Xavier Set for Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout on Sunday

Sunday, December 7

Cincinnati, Ohio

2 p.m.

Xavier University

Cincinnati

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Xavier Set for Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout on Sunday

12.05.25 | Women's Basketball

Live Stats ESPN+Varsity Network XU Notes (PDF)

Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. from Fifth Third Arena

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier women's basketball travels to Cincinnati for the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout on Sunday, Dec. 7. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. with the game being aired on ESPN+ and The Varsity Network.

The two teams are playing for the Kendle Cup, the traveling trophy between the two schools.

GAME INFORMATION

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (5-3) at CINCINNATI BEARCATS (4-5)
Game Info - Sunday, Dec. 7 - 2 p.m. ET - Fifth Third Arena (12,012) - Cincinnati, Ohio
Live Stats - statb.us/v/xavi/616886
ESPN+ - bit.ly/4awmJyu
Varsity Network - bit.ly/43a3vKI

ABOUT THE BEARCATS

2025-26 Record: 4-5 (0-0 Big 12)
2024-25 Record: 15-14 (7-11 Big 12)
2025 Postseason: None
Series History: Cincinnati leads, 28-18
Last Meeting: Cincinnati 60, Xavier 48 (Dec. 15, 2024 - Cintas Center)

NOTABLES
• Cincinnati was picked to finish 12th in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Bearcats are led by Katrina Merriweather (33-37 record in three seasons at UC).
• Mya Perry ranks fifth in the Big 12 and 39th in the NCAA in scoring, averaging a team-leading 19.1 points per game. Three other players are averaging 10 or more points per game: Caliyah DeVillasee (15.8), Reagan Jackson (13.8) and Kylie Torrence (10.2).
• The Bearcats rank 62nd in the NCAA in scoring offense (76.9) and 268th in scoring defense (69.4). Cincinnati also ranks 52nd in the NCAA in rebounding margin (+7.7).

SERIES HISTORY

Xavier trails the all-time series with Cincinnati, 28-18. The Musketeers are looking to snap a two-game losing streak in the series.
Xavier's last win in the series was on Dec. 9, 2022 at Cintas Center (W, 48-35).
Xavier has lost three straight road games in the series. A win on Sunday would be Xavier's first road win at Fifth Third Arena since Dec. 11, 2016 (W, 72-61).
Xavier is 12-8 in the last 20 meetings vs the Bearcats with a 6-4 road record.
A total of 22 games in the rivalry have been decided by 10 or fewer points.
Sunday's matchup will be the 22nd meeting in December. Xavier is 10-11 versus Cincinnati when playing in the month of December.

LAST FIVE VS THE BEARCATS
Dec. 15, 2024 - Cincinnati 60, Xavier 48 (Cintas Center)
Dec. 10, 2023 - Cincinnati 69, Xavier 47 (Fifth Third Arena)
Dec. 9, 2022 - Xavier 48, Cincinnati 35 (Cintas Center)
Dec. 12, 2021 - Cincinnati 82, Xavier 73 (Fifth Third Arena)
Dec. 14, 2019 - Cincinnati 85, Xavier 78 (Cintas Center)

LAST TIME OUT

Xavier is coming off a 61-47 BIG EAST win over Providence on Dec. 4 at Cintas Center. The Musketeers never trailed in the game and held the Friars scoreless over the final 5:20 of the game.
The 14-point win was Xavier's largest margin of victory in a BIG EAST game since Feb. 20, 2022 (W, 73-54 at Butler). The 47 points allowed was the fewest points allowed by Xavier in BIG EAST game since Jan. 31, 2023 vs Georgetown (L, 44-41).
Mariyah Noel scored a game-high 20 points on 8-for-15 shooting. She added six rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Savannah White nearly missed her third career double-double, finishing with 16 points and a team-high nine rebounds. The guard/forward added a team-high five assists and two blocks.
MacKenzie Givens finished with 10 point, six rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal. Meri Kanerva had seven rebounds, five points, four assists and two steals.

NOTABLES

Mariyah Noel is averaging 17.1 points per game, ranking fourth in the BIG EAST and 81st 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 10th in the BIG EAST. Noel is one of five players who rank in the top-10 in the BIG EAST in both rebounding and scoring.
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 7.7 rebounds per game to go along with 9.0 points per game. She ranks fifth in the BIG EAST in rebounding and 142nd in the NCAA. The forward also ranks third in the BIG EAST and 38th in the NCAA in blocks per game (1.8). White has added a team-high 13 steals.
Meri Kanerva is averaging 7.6 points per game. She has added 26 assists and 11 steals. The guard is averaging 36.7 minutes per game, ranking first in the BIG EAST and fifth in the NCAA.
Xavier ranks second in the BIG EAST and 17th 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.
The Musketeers rank fourth in the BIG EAST in blocks per game (4.3) and free throws made per game (11.7). Xavier also ranks fourth in the conference in field-goal percentage defense (.376).
Sophomore MacKenzie Givens is averaging 11.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game this season. She averaged 2.2 points and 1.3 rebounds per game last season. Givens ranks second on the team in field-goal percentage (.461).
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.
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).

BIG EAST WEEKLY HONORS

Nov. 24 - Mariyah Noel - BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
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