Xavier, Villanova Set for Sunday Matinee

Sunday, February 16

Cincinnati, Ohio

2 p.m.

Xavier University

Villanova

Tickets

02.14.25 | Women's Basketball

Live Stats Watch Live XU Notes (PDF)

Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. from Cintas Center

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier continues BIG EAST action on Sunday, Feb. 16 vs Villanova. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. from Cintas Center.

Sunday's game will serve as the team's Play4Game Pink Game. Xavier will also be unveiling the retired jerseys of Amber Harris and Ta'Shia Phillips at halftime.

The Musketeers will also recognize 2025 Xavier Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Amy L. Siefring ('96).

GAME INFORMATION

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (6-19, 1-13) vs VILLANOVA WILDCATS (14-11, 8-5)
Game Info - Sunday, Feb. 16 - 2 p.m. ET - Cintas Center (10,224)
Live Stats - bit.ly/4i04QbQ
Watch Live (FloCollege) - flosports.link/3zR1kxj

ABOUT VILLANOVA

2024-25 Record: 14-11 (8-5 BIG EAST)
2023-24 Record: 22-13 (11-7 BIG EAST)
2024 Postseason: WBIT Championship - Runner-Up
Series History: Xavier trails, 21-1
Last Meeting: Villanova 67, Xavier 52 (Jan. 25, 2024 - Villanova, Pa.)

NOTABLES
• Villanova was picked to finish sixth in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Wildcats return one starter and seven letterwinners from the 2023-24 roster.
• Freshman Jasmine Bascoe leads the team in scoring (15.7), assists (4.5) and steals (2.0). She has added a .432 field-goal percentage (130-for-301) and 4.4 rebounds per game.
• Maddie Webber has added 13.2 points per game and a team-high 41 three pointers. Denae Carter has added a team-high 6.6 rebounds per game to go along with 9.1 points per game.
• The Wildcats rank third in the BIG EAST in three-point field-goal percentage (.350) and fourth in three pointers made per game (6.9). Villanova also ranks fourth in scoring offense (64.4) and 10th in scoring defense (64.9).

SERIES HISTORY

• Xavier trails the all-time series with Villanova, 21-1. The Musketeers lone win in the series was a 74-67 overtime victory on Dec. 31, 2015 at Cintas Center.

• The Musketeers have lost 15 straight in the series and are 1-8 when playing at Cintas Center.

LAST FIVE MEETINGS
Jan. 25, 2025 - Villanova 67, Xavier 52 (Villanova, Pa.)
Dec. 30, 2023 - Villanova 86, Xavier 45 (Villanova, Pa.)
Jan. 17, 2023 - Villanova 76, Xavier 38 (Villanova, Pa.)
Jan. 1, 2023 - Villanova 77, Xavier 49 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Feb. 27, 2022 - Villanova 58, Xavier 49 (Cincinnati, Ohio)

LAST TIME OUT VS THE WILDCATS

Villanova won the first meeting this season, 67-52, at Finneran Pavilion. Xavier led, 13-4, after one quarter before the Wildcats outscored Xavier, 63-39, to pull away for the 15-point victory.
Villanova converted 23 Xavier turnovers into 30 points.
Meri Kanerva scored a team-high 10 points on 4-for-8 shooting. The guard also dished out three assists and pulled down a career-high six rebounds.
Aizhanique Mayo added eight points in 20 minutes of action off the bench. Júlia Garcia Roig finished with seven points, while Daniela López added six points and three rebounds.
Xavier posted .513 field-goal percentage (20-for-39), the team's fourth game of the year shooting 50 percent or better from the floor.

LAST TIME OUT

Xavier is coming off a 61-53 loss to Providence on Feb. 12 at Cintas Center. The game was back-and-forth as it featured seven ties and 12 lead changes.
Xavier led by one point (50-49) with 3:39 left in regulation. The Friars responded by scoring seven straight points to regain a lead they would never relinquish. The Friars outscored Xavier, 13-3, in the final four minutes of play to escape Cintas Center with the victory.
Meri Kanerva led three Musketeers in double figures with a game-high 17 points on 7-for-13 shooting. The freshman guard added a team-high four assists and three steals. She also pulled down three rebounds.
Loren Christie and Aizhanique Mayo both added 10 points.

BIG EAST WEEKLY HONOR ROLL

WEEKLY HONORS
Jan. 20 - Loren Christie - Weekly Honor Roll

KANERVA - XU FRESHMAN RECORDS

Meri Kanerva is averaging a team-leading 10.3 points per game. The guard currently ranks sixth all-time at Xavier in freshman scoring average. She also ranks third in assists per game average (3.2).
Meri Kanerva has 81 assists this season, ranking fourth all-time at Xavier in assists by a freshman. She is 14 assists away from passing Special Jennings (2007-08) and moving into third place.

CHRISTIE BREAKOUT SEASON

Loren Christie entered the season with a career scoring average of 4.2 points per game and a career rebounding average of 3.9 rebounds per game. The forward also had a career field-goal percentage of .369 (166-for-450). She entered the season playing in 104 games over four seasons between two schools: Buffalo (2019-2022) and San Francisco (2022-23).
This season, Loren Christie has increased her scoring average by 4.2 points per game and her rebounding average by 0.4 rebounds per game. The forward has also posted a .484 field-goal percentage (88-for-182), an increase of 11.5 percent.
Loren Christie has 38 blocks through 25 games. She posted a career-best 35 blocks during the 2021-22 season at Buffalo.

