Xavier Continues Homestand on Friday vs Purdue Fort Wayne

Friday, November 7

Cincinnati, Ohio

6:30 p.m.

Xavier University

Purdue Fort Wayne

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Xavier Continues Homestand on Friday vs Purdue Fort Wayne

11.05.25 | Women's Basketball

Live Stats ESPN+Listen Live XU Notes (PDF)

Tip-off is slated for 6:30 p.m. from Cintas Center

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier women's basketball continues its five-game homestand on Friday, Nov. 7 vs Purdue Fort Wayne. Tip-off is slated for 6:30 p.m. with the game being aired on ESPN+ and The Varsity Network.

GAME INFORMATION

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (1-0) vs PURDUE FORT WAYNE MASTODONS (0-1)
Game Info - Friday, Nov. 7 - 6:30 p.m. ET - Cintas Center (10,224) - Cincinnati, Ohio
Live Stats - statb.us/b/621515
ESPN+ - bit.ly/4qPuWns
Varsity Network - bit.ly/43a3vKI

PROMOTIONS

Kids Free Friday Promotion
513 Week Special: $5 Beer, $1 Popcorn, $3 Water

ABOUT PFW

2025-26 Record: 0-1
2024-25 Record: 27-9 (18-2 Horizon League)
2025 Postseason: WNIT Great 8
Series History: Xavier leads the series, 3-0
Last Meeting: Xavier 62, PFW 50 (Nov. 29, 2017 - Cincinnati, Ohio)

NOTABLES
• Purdue Fort Wayne was picked to finish fifth in the Preseason Horizon League Coaches' Poll. Jordan Reid, the 2024-25 Horizon League Sixth Player of the Year, was named to the preseason all-conference second team.
• Purdue Fort Wayne finished the 2024-25 season with a program record 27 wins, while advancing to the WNIT Great 8. The Mastodons lost all five starters to graduation / exhausted eligibility.
• Maria Marchesano is in her fifth season as the Mastodons head coach. She has a 213-174 overall record as a head coach.
• Purdue Fort Wayne is coming off an 83-47 loss at West Virginia on Nov. 3. Rylee Bess and Destiny Macharia led the team in scoring with nine points each.

SERIES HISTORY

Xavier leads the all-time series with Purdue Fort Wayne, 3-0.
The Musketeers are 2-0 when playing the Mastodons at Cintas Center.
Xavier won the last meeting, 62-50, on Nov. 29, 2017 at Cintas Center.

SERIES RESULTS

ALL-TIME SERIES
Nov. 29, 2017 - XU 62, PFW 50 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Dec. 17, 2005 - XU 77, PFW 49 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Dec. 6, 2004 - XU 68, PFW 50 (Fort Wayne, Ind.)

LAST TIME OUT

Xavier posted a 53-46 win over New Haven on Nov. 4 at Cintas Center. The Musketeers led for 38 minutes in the game and led by as many as 18 points in the closing minutes of the contest.
Xavier moved to 22-6 in its last 28 season openers following the win over New Haven. The Musketeers have won 10 of their last 12 home openers. Coach Chambers moved to 7-6 in seasons openers as a head coach.
Mariyah Noel scored a team-high 13 points and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds (both career highs). She added two assists and one block.
Savannah White added 11 points, five blocks, four steals, five assists and three rebounds. Meri Kanerva recorded five steals and four points.
Xavier held a 25-11 advantage in points off of turnovers and scored eight more bench points (20-12). New Haven won the battle on the glass, 39-32, and scored four more second-chance points (10-6) than Xavier.

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