Kanerva, Mayo Lead Musketeers to 80-73 Win Over No. 6 Seed DePaul

Friday, March 7

Uncasville, Conn.

4 p.m.

Xavier University

7-23,1-17Big East

No. 6 seed DePaul

13-19,8-10Big East

Xavier

DePaul

Kanerva, Mayo Lead Musketeers to 80-73 Win Over No. 6 Seed DePaul

03.07.25 | Women's Basketball

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The two guards combined for 55 points on Friday night

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

UNCASVILLE, Conn. - Meri Kanerva and Aizhanique Mayo combined for 55 points on Friday night, leading the No. 11 seed Musketeers to an 80-73 win over No. 6 seed DePaul in the first round of the BIG EAST Tournament at Mohegan Sun.

Xavier (7-23) advances to the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST Tournament vs No. 3 seed Seton Hall (21-8) on Saturday, March 8 at 9:30 p.m. The game will be aired nationally on FS2.

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Xavier opened the game on a 15-2 run and led by as many as 22 points (51-29) with 4:27 left in the third quarter. DePaul battled back to tie the game for the second time, 62-62, with 5:04 left in regulation.
The Musketeers outscored the Blue Demons, 18-11, down the stretch to pull away for the victory. Xavier went 2-for-3 from the floor and 14-for-16 from the foul line in the final five minutes.
Xavier never trailed in the game and led for 36:02. The game featured two ties.
The Musketeers snapped a 29-game losing streak vs DePaul. Xavier's previous victory was on Jan. 23, 1984 in the first meeting between the two schools, 82-72, in Cincinnati.
Xavier moved to 2-11 all-time in BIG EAST Tournament action. The Musketeers last win in the BIG EAST Tournament was on March 7, 2015 vs Georgetown (W, 79-67). Xavier is the first 11 seed to win a BIG EAST Tournament game in the current format (no. 11 seeds move to 1-4 since the start of the current bracket format in 2021).
Xavier scored a season-high 80 points. The last time Xavier scored 80 or more points in a game was on Nov. 22, 2022 vs McNeese State (W, 84-68).
Xavier matched its season high in made three points with 11. The Musketeers have made 10 or more three pointers in a game four times this season.
The Musketeers finished with a .490 field-goal percentage (25-for-51) and went 11-for-24 from behind the arc. Xavier was also 19-for-23 from the foul line. The 19 made free throws are the second most in a game this season by Xavier.
Meri Kanerva scored a game and career-high 28 points on 7-for-11 shooting. She is the first Musketeer to score 28 or more points in a game since A'riana Gray on Jan. 4, 2020 (28 points vs Butler at Cintas Center; L, 78-70). The freshman guard was 3-for-6 from behind the arc and 11-for-13 from the foul line. She also dished out four assists and recorded two steals in 40 minutes of action. Kanerva has scored in double figures 18 times this season.
Aizhanique Mayo posted a career-high 27 points on 9-for-14 shooting with six 3-pointers. The guard added three rebounds. She now has 21 career double-figure scoring games.
Xavier had two players with 20 or more points in the same game since Nov. 27, 2022. Fernanda Ovalle (20) and Mackayla Scarlett (21) scored 20 or more points at SIUE (W, 73-65).
Tae'lor Purvis rounded out the double-figure scorers with 12 points. The senior guard added four rebounds, three steals and two assists. She now has 11 career double-figure scoring games.
Xavier held a 27-18 advantage in points off of turnovers and scored one more fastbreak point (4-3). DePaul won the battle on the glass, 37-25.
The Blue Demons held a 21-2 advantage in second-chance points and scored 24 more points in the paint (40-16) than Xavier. DePaul also held a 20-6 advantage in bench points.
DePaul finished with a .468 field-goal percentage (29-for-62) and went 6-for-12 from behind the arc. The Blue Demons were also 9-for-15 from the foul line.