Xavier Opens 2025-26 Season on Tuesday Night vs New Haven

Tuesday, November 4

Cincinnati, Ohio

6:30 p.m.

Xavier University

New Haven

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Xavier Opens 2025-26 Season on Tuesday Night vs New Haven

11.03.25 | Women's Basketball

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The Musketeers play five games at Cintas Center to open the season

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier women's basketball opens the 2025-26 season with five straight home games at Cintas Center, starting with a matchup vs New Haven on Tuesday, Nov. 4. Tip-off is slated for 6:30 p.m. with the game being aired on ESPN+.

GAME INFORMATION

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (0-0) vs NEW HAVEN CHARGERS (0-0)
Game Info - Tuesday, Nov. 4 - 6:30 p.m. ET - Cintas Center (10,224) - Cincinnati, Ohio
Live Stats - statb.us/b/621513
ESPN+ - bit.ly/3JKhBMh
Varsity Network - bit.ly/43a3vKI

PROMOTIONS

Schedule Magnet Giveaway: First 750 fans
513 Week Special: $5 Beer, $1 Popcorn, $3 Water

ABOUT NEW HAVEN

2025-26 Record: 0-0
2024-25 Record: 17-11 (12-8 NE10)
2025 Postseason: NCAA Div. II East Region Championship
Series History: First Meeting

NOTABLES
• Tuesday's game will be the first in program history for New Haven at the NCAA Division I level. The Chargers previously competed in the Northeast 10 Conference at the NCAA DII level.
• New Haven was picked to finish ninth in the Preseason NEC Coaches' Poll. Xavier will play two NEC teams in non-conference action (also plays Saint Francis who was picked 10th in the Preseason NEC Coaches' Poll).
• The Chargers are led by seventh-year head coach Debbie Buff. New Haven returns two of its top-five scorers from last season in Lindsay Hogan and Aniya McDonald-Perry.
• Lindsay Hogan averaged a team-high 11.0 points per game and knocked down a team-high 45 three pointers. She added 5.0 rebounds per game.
• Aniya McDonald-Perry added a team-high 7.7 rebounds per game to go along with 7.9 points per game. The forward posted 41 steals and 15 blocks, while recording a team-high .464 field-goal percentage (70-for-151).

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 2025-26 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