Women's Basketball Travels to No. 1 UConn

Wednesday, January 28

Storrs, Conn.

8 p.m.

Xavier University

UConn

01.26.26 | Women's Basketball

Live Stats Peacock XU Notes (PDF)

Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. on Jan. 28 from Gampel Pavilion

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier travels to No. 1 UConn on Wednesday, Jan. 28. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. from Gampel Pavilion with the game being aired nationally on Peacock.

GAME INFORMATION

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (10-10, 3-8) at No. 1 UCONN HUSKIES (21-0, 11-0)
Game Info - Wednesday, Jan. 28 - 8 p.m. ET - Gampel Pavilion (9,882) - Storrs, Conn.
Live Stats - bit.ly/4qHjCJz
Peacock - bit.ly/4qH5Syc

ABOUT THE HUSKIES

2025-26 Record: 21-0 (11-0 BIG EAST)
2024-25 Record: 37-3 (18-0 BIG EAST)
2025 Postseason: NCAA Champion
Series History: UConn leads, 10-0
Last Meeting: UConn 104, Xavier 39 (Nov. 25, 2025 - Cincinnati, Ohio)

NOTABLES
• UConn was picked to finish first in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll after claiming the 2025 NCAA National Championship. Sarah Strong was named the preseason player of the year, while teammates KK Arnold, Azzi Fudd, Ashlynn Shade ans Serah Williams all earned preseason all-conference honors.
• UConn leads the NCAA in field-goal percentage (.527) and assists per game (24.1), while ranking second in scoring offense (89.9) and scoring defense (51.0). The Huskies also rank second in the NCAA in scoring margin (+38.9) and fourth in three-point field-goal percentage (.390).
• Sarah Strong leads three players in double figures, averaging 18.9 points per game. She has added a team-high 8.2 rebounds per game and a team-high 96 assists, 76 steals and 34 blocks.
• Azzi Fudd has added 17.2 points per game, while Blanca Quiñonez has chipped in 10.7 points per game.

SERIES HISTORY

UConn leads the all-time series with the Musketeers, 10-0. Xavier dropped the first meeting this season, 104-39, at Cintas Center on Nov. 30.
The Huskies won the first meeting in program history, 86-84, on March 14, 1999 inside Gampel Pavilion. The meeting was in the NCAA Midwest Second Round with the Musketeers as the No. 8 seed, and the Huskies as the No. 1 seed.

LAST FIVE VS UCONN
Nov. 30, 2025 - UConn 104, Xavier 39 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Jan. 8, 2025 - UConn 81, Xavier 27 (Hartford, Conn.)
Feb. 14, 2024 - UConn 86, Xavier 40 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Feb. 27, 2023 - UConn 60, Xavier 51 (Storrs, Conn.)
Jan. 5, 2023 - UConn 73, Xavier 37 (Cincinnati, Ohio)

FIRST MEETING VS UCONN

UConn defeated Xavier, 104-39, on Nov. 30, 2025 at Cintas Center. The Huskies forced 31 Xavier turnovers, converting the miscues into 42 points.
Vivien Nejašmić was the lone Musketeer in double figures, scoring 12 points. MacKenzie Givens added nine points and a team-high six rebounds and two blocks.
Mariyah Noel chipped in nine points and a team-high three steals and two assists.

LAST WEEK

Mariyah Noel averaged 18.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game last week. She added four steals.
MacKenzie Givens added 11.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. She added three steals and two assists.
The Musketeers were limited to 58.0 points per game in two contests last week with a .370 field-goal percentage.

XAVIER VS THE Top-25

The Musketeers are 11-61 all-time against teams ranked in the top-25. The last time Xavier played a top-25 team was on Nov. 30, 2025 at Cintas Center (L, 104-39 vs No. 1 UConn).
The Musketeers last win over a top-25 team was on Nov. 26, 2009 over No. 18 Kansas, 76-71, at the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas.

NOTABLES

Mariyah Noel is averaging 16.1 points per game, ranking fourth in the BIG EAST and 105th 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 sixth 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.
Savannah White is averaging a team-high 7.2 rebounds per game to go along with 7.3 points per game. She ranks fifth in the BIG EAST in rebounding and 186th in the NCAA. The forward also ranks second in the BIG EAST in blocks per game (1.7), while ranking 43rd in the NCAA. White has added a team-high 33 blocks and 26 steals.
Meri Kanerva is averaging 9.5 points per game. She has added a team-high 82 assists and 26 steals. The guard is averaging 38.0 minutes per game, ranking first in the NCAA.
Sophomore MacKenzie Givens is averaging 11.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game this season. She averaged 2.2 points and 1.3 rebounds per game last season. Givens leads the team in field-goal percentage (.483).
Xavier ranks seventh in the BIG EAST and 93rd in the NCAA in free-throw percentage (.737). 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 fifth in the BIG EAST in blocks per game (3.8) and fifth in turnovers forced per game (16.5).
Xavier ranks fifth in the conference in field-goal percentage defense (.393), while ranking 161st in the NCAA.
Vivien Nejašmić is averaging 8.0 points per game in BIG EAST only games with a .479 field-goal percentage. She has added 3.5 rebounds per game.
Vivien Nejašmić scored a team-high 24 points on 10-for-17 shooting in 25 minutes of action off the bench at Butler on Dec. 19. She is one of only two Xavier players to make 10 or more field goals in a game since the start of the 2022-23 season (Meri Kanerva also had 10 field goals vs Kent State on Nov. 14, 2025).
Following the win over DePaul on Jan. 13, the Musketeers have reached double-figure wins for the first time since the 2018-19 season (posted an 11-19 record).
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 season-high 13 steals vs Marquette on Jan. 1, the 12th time the Musketeers have posted 10 or more steals in a game over the last two seasons. The Musketeers forced 23 Marquette miscues, the most turnovers in a game by the Golden Eagles this season.
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).

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
Dec. 22 - Vivien Nejašmić - BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Jan. 5 - Meri Kanerva - BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Jan. 19 - 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 played 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).
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