Women's Basketball Travels to Akron on Monday Night

Monday, November 24

Akron, Ohio

6 p.m.

Xavier University

Akron

Women's Basketball Travels to Akron on Monday Night

11.22.25 | Women's Basketball

Live Stats ESPN+Varsity Network XU Notes (PDF)Buy Tickets

Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. from James A. Rhodes Arena

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier women's basketball travels to Akron on Monday, Nov. 24 for the team's first road game of the season. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. with the game being aired on ESPN+ and The Varsity Network.

Xavier is playing its third straight game vs a Mid-American Conference opponent. The Musketeers are 1-1 on the year vs MAC teams.

GAME INFORMATION

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (3-2) vs AKRON ZIPS (0-5)
Game Info - Monday, Nov. 24 - 6 p.m. ET - James A. Rhodes Arena (5,500) - Akron, Ohio
Live Stats - bit.ly/48v7K6v
ESPN+ - bit.ly/4ifGj3X
Varsity Network - bit.ly/43a3vKI

ABOUT AKRON

2025-26 Record: 0-5
2024-25 Record: 10-21 (4-14 MAC)
2025 Postseason: None
Series History: Series tied, 7-7
Last Meeting: Xavier 69, Akron 49 (Dec. 5, 2008 - Cincinnati, Ohio)

NOTABLES
• Akron was picked to finish eighth in the Mid-American Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• Two Zips are averaging double figures this season: Ni'Rah Clark (13.8) and Monique Mitchell (10.4). Clark also leads the team in rebounding (7.0) and field-goal percentage (.676). Her .676 field-goal percentage ranks eighth in the NCAA.
• Akron ranks 12th in the MAC and 344th in the NCAA in scoring defense (82.6). The Zips are one of 20 teams without a win this season.
• Akron ranks fourth in the MAC in turnovers forced per game (19.0) and fifth in field-goal percentage (.429).

SERIES HISTORY

The series between Akron and Xavier is tied, 7-7. Xavier has won five straight games in the series.
Xavier won the last meeting between the two schools, 69-49, on Dec. 5, 2008 at Cintas Center.
Xavier is 3-3 in road games in the series. The Musketeers won the last road game in the series, 84-59, on Dec. 28, 2007.

LAST TIME OUT

Xavier is coming off a 74-53 win vs Ohio on Nov. 20 at Cintas Center. The 21-point margin of victory was Xavier's largest margin of victory since Dec. 15, 2023 vs SIUE (W, 68-43).
Xavier scored 74 or more points in a home game for the first time since Nov. 22, 2022 (W, 84-68 vs McNeese State).
Xavier had 20 assists, the first time the Musketeers have posted 20 or more assists in a game since Dec. 15, 2023 (23 assists in a 68-43 win vs SIUE). Xavier also made a season-high 10 three pointers vs the Bobcats.
Xavier had three Musketeers reach double figures in the same game for the first time this season: MacKenzie Givens (20), Mariyah Noel (19) and Meri Kanerva (11).
MacKenzie Givens scored a game-high 20 points on 8-for-12 shooting in 32 minutes of action off the bench. The 20 points were also a career high for the sophomore guard/forward.
Mariyah Noel posted her second double-double of the season, scoring 19 points and grabbing 11 rebounds (career high).
Meri Kanerva scored 11 points and dished out five assists. Savannah White pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds to go along with seven points.
Xavier had two players with 11 or more rebounds in a game for the first time since Dec. 19, 2021 (W, 65-58 vs Southeast Missouri).

NOTABLES

Mariyah Noel is averaging 17.8 points per game, ranking fifth in the BIG EAST and 78th in the NCAA. The junior guard entered the season with a 1.8 points per game scoring averaging in 39 games at Ole Miss. She also ranks second on the team in rebounding (6.8), while ranking 11th in the BIG EAST.
Mariyah Noel posted back-to-back games with 22 points on Nov. 7-11, becoming the first player to score 20 or more points in consecutive games since A'riana Gray in 2020 (scored 20 points in back-to-back games on Jan. 10-12).
Savannah White is averaging a team-high 7.8 rebounds per game to go along with 9.0 points per game. She ranks sixth in the BIG EAST in rebounding and 150th in the NCAA. The forward also ranks second in the BIG EAST and 30th in the NCAA in blocks per game (2.2). White has added a team-high 10 steals.
Meri Kanerva is averaging 9.4 points per game. She has added 15 assists and seven steals. The guard is averaging 37.5 minutes per game, ranking first in the BIG EAST and third in the NCAA.
Xavier ranks second in the BIG EAST and 20th in the NCAA in free-throw percentage (.797). The Musketeers only hit 65.2 percent of their free throws last season, ranking 11th in the BIG EAST and 321st in the NCAA.
Xavier ranks fourth in the BIG EAST and 122nd in the NCAA in scoring defense (59.8). The Musketeers also rank fifth in the conference in turnovers forced per game (19.2) and fifth in blocks per game (4.6).
Sophomore MacKenzie Givens is averaging 9.6 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 has pulled down 43 rebounds in a game twice this season. The last time Xavier had 43 or more rebounds in a game was on Dec. 9, 2022 vs Cincinnati (47 rebounds; W, 48-35).

ROAD WOES

Xavier has lost 35 straight road games. The Musketeers have not won a true road game since Nov. 27, 2022 at SIUE (W, 73-65).
A win at Akron would be Xavier's first road win in 1,093 days.

BIG EAST WEEKLY HONORS

Nov. 17 - Mariyah Noel - BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll

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).
The Musketeers have won 68 non-conference games over the last eight seasons with a 55-19 mark at Cintas Center.
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 played Kent State for the third time in as many seasons.
The Musketeers renewed their rivalry with Dayton on Nov. 11. The two teams played each other 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 2025-26 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

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