Xavier Ends Regular-Season Action with Two-Point Loss vs Seton Hall

Sunday, March 2

Cincinnati, Ohio

2 p.m.

Xavier University

6-23,1-17Big East

Seton Hall

21-8,13-5Big East

Seton Hall

Xavier

Xavier Ends Regular-Season Action with Two-Point Loss vs Seton Hall

03.02.25 | Women's Basketball

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Meri Kanerva recorded a game-high 17 points and nine assists on Sunday afternoon

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier women's basketball closed regular-season action with a 59-57 loss to Seton Hall on Sunday at Cintas Center.

The Musketeers moved to 6-23 (1-17 BIG EAST), while the Pirates improved to 21-8 (13-5 BIG EAST).

The Musketeers will be the No. 11 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament. Xavier takes on No. 6 seed DePaul in the first round on Friday, March 7 at Mohegan Sun Arena.

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Seton Hall scored the first basket of the game, but the Musketeers responded with a 9-4 run - taking a three-point lead (9-6) after 10 minutes of action.
Xavier maintained its advantage and led by as many as 13 points (21-8) on an Aizhanique Mayo three pointer with 3:20 on the clock in the second quarter. The Pirates closed the first half on a 10-3 run to make it a six-point game (24-18) at the break.
Aizhanique Mayo led Xavier with eight points at the half, while Meri Kanerva chipped in seven points. Defensively, the Musketeers limited the Pirates to a .258 field-goal percentage (8-for-31) in the first half.
Seton Hall outscored Xavier, 27-14, behind a .615 field-goal percentage (8-for-13) in the third quarter to regain its lead for the first time since the opening minutes of the game. The Pirates took a seven-point lead (45-38) after three quarters of action.
Xavier went 4-for-5 from the floor to open the final frame, closing within one point (48-47) with 6:43 on the clock. The Pirates pushed their lead back out to six points (57-51) with 1:06 left in regulation.
The Musketeers went on a 6-1 run to close within one point (58-57) with 18 seconds left on the clock. A Yaya Lops free throw with 13 seconds left in regulation made the score, 59-57. A MacKenzie Givens jumper fell short as time expired as the Pirates escaped with the two-point win.
Meri Kanerva scored a game-high 17 points on 6-for-11 shooting. She also dished out a game and season-high nine assists. The freshman guard has scored in double figures 17 times this season.
Aizhanique Mayo scored 12 points on 4-for-7 shooting with three 3-pointers. The guard added five rebounds, two steals and two assists in 34 minutes of action off the bench.
MacKenzie Givens added a season-high 11 points on 3-for-4 shooting. The freshman guard/forward added three rebounds in 17 minutes of action off the bench.
Daniela López pulled down a game-high seven rebounds (matching her career high in rebounds). She added two points and one steal.
Tae'lor Purvis finished with six points, two steals and one rebound. Petra Oborilova added six points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Xavier finished with a .476 field-goal percentage (20-for-42) and went 8-for-21 from behind the arc. The Musketeers were also 9-for-14 from the charity stripe.
Seton Hall won the battle on the glass, 30-28, and held a 31-8 advantage in points off of turnovers. The Pirates also scored 16 more points in the paint (32-16) and scored 10 more second-chance points (14-4) than Xavier.
The Musketeers held a 26-12 advantage in bench points. Seton Hall scored six more fastbreak points (8-2) than the Musketeers.
Seton Hall posted a .392 field-goal percentage (20-for-51) and went 1-for-9 from three-point range. The Pirates were also 18-for-24 from the foul line.