Jan. 18, 2008
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Box Score
Saturday's Game Notes
CINCINNATI - The Xavier University women's basketball is set to square-off against Saint Joseph's on Saturday, January 19. Game time is set for 6 p.m. at Cintas Center. XU enters Saturday evening's contest with a 11-6 overall record and a 1-1 mark in Atlantic 10 play. Saint Joe's, the team XU defeated in last year's Atlantic 10 Championship Final, is 10-7, 2-0.
McGuff Gets 100
Sixth-year head coach Kevin McGuff's first five seasons at Xavier have been the most productive first five seasons any XU coach has enjoyed. McGuff is the first coach to lead Xavier to five consecutive postseason appearances in his/her first five years at XU and he reached 100 wins in fewer games (149) than any coach in Xavier history. McGuff's record at Xavier now stands at 117-56 and his .676 winning percentage is the highest in XU history.
McGuff Moves Up A-10 Charts
Sixth-year head coach Kevin McGuff is bolting up a couple of lists after leading XU to an 11-3 conference record last season. McGuff is in ninth place on the all-time Atlantic 10 winning percentage list (regular season games only). McGuff has a record of 54-25 in A-10 regular season games since the 2002-03 season for a winning percentage of .684. Joe McKeown (GW) and Dawn Staley (Temple) are the only other two active A-10 coaches with better winning percentages in regular season play (min. 30 wins). McGuff now sits in 15th place, after just five seasons, on the A-10 wins list (regular season games only) with 54.
XU vs. Ranked Teams
Xavier no stands at 7-18 all-time vs. teams ranked in the Associated Press Poll, including 2-1 this year. XU downed No. 24 NC State by a 51-49 score on December 12 and No. 7 Georgia by a 65-55 count on January 6. Georgia was the highest-ranked XU had ever beaten at home and the Lady Dogs were the highest-ranked opponent XU had beaten since the team downed No. 3 Tennessee in the 2001 NCAA Mideast Regional semifinal.
Xavier Not at a Loss
XU's loss to Cincinnati on December 1, 2007 marked the Musketeers' first two-game losing streak since the team dropped a 74-72 decision to Louisville on November 30, 2006. Since the 2004-05 season, XU is 28-2 following a loss.
New Year's "D" at UK
The Musketeers improved to 5-1 all-time vs. Kentucky with a 51-46 victory on New Year's Day in Lexington. The victory came thanks in large part to a solid defensive effort by XU. Xavier held Kentucky to 25.4 percent from the floor, marking the lowest field goal percentage for an XU opponent on its home floor since Rhode Island shot 23.6 percent from the floor on January 6, 2000 in Kingston, R.I. Xavier held UK to 11.1 percent shooting in the second half (3-for-27), which marked the worst field goal percentage on record an opponent has shot in a half. Xavier is now 6-1 vs. SEC teams since the 2005-06 season.
Solid Debuts
Transfers Tudy Reed (Rutgers) and April Phillips (Georgia Tech) made their long-awaited Xavier debuts on December 28 at Akron. Neither Reed (junior) nor Phillips (sophomore) disappointed. Reed scored a career-high 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting while Phillips scored seven points in a one-minute span against the Zips. Xavier is 5-2 since Phillips and Reed became eligible.
XU vs. the Power Conferences
Xavier is 27-27 all-time vs. teams from the ACC, BIG EAST, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and Pac-10. XU played a record nine schools from the power conferences in 2006-07, besting the previous record of five set during the 2005-06 season. Xavier is scheduled to play eight games vs. teams from the power conferences this year. XU is 17-15 vs. BCS schools since Kevin McGuff was named head coach prior to the 2002-03 season and finished the 2006-07 season at 5-4 vs. the power conferences.
The Series vs. Saint Joe's
Xavier is 9-9 all-time vs. Saint Joe's and the Musketeers have won four of the last five meetings against the Hawks. The last meeting between the two squads came in last year's Atlantic 10 Championship Final at Cintas Center on March 5, 2007. XU took home the championship hardware from that event, downing the Hawks by a 65-59 count. Xavier is 3-1 all-time vs. SJU at Cintas Center.
Xavier in A-10 Home Openers
With its 66-57 win over Richmond on Wednesday, Xavier improved to 10-3 all-time in Atlantic 10 home openers. XU has won seven of its last nine Atlantic 10 home openers and is 6-2 all-time in Atlantic 10 home openers at Cintas Center.
XU Snaps Streak vs. Ranked Teams
The Musketeers won at No. 24 North Carolina State on December 4, marking XU's first win vs. a ranked opponent since the team defeated No. 3 Tennessee in the Regional Semifinal of the 2001 NCAA Tournament. The Musketeers had lost their previous 10 meetings with ranked opponents and improved to 6-17 all-time vs. the ranked. The loss snapped NC State's 30-game home winning streak against non-conference opponents.
Making a Point
The play of Xavier's point guards, Alesia Barringer and Special Jennings, has proven critical this season. In XU wins, the duo combines for an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.00 and shoots 36.0 percent from the field. However, in Xavier losses the duo's assist-to-turnover ratio slips to .85 while they shoot a chilly 22.0 percent from the floor.
