Women's Basketball Hosts Xavier on Friday

Omaha, Neb. - Fresh off their first BIG EAST win of the season on Tuesday at Villanova, 65-62, the Creighton women's basketball team gets back into action on Friday, Jan. 8 as the Bluejays host Xavier at 6:01 pm. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1.

1/8: - 6:01 pm: Xavier (12-2, 3-0 BIG EAST) at Creighton (7-9, 1-3 BIG EAST)

TV - Fox Sports 1: Lisa Byington (Play-by-Play)
and LaChina Robinson (Color Analyst)

Stats (Free): http://creighton.statbroadcast.com

Webstream (Free): http://foxsportsgo.com

Series History: Creighton leads 3-1
Creighton won last meeting 74-65 on January 30, 2015 in Omaha

Download Full Notes

Bird Seeds

Creighton is 2-0 against Xavier in Omaha, posting a nine-point win last season (74-65) and a 29-point victory in 2013-14 (79-50).
Xavier is one of just two teams, joining DePaul, that remain undefeated in BIG EAST play at 3-0. There are also two teams yet to claim a victory, Marquette and Providence.
While Creighton does not start one senior, just two on the Bluejays' roster, Xavier's projected starting group
features three seniors.
The Musketeers' Jenna Crittendon averaged 13.0 points per game against the Bluejays over two contests last season.
Coming off their first BIG EAST win at Villanova on Tuesday, Creighton begins a three-game homestand against the Musketeers.

Series with Xavier: Creighton leads 3-1
Creighton has won three of the four meetings with Xavier, all four matchups have come since the two teams became members of the BIG EAST. The Bluejays are 2-0 against the Musketeers in Omaha.

Villanova leads 3-1
Home: 1-1 Away: 0-2 Neutral: 0-0
Date   Result   Score/Site
1/15/14   W   79-50 in Omaha
2/18/14   W   70-61 at Xavier
1/2/15   L   65-66 at Xavier
1/30/15   W   74-65 in Omaha

Scouting Xavier (12-2, 3-0 BIG EAST)
The Musketeers are a different team this season than Creighton has seen its first two years in the BIG EAST. Xavier is off to a 12-2 start thanks in large part to the improved play of guards Aliyah Zantt and Raeshaun Gaffney. The tandem averaged a combined 16.9 ppg last season, this year that number 24.3.

The biggest individual jump has come from Zantt. Last season she put up 214 points in 33 contests (6.5), this year she already has 155 in 14 games (11.1 ppg)

Xavier is a disciplined team that doesn't have a star, rather Zantt, Gaffney and Briana Glover (11.1 ppg) share the bulk of the scoring load. The Musketeers also attack the glass well (40.4 rpg) and finally shoot very well from the charity stripe 77.0%.

Keys to the Game w/Xavier

Offensive execution: One of the big reasons the Bluejays bested Villanova was Creighton's ability to execute the offense consistently. Too many times this season the Bluejays have seen long stretches (four minutes or more) without a field goal. To win in the BIG EAST the Bluejays will need to execute.
Protect the interior: In both games with Xavier last season, Brianna Rollerson delivered big games. Without Rollerson on the floor the Bluejays must keep the Musketeers from dominating the paint excessively.
Rebound: This one is as simple as it sounds, Xavier is averaging 40.4 boards per game, while the Bluejays are at 33.3. Extra possessions often lead to easy buckets on both ends of the court.

McGrory joins the 20/20 Club
Earlier this season it was freshman Audrey Faber posting back-to-back games of 20-points or more. Now its junior MC McGrory that enters Friday's game with a shot at becoming the first Bluejays since 2006 to record three consecutive games with at least 20 points.

The last Bluejay to reach that height was Angie Janis, who topped the 20-point plateau in four straight from Feb. 19-March 2 in 2006.

McGrory set the stage with 20 points at Georgetown, then put up 22 at Villanova on Jan. 5 to help the Bluejays claim the 65-62 win.

Earlier this season Faber delivered 21 points in the Bluejays' 69-46 win over Omaha (Dec. 20), then put up 22 points in Creighton's 69-61 win over Northern Iowa (Dec. 22).

One other current Bluejay has scored 20 points in back-to-back contests Marissa Janning, last season against Omaha (Dec. 20) and Kansas (Dec. 22).

Janning has scored 20 or more in consecutive games six times in her career, but has never done it in three consecutive contests.

Battle for Ultimate Supremacy
For the second time in three games the Creighton Bluejays will be taking on one of their Jesuit brethren, Xavier. The BIG EAST Conference features four Jesuit Institutions (Creighton, Georgetown, Marquette and Xavier). The Bluejays fell to 0-1 in the four square dance, dropping a game at Georgetown on Jan. 3.

BIG EAST Battle of Jesuits
Xavier    1-0
Georgetown   1-1
Creighton   0-1
Marquette     0-0

Bluejays and Musketeers are About Automatic at the Line
Creighton and Xavier not onlt sit 1-2 in the BIG EAST Conference in Free Throw shooting percentage, the two teams are getting better as the season goes on. Creighton is shooting 78.3% for the season and 80.8% in BIG EAST play. Xavier, meanwhile, is at 77.0% for the year and 83.0 in conference play.

Faber on Pace to Score 500
Freshman Audrey Faber is on pace to become the first player to top 500 points in her opening season since Connie Yori reached that plateau (589) in 1983.

Rare Accomplishment Vaults Creighton to Win at Villanova
One reason the Bluejays earned their first BIG EAST win of the season at Villanova on Tuesday was that Creighton won the turnover battle, 7-6.

That is no small task as Villanova has committed the fewest turnovers in the NCAA in each of the last five years (averaging 7.5 per game this season).

It was only the second time this season (2015-16) that a team committed fewer turnovers than Villanova.

The Wildcats have lost their last four BIG EAST games when committing more turnovers than their opponents. Villanova fell to Seton Hall, St. John's and DePaul last season.

Players Mentioned

Audrey Faber

Marissa Janning

MC McGrory

Brianna Rollerson

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