Louis Cardinals High-A Affiliate) in the summer of 2025. Baldridge also has broadcaster experience with the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders (Northwoods League) and the Cincinnati Steam (Great Lakes League).
PRESEASON COACHES POLL
1. UConn - 100 (10 first-place votes)
2. Marquette - 85
3. Seton Hall - 80 (1)
4. Villanova - 78
5. Creighton - 61
6. St. John's - 56
7. Georgetown - 48
8. DePaul - 32
9. Butler - 30
10. Providence - 20
11. Xavier - 15
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TICKET INFORMATION
- Buy season tickets now at GoXavier.com/Tickets. Single-game tickets are also on sale at GoXavier.com/Tickets.
- For more information on season tickets, single-game tickets and group tickets, fans can contact the Xavier Athletics Ticket Office at (513) 745-3411 x7 or tickets@xavier.edu
Players Mentioned
HIGHLIGHTS | Women's Basketball vs Purdue Fort Wayne
Saturday, November 08
INTERVIEW | Coach Chambers and Mariyah Noel vs Purdue Fort Wayne
Saturday, November 08
INTERVIEW | Coach Chambers and Savannah White vs New Haven
Wednesday, November 05
HIGHLIGHTS | Women's Basketball vs. New Haven
Wednesday, November 05





