NOTABLE

Meri Kanerva leads the team in scoring (10.3) and assists (3.2). The freshman guard has added 30 steals and 29 three pointers. She ranks fourth among BIG EAST freshman in scoring and third in assists.
Loren Christie ranks first on the team in rebounding (4.3), while ranking second in scoring (8.8). The forward ranks second in the BIG EAST in blocks (1.5), while ranking 70th in the NCAA.
Loren Christie ranks 60th in the NCAA in total blocks (38). She is two blocks away from moving into 10th place in Xavier single-season history (10th - 40 blocks - Courtney Prenger - 2022-23).
Tae'lor Purvis leads the team in total steals (52), while ranking third in field-goal percentage (.443). The senior guard has added 5.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. She is 10 steals away from moving into 10th place in Xavier single-season history (10th - 62 steals - Taru Tuukkanen - 2000-01).
The Musketeers rank fourth in the BIG EAST in turnovers forced per game (17.1). Tae'lor Purvis ranks fifth in the BIG EAST in steals (2.1), while ranking 127th in the NCAA.
The Musketeers have posted 10 or more steals in nine games this season. Xavier only had five games with 10 or more steals during the 2023-24 season.
Aizhanique Mayo ranks third on the team in scoring, averaging 6.3 points per game. The guard has made a team-high 37 three pointers.
Xavier has made 10 or more three pointers in a game three times this season.
Xavier ranks sixth in the BIG EAST in field-goal percentage defense (.420).
In BIG EAST only games, the Musketeers rank seventh in the conference in three pointers made per game (5.6).
Xavier has scored a season-high 71 points twice this season. The Musketeers did not score 70 or more points during the 2023-24 season and only scored 70 or more points four times during the 2022-23 campaign.
Xavier scored 27 points in the opening quarter vs the RedHawks on Nov. 10, the most points in a quarter for the Musketeers since Nov. 13, 2022 vs Saint Francis (PA) at Cintas Center. The Musketeers scored 28 points in the third quarter vs the Red Flash (W, 78-52).
Xavier hit over 50 percent of its shot attempts in back-to-back games vs Miami (Ohio) and Mercyhurst - the first time the Musketeers have hit over 50 percent of their shot attempts in back-to-back games since Feb. 12, 2011 - Feb. 16, 2011 (Xavier hit 53.8 percent of its shot attempts in a 77-55 win vs Fordham on Feb. 12; Xavier hit 66.1 percent of its shot attempts in a 92-60 win at Saint Louis on Feb. 16).
The Musketeers scored 26 points off of turnovers vs Mercyhurst on Nov. 15. The last time Xavier scored 26 or more points off of turnovers was on Nov. 13, 2022 vs Saint Francis (PA) - scored 29 points off of turnovers in a 78-52 win at Cintas Center.

SCHEDULE NOTES

Xavier will play two games on national television: Jan. 8 at UConn (SNY) and Feb. 8 at Seton Hall (FS1).
Xavier played six home non-conference games at Cintas Center, including four straight to open the 2024-25 season. The Musketeers will play a total of 15 home games during the season (including nine home BIG EAST games).
Xavier played teams from six different leagues during non-conference action: Mid-American (4), Horizon, Sun Belt, Big 12, Mountain West and Northeast. The Musketeers non-conference opponents combined to make three postseason appearances last season.
Xavier played three opponents for the first time in program history in Arkansas State, Mercyhurst and San Jose State.
Xavier played Bowling Green, Kent State, Miami (Ohio), Temple and Youngstown State for the second time in as many seasons.
The Musketeers have won 65 non-conference games over the last eight seasons with a 52-17 mark at Cintas Center.

ABOUT THE MUSKETEERS

Xavier entered the season with 12 international players from the following countries: Spain (4), Finland, Australia, Slovakia, Croatia, Germany, Serbia, England, Republic of Georgia.
Xavier returns six letterwinners from the 2023-24 season, highlighted by Aizhanique Mayo who earned All-BIG EAST Freshman Team honors. The guard ranked second in conference only games among freshman in scoring, averaging 9.8 points per game. The Musketeers also return graduate student Tae'lor Purvis who led the team in assists (69) and steals (43) a year ago. The guard ranked 12th in the BIG EAST in steals last season.
The Musketeers also welcome back sophomores Júlia Garcia Roig and Daniela López. The Spanish guards combined to average 9.4 points and 3.9 rebounds during their freshmen campaigns, while adding 82 assists and 37 steals.
Second-year head coach Billi Chambers welcomes eight newcomers to the team this summer, including local standout MacKenzie Givens (Cincinnati, Ohio/Princeton HS). Xavier also returns Loren Christie who brings a wealth of experience to the frontcourt, having played in 104 games during her college career - including a game in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. She missed the 2023-24 season due to injury.

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.

PRESEASON COACHES POLL

1. UConn – 100 (10 first-place votes)
2. Creighton – 91 (1)
3. Providence – 71
4. St. John's - 67
5. Georgetown – 66
6. Villanova – 56
7. Seton Hall – 51
8. Butler – 46
9. DePaul – 24
10. Marquette - 23
11. Xavier - 10

TICKET INFORMATION

Single-game tickets start as low as $10. Group tickets can be purchased for $3 (Groups of 15-24) and $2 (Groups of 25-99).
Xavier faculty and staff receive two complimentary tickets to all home games. Tickets can be claimed by showing your Xavier ID at the main ticket office window at the south entrance to Cintas Center.
For more information on single-game tickets and group tickets - fans can contact the Xavier Athletics Ticket Office at (513) 745-3411 x7 or tickets@xavier.edu

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