Both Creighton and Xavier women’s basketball teams enter Friday’s Big EAST opener looking to end losing streaks. The Blue Jays (0-3) are hoping to pick up their first victory of the season as they travel to Cincinnati, while the 1-0 Xavier Musketeers have not beaten Creighton in their last eight matchups.

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A trip to Xavier’s home court could be just the remedy the Jays need to get in the win column; their last loss at the Cintas Center was in February of 2016. The Musketeers beat Detroit Mercy in their opener on Nov. 25, although expectations aren’t high for a team that finished at the bottom of the conference and won just three games last season.

Creighton was 19-11 a year ago, but the graduation of Big EAST Player of the Year Jaylyn Agnew (20.8 ppg) will be a huge hole to fill. The Jays have clearly felt her departure in losses to Drake, Northern Iowa and South Dakota State to start the season.

Fortunately for Jim Flanery’s group, they already know they can beat Xavier without Agnew as they were victorious in January when their star sat with a concussion. 

Guard Temi Carda led the Jays in scoring in that 62-55 win, and the senior leads the team in that category so far this season. Carda enters Friday averaging 15.3 points per game, albeit while shooting 33% from the floor. 

Creighton should get a big boost as point guard Tatum Rembao makes her season debut after missing the first three games due to COVID-19 protocols. The Jays haven’t shot better than 32.8% from the field as a team in Rembao’s absence.

A veteran Xavier lineup will greet Creighton as the Musketeers have all five starters back. Preseason All Big EAST forward A’riana Gray averaged 15.8 ppg and 9.3 rebounds last year and has 26 career double-doubles. Her team’s struggles a year ago showed Gray desperately needed help, and some appears to have arrived with transfer guards Nia Clark (Miami (Ohio) and Kaelynn Satterfield (Ohio State).

Clark led Xavier with 14 points in their opener, with Satterfield adding 12 in just 18 minutes.

Tipoff for Friday’s contest is 6pm ET from the Cintas Center.