St. John’s to Face Xavier on Saturday Afternoon

Saturday, January 17

Cincinnati, Ohio (Cintas Center)

1 p.m.

St. John's University

Xavier

Buy Tickets

Kyla Hayes scored two points in eight minutes of play.

1/16/2026 1:20:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Watch Buy Tickets Live Stats Listen Game Notes (PDF)

The Red Storm owns a 20-game all-time win streak against the Musketeers

QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's women's basketball team will continue its road swing when it faces Xavier on Saturday afternoon in Cincinnati at 1 p.m.

Tuesday's contest will be streamed on ESPN+ with Mike Schmaltz and Rich Hoyt on the call from Cintas Center.

In its most recent outing, St. John's (14-5, 4-4 BIG EAST) fell on the road to Georgetown, 59-34, at McDonough Arena. The Red Storm shot 80% (8-10) from the charity stripe and tallied eight steals in the contest.

Brooke Moore led the Johnnies with 11 points and added two rebounds, while Sa'Mya Wyatt made her mark on the boards, matching her career high with 13 rebounds.

Through 19 games, the Red Storm have showcased its defensive prowess. The Johnnies sit atop the league and rank 22nd nationally in blocked shots, averaging 5.1 per game. Moore and Beautiful Waheed anchor that presence at the rim, with Moore recording 1.3 blocks per game and Waheed close behind at 1.2 per contest.

Graduate student guard Shaulana Wagner remains one of the nation's premier distributors, sitting 47th nationally and atop the BIG EAST, averaging 4.9 helpers per contest.

St. John's and Xavier (10–7, 3–5 BIG EAST) will meet for the 25th time Saturday afternoon, continuing a series that began on Jan. 5, 2014, when the Musketeers joined the conference. The Red Storm own a 22–2 edge in the all-time series and have claimed victories in 20 consecutive matchups. In the most recent meeting, St. John's edged Xavier 55–44 on Feb. 2, 2025, with Jailah Donald and Kylie Lavelle each scoring in double figures. Donald matched her career high with 13 points.

Xavier, like St. John's, has opened 2026 with a 2–2 mark. The Musketeers come into the contest following a 71–61 home win over DePaul on Jan. 13 and currently sit at 10–7 overall and 3–5 in BIG EAST play.

Four Musketeers scored in double figures for the first time this season, paced by Mackenzie Givens' game-high 18 points. Marlyah Noel followed with 16 and Meri Kanerva added 15. Savannah White recorded her third career double-double, her first of the season, with 11 points and 13 rebounds, while also dishing out five assists, swatting three shots, and collecting a steal. Xavier shot 47.2% from the floor and limited DePaul to 36.5% shooting. The Musketeers controlled the paint, accounting for 40 of their 71 points at the rim.

Noel paces Xavier offensively, averaging 15.1 points per game to go along with 6.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists. She leads the league and ranks among the nation's top 50 at the free-throw line, converting 72 of 95 attempts. Kanerva sits atop the conference and the country in minutes played, logging 37.73 per game. She makes the most of that time, posting averages of 9.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.4 steals while shooting 76.0% from the stripe. White contributes 7.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per contest, adds 2.4 assists and 1.5 steals, and leads the team with 1.9 blocks per game, a figure that ranks first in the BIG EAST and 27th nationally.

Following Saturday's contest, St. John's will return to Carnesecca Arena to host Marquette for Y2K night on Wednesday for an 8 p.m. tip-off in Queens on Peacock.