Xavier Returns to BIG EAST Action at Butler

Friday, December 19

Indianapolis, Ind.

7 p.m.

Xavier University

Butler

12.18.25 | Women's Basketball

ESPN+Live Stats Varsity Network XU Notes (PDF)

Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. on Friday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier continues BIG EAST action at Butler on Friday, Dec. 19. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. with the game being aired on ESPN+ and The Varsity Network.

A win on Friday would give the Musketeers back-to-back BIG EAST wins for the first time since the 2015-16 season. Xavier defeated Providence on Feb. 5 (W, 72-47) followed by a win over Creighton on Feb. 7 (W, 57-55).

A win on Friday would also be Xavier's first road BIG EAST victory since Feb. 20, 2022 at Butler (W, 73-54).

GAME INFORMATION

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (8-3, 1-1) at BUTLER BULLDOGS (6-6, 0-2)
Game Info - Friday, Dec. 19 - 7 p.m. ET - Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,100) - Indianapolis, Ind.
Live Stats - bit.ly/48KzrIL
ESPN+ - bit.ly/44CbwJb
Varsity Network - bit.ly/43a3vKI

ABOUT THE BULLDOGS

2025-26 Record: 6-6 (0-2 BIG EAST)
2024-25 Record: 16-18 (5-13 BIG EAST)
2025 Postseason: WNIT
Series History: Butler leads, 36-22
Last Meeting: Butler 58, Xavier 54 (Indianapolis, Ind. - Feb. 19, 2025)

NOTABLES
• Butler was picked to finish ninth in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Bulldogs are led by Austin Parkinson who has a 42-54 overall record in four seasons at Butler.
• Butler has won two straight home games, most recently a 74-52 win over Eastern Illinois on Dec. 14. The Bulldogs are 5-2 at home this season.
• Butler is averaging 73.9 points per game at home this season with a .486 field-goal percentage. The Bulldogs have a +15.0 scoring margin in those games.
• Lily Zeinstra is averaging a team-high 11.0 points per game to go along with a team-high 38 assists and 18 made three pointers. She has added 3.5 rebounds per game.
• Caroline Dotsey is averaging 8.5 points per game to go along with a team-high 4.9 rebounds per game. Saniya Jackson has added 9.2 points per game.
• Butler ranks 58th in the NCAA in free-throw percentage (.753) and 75th in field-goal percentage (.444). The Bulldogs also rank fourth in the BIG EAST in bench points per game (24.4).

SERIES HISTORY

Xavier trails the all-time series, 36-22. The Musketeers are 3-7 in their last 10 meetings vs the Bulldogs.
Xavier is 8-16 vs Butler since joining the BIG EAST in 2013-14 with a 3-6 record at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Musketeers have lost four straight games vs Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Xavier's last road win in the series was on Dec. 29, 2017 (W, 69-62).

LAST FIVE MEETINGS
Feb. 19, 2025 - Butler 58, Xavier 54 (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Jan. 18, 2025 - Xavier 50, Butler 49 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Feb. 21, 2024 - Butler 84, Xavier 46 (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Jan. 24, 2024 - Butler 90, Xavier 57 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Feb. 21, 2023 - Butler 60, Xavier 43 (Indianapolis, Ind.)

LAST WEEK

Xavier went 2-0 last week to close out non-conference action. The Musketeers averaged 63.5 points per game, while limiting their opponents to 54.0 points per game with a .339 field-goal percentage.
MacKenzie Givens averaged 13.0 points and 7.0 rebounds with a .611 field-goal percentage. She added a team-high five blocks and three steals.
Vivien Nejašmić added 13.0 points per game with nine rebounds and four assists, while Meri Kanerva chipped in 10.5 points per game and nine assists. Mariyah Noel pulled down a team-high 16 rebounds.

NOTABLES

Mariyah Noel is averaging 15.9 points per game, ranking fourth in the BIG EAST and 114th 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 (6.5), while ranking eighth in the BIG EAST. Noel is one of four players who rank in the top-10 in the BIG EAST in both rebounding and scoring.
Savannah White is averaging a team-high 7.2 rebounds per game to go along with 7.5 points per game. She ranks sixth in the BIG EAST in rebounding and 179th in the NCAA. The forward also ranks third in the BIG EAST and 70th in the NCAA in blocks per game (1.5). White has added 13 steals, ranking second on the team.
Meri Kanerva is averaging 9.0 points per game. She has added a team-high 41 assists and 14 steals. The guard is averaging 36.9 minutes per game, ranking first in the BIG EAST and second in the NCAA.
Sophomore MacKenzie Givens is averaging 12.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game this season. She averaged 2.2 points and 1.3 rebounds per game last season. Givens ranks first on the team in field-goal percentage (.505), while ranking 91st in the NCAA. Her 13.1 points per game average ranks 11th in the BIG EAST.
Xavier ranks fourth in the BIG EAST and 38th in the NCAA in free-throw percentage (.767). The Musketeers only hit 65.2 percent of their free throws last season, ranking 11th in the BIG EAST and 321st in the NCAA.
The Musketeers rank fourth in the BIG EAST in blocks per game (4.0) and fifth in free throws made per game (11.4). Xavier also ranks third in the conference in field-goal percentage defense (.371), while ranking 79th in the NCAA.
Xavier is one of only four schools to have two players ranked in the top-10 of the BIG EAST in scoring average (UConn, Seton Hall and Villanova are the other schools).
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).
Xavier posted 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 two players with 11 or more rebounds in a game for the first time since Dec. 19, 2021 (W, 65-58 vs Southeast Missouri) vs Ohio on Nov. 20.
Xavier had 20 assists vs Ohio on Nov. 20, the first time the Musketeers posted 20 or more assists in a game since Dec. 15, 2023 (23 assists in a 68-43 win vs SIUE).
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.

BIG EAST WEEKLY HONORS

Nov. 24 - Mariyah Noel - BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Nov. 17 - Mariyah Noel - BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Dec. 8 - MacKenzie Givens - BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Dec. 15 - MacKenzie Givens - 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 71 non-conference games over the last eight seasons with a 57-19 mark at Cintas Center.
Xavier played 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.
Xavier snapped its two-game losing streak in the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout series on Dec. 7 and pick up its first win at Fifth Third Arena since Dec. 11, 2016 (W, 72-61). Xavier is 13-8 in the last 21 meetings vs the Bearcats with a 7-4 record in games played at Fifth Third Arena.
Xavier played 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