Pirates Battle Xavier in Cincy on FS1, Saturday

SATURDAY, JANUARY 13, 2024
SETON HALL (10-6, 2-3) at XAVIER (1-12, 0-4)
CINCINNATI, OHIO – Cintas Center
4:00 p.m. ET

LIVE VIDEO: FS1
(John Fanta & Meghan McKeown)

LIVE AUDIO: 89.5 FM WSOU or WSOU.net
(Ryan Henry & Michael Bellifemini)

FOLLOW ALONG: StatBroadcast | Instagram | X (Twitter)
GAME NOTES: SETON HALL | XAVIER

THE GAME
Seton Hall will return to action on Saturday, January 13 when it heads to Cincinnati for a game against BIG EAST rival Xavier. Tip time is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. ET.

MEDIA
The game will be televised nationally with John Fanta and Meghan McKeown on the call. As usual, the game will also be available over the airwaves at 89.5 FM WSOU or wsou.net. Ryan Henry and Michael Bellifemini will describe the action on the radio. Live stats will also be available.

WSOU is also airing a post-game "Hall Line" show following its women's basketball games. Be sure to tune in after the final buzzer.

LAST GAME
On a night that a storm brought a state of emergency to New Jersey, the Seton Hall women's basketball team fell to No. 23 Marquette, 75-54, in a mostly-empty Walsh Gymnasium on Tuesday.

The Hall couldn't rely on one of the best home court advantages in the BIG EAST and was overwhelmed buy Marquette in the second half after trailing by only two at the break. The Pirates shot only 33.3 percent from the field in the second half, compared to 66.7 percent for the Golden Eagles.

Sophomore Micah Gray (Oklahoma City, Okla.) had a team-high 16 points on 7-for-13 shooting. Graduate student Azana Baines (Blackwood, N.J.) tallied 12 points, six rebounds and three steals.

Seton Hall All-Time vs. the Musketeers: Seton Hall leads, 19-3
2022-23 Meetings:
Seton Hall 84, Xavier 58 (F) – March 3, 2023 (Mohegan Sun Arena)
Seton Hall 72, Xavier 59 (F) – Feb. 18, 2023 (Walsh Gymnasium)
Seton Hall 74, Xavier 55 (F) – Dec. 2, 2022 (Cintas Center)

AGAINST XAVIER
Seton Hall and Xavier will meet for the 23^rd time in history on Saturday with the Pirates owning a commanding 19-3 all-time series lead. Seton Hall has won nine straight in the series, including all three last year which culminated with The Hall's 84-58 victory in the first round of the BIG EAST Tournament. Xavier's last win the series came in 2019. The Pirates have won the last four meetings at the Cintas Center by an average margin of victory of 26.3 points per game.

SCOUTING XAVIER
Xavier is coming off a 7-23 season in 2022-23, which included a 0-20 mark in BIG EAST play.

Xavier is under the direction of first-year head coach Billi Chambers. She joined the Musketeers after spending 10 seasons at Iona University (2013-23). Xavier returns three of its top five scorers from a year ago in Mackayla Scarlett (10.9), Taylor Smith (7.5) and Nila Blackford (6.3), who also led the team in rebounding (5.5). The Musketeers also return Shelby Calhoun, who led the team in total assists (67), while ranking second in rebounding (4.6) and eighth in scoring (4.2). The Musketeers were picked to finish last in the BIG EAST this year according to the preseason coaches' poll.

Xavier is off to another rough start, beginning the 2023-24 season with a 1-12 record overall and an 0-4 mark in BIG EAST play. The Musketeers opened the season with eight straight losses before picking up their first victory, a 68-43 win over SIUE on Dec. 15. Since, however, Xavier has lost four straight BIG EAST games. Most recently, the Musketeers fell to St. John's, 60-42, on Tuesday. Scarlett leads the team with 13.4 points per game, while Blackford is averaging 9.2 rebounds per contest.

UP NEXT
Seton Hall will return to action on Wednesday, January 17 when it returns to Walsh Gymnasium to host defending BIG EAST champion UConn. Tip time is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. The contest will be televised on SNY with Allen Bestwick and Meg Culmo on the call. Mike Federico and Ryan Johnston will carry the broadcast for WSOU FM.