Friday’s Key Matchups
Alex Louin (Villanova) vs. Aaliyah Lewis (St. John’s): Louin has been a consistent scorer for the Wildcats lately and the St. John’s-Seton Hall swing earlier this season proved to be her most successful set of back-to-back games, which included a game-high 19 points against the Red Storm in a 55-50 Villanova win. Lewis has proven to be one of the top facilitators in the BIG EAST, posting her fourth double-digit assist game of the season on Sunday at Marquette, and dropped five dimes against the Wildcats earlier this year. Villanova and St. John’s tip off at 8 p.m. (ET) on FS1.
Brooke Schulte (DePaul) vs. Raeshaun Gaffney (Xavier): Schulte continues to amaze, stretching her double-digit scoring streak to 15 games, which includes a 28-point, 11-rebound outing against Xavier on Jan. 15. The top scorer in BIG EAST play (21.7 PPG) is coming off back-to-back 20-point games last weekend. Gaffney has scored in double figures in 20 of 23 games this season, including 22 points and three steals against the Blue Demons earlier this season. She’s made 17 consecutive free-throw attempts and is among the league’s top shooters from the charity stripe. Tipoff on the BIG EAST Digital Network is set for 7 p.m.
Dionna White (Georgetown) vs. Kaela Hilaire (Seton Hall): It’s a case of opposite styles as White is as cool as they come on the court while Hilaire is full of fire. The Georgetown guard is a silent assassin, ranking third in the BIG EAST in scoring (17.3) and first in steals (3.5). The Pirate rookie is the top-scoring freshman in the BIG EAST (10.0), while listing fourth overall in assists (3.8). Hilaire’s minutes were limited against the Hoyas in Game 1 on Jan. 15, but she’s coming off 12 points and seven dimes at nationally ranked DePaul on Sunday. White’s coming off 16 points, 10 boards against RV/RV Creighton on Sunday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on BEDN.
Allazia Blockton (Marquette) vs. Tori Schickel (Butler): Blockton needs just 21 points to become the youngest player in Marquette history to reach 1,000 career points, and with eight games this season with at least that much, it’s not out of the question for Friday night. The sophomore totaled 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting against Butler on Jan. 15. Schickel is coming off her lowest output of the season with just six points against Xavier on Saturday, but prior to that has been a one-woman scoring and rebounding army. The sophomore is among the top rebounders in the country, with her boards per game average of 11.3 ranking eighth nationally. She was held to eight points, eight rebounds at Marquette earlier this year. Tipoff at Hinkle Fieldhouse is set for 7 p.m. on BEDN.
Up Next
In the lone Saturday contest, RV/RV Creighton hosts Providence at 2 p.m. (ET). The game will stream live on BEDN. The Bluejays won the first meeting between the two squads earlier this season, 58-51 on Jan. 14 in Friartown. Lauren Works scored six of Creighton’s final eight points to lead the Bluejays to the victory, despite a game-high 18 points from PC’s Sarah Beal.
Weekend Schedule
Friday
Marquette at Butler, 7 p.m.*#
18/16 DePaul at Xavier, 7 p.m.*#
Georgetown at Seton Hall, 7 p.m.*#
Villanova at St. John’s, 8 p.m.*^
Saturday
Providence at RV/RV Creighton, 2 p.m.*#
Sunday
18/16 DePaul at Butler, 1 p.m.*#
Marquette at Xavier, 2 p.m.*#
Villanova at Seton Hall, 2 p.m.*#
Georgetown at St. John’s, 2 p.m.*#
All times Eastern
*BIG EAST contest
#BEDN
^FS1