Women's Basketball Plays Host to Creighton on Senior Day

Sunday, March 1

Cincinnati, Ohio

1 p.m.

Xavier University

Creighton

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Women's Basketball Plays Host to Creighton on Senior Day

02.27.26 | Women's Basketball

Live Stats ESPN+The Varsity Network XU Notes (PDF)

Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. from Cintas Center on Sunday, March 1

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier closes out regular-season action on Sunday, March 1 vs Creighton. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. from Cintas Center with the game being aired on ESPN+ and The Varsity Network.

Prior to tip-off, Xavier will hold its Senior Day for Emma Agresta (student manager), Petra Oborilova and Savannah White.

PROMOTIONS

Pregame: Musketeer Market - shop local vendors, unique gifts, handcrafted items & more on the concourse!
Senior Day
Halftime: Xavier Dance Alumni Performance

GAME INFORMATION

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (11-17, 4-15) vs CREIGHTON BLUEJAYS (14-14, 10-9)
Game Info - Sunday, March 1 - 1 p.m. ET - Cintas Center (10,224) - Cincinnati, Ohio
Live Stats - statb.us/b/621517
ESPN+ - bit.ly/4r6WGCN
The Varsity Network - bit.ly/43a3vKI

ABOUT THE BLUEJAYS

2025-26 Record: 14-14 (10-9 BIG EAST)
2024-25 Record: 26-7 (16-2 BIG EAST)
2025 Postseason: NCAA Tournament - First Round
Series History: Xavier trails, 21-2
Last Meeting: Creighton 82, Xavier 64 (Jan. 20, 2026 - Omaha, Neb.)

NOTABLES
• Creighton was picked to finish fifth in the Preseason BIG EAST Coaches' Poll. The Bluejays top three scorers from last season graduated in Lauren Jensen, Morgan Maly and Molly Mogensen. Creighton signed a five-person freshman class that was ranked in the top-13 in the nation by ESPNW.
• Creighton leads the BIG EAST in three-point attempts per game (26.6), while ranking 15th in the NCAA. The Bluejays also rank third in the conference in three-pointers made per game (8.7) and fourth in three-point field-goal percentage (.328).
• Four players are averaging double figures: Ava Zediker (13.8), Neleigh Gessert (12.3), Kennedy Townsend (11.5) and Kiani Lockett (10.0). Grace Boffeli has added a team-high 8.8 rebounds per game to go along with 8.8 points per game.

SERIES HISTORY

Xavier trails the all-time series with Creighton, 21-2. Xavier has dropped 17 straight in the series and is 2-10 vs the Bluejays at Cintas Center.
The Musketeers last win in the series was on Feb. 7, 2016 at Cintas Center. Xavier won the game, 57-55.

LAST FIVE MEETINGS
Jan. 20, 2026 - Creighton 82, Xavier 64 (Omaha, Neb.)
Dec. 4, 2024 - Creighton 82, Xavier 54 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Feb. 27, 2024 - Creighton 99, Xavier 57 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Feb. 6, 2024 - Creighton 77, Xavier 46 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Feb. 12, 2023 - Creighton 73, Xavier 53 (Omaha, Neb.)

FIRST MEETING VS CREIGHTON

Xavier dropped the first meeting between the two schools, 82-64, on Jan. 20 at D.J. Sokol Arena.
Xavier had four players in double figures: Mariyah Noel (16), Meri Kanerva (15), MacKenzie Givens (11) and Savannah White (10).
Mariyah Noel added a team-high six rebounds. Meri Kanerva chipped in a game-high four assists, while MacKenzie Givens pulled down a team-high six rebounds.

LAST TIME OUT

Xavier is coming off a 77-65 loss at Marquette on Feb. 25 at the Al McGuire Center.
Mariyah Noel scored a game-high 24 points on 11-for-18 shooting. She also pulled down a game-high eight rebounds in 39 minutes of action.
The 11 field-goals made and 18 field-goals attempted by Mariyah Noel are a season high for a Musketeer player. Noel becomes the first player to make 11 or more field goals in a game since Jan. 4, 2017 (Raeshaun Gaffney made 12 field goals in a 72-64 win over Seton Hall).
MacKenzie Givens added 20 points on 6-for-15 shooting to go along with six rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Savannah White finished with eight points, six rebounds, four assists, a game-high four steals and one block.

CLOSING IN ON 500

Petra Oborilova has 492 career points, eight points away from 500 career points.
Savannah White has 477 career points, 23 points away from 500 career points. The forward also has 483 career rebounds, 17 rebounds away from 500 career rebounds.
Mariyah Noel has 496 career points, four points away from 500 career points.

KANERVA ASSIST RECORD

Meri Kanerva is the first Musketeer to have 100 or more assists in back-to-back seasons since Aaliyah Dunham (2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons). The guard had 104 assists in 2024-25 and currently has 109 assists this season.
Meri Kanerva is the only player in school history to record 100 or more assists in a freshman and sophomore season.

NOTABLES

A win on Sunday would give the Musketeers five BIG EAST wins, the most conference wins since the 2015-16 season (won eight conference games). A win on Sunday would also give the Musketeers 12 wins, the most wins in a season since 2016-17 (finished 12-18).
Mariyah Noel is averaging 15.1 points per game, ranking sixth in the BIG EAST and 155th 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 (6.4), while ranking seventh 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 ranks second in the BIG EAST in free-throw attempts (128), while ranking 122nd in the NCAA.
Savannah White is averaging a team-high 7.0 rebounds per game to go along with 6.8 points per game. She ranks fifth in the BIG EAST in rebounding and 208th in the NCAA. The forward also ranks third in the BIG EAST in blocks per game (1.5), while ranking 56th in the NCAA. White has added a team-high 41 blocks and 38 steals.
Meri Kanerva is averaging 9.9 points per game. She has added a team-high 109 assists to go along with 34 steals. The guard is averaging 38.2 minutes per game, ranking first in the NCAA.
Sophomore MacKenzie Givens is averaging 11.6 points and 4.4 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 (.490).
Xavier ranks eighth in the BIG EAST and 137th in the NCAA in free-throw percentage (.728). 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 sixth in the BIG EAST in blocks per game (3.3) and seventh in turnovers forced per game (16.0).
Xavier has 93 blocks on the year, ranking tied for eighth place in single-season school history. Savannah White has 41 blocks this season, ranking tied for 10th place in single-season school history with Joei Clyburn (2006-07).
Vivien Nejašmić is averaging 7.3 points per game in BIG EAST only games with a .424 field-goal percentage. She has added 3.9 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 three Xavier players to make 10 or more field goals in a game since the start of the 2022-23 season (Meri Kanerva and Mariyah Noel are the others).
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).
The Musketeers have posted double-figure steals 13 times over the last two seasons.
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