2023-24 Women's Basketball Roster
Biography
NIL OPPORTUNITIES: Ayanna Townsend
A-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll (2022-23)
CAREER
- CSC Academic All-District® Team (2022-23), (2023-24)
- Surpassed her 1,000th career point on Jan. 28 (1,094)
AWARDS AND ACCOLADES (at Xavier)
BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year (2021-22)
BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (Dec. 20) (2021-22)
BIG EAST All-Academic Team (2018-19), (2019-20), (2020-21)
As a Senior (2023-24)
- Appeared in all 34 games while starting in 30 of them
- Averaged 7.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks per game
- Scored 568 points and grabbed 286 rebounds in two seasons with the Dukes
- Shot .480 percent from the floor which ranked 8th in the A-10 (108-for-225)
- Her 28 total blocks ranked tied for 10th in the conference and tied for second on the team
- Netted double figure scoring in 14 contests
- Collected 6+ rebounds in 11 games while posting a pair of contests with eight
- Recorded six games with 2+ rejections and three games with three blocks
- Scored 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting, with seven rebounds, and one block in a win at Davidson
- Netted 18 points and seven rebounds on senior day against Saint Joseph’s
- Registered 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting, with six rebounds and two blocks
- Posted a season-high eight rebounds against Delaware and RichmondÂ
As a Junior (2022-23)Â
- Made 17 starts and appeared in 29 games in first season with the DukesÂ
- Averaged 10.4 points per gameÂ
- Totaled 17 games with 10+ points … Scored career-high 21 points on 7-for-12 shooting and 7-for-9 free throws with eight rebounds vs Tulsa on Dec. 1Â
- Scored double digits in five straight games to begin Dukes career … Had another five-game stretch of double-digit scoring in heart of conference play (Jan. 22 – Feb. 4 against Davidson, Dayton, UMass, GW, and VCU)Â
- Three doubles (vs. Davidson on Jan. 22, at Pitt on Nov. 19, vs. Point Park on Nov. 7)Â
- Posted 15 games with 5+ rebounds and three double-digit rebounding gamesÂ
- Led team with 73 free throws and 116 attempts … Averaged 2.5 FTM and 4.0 FTA per game … went 9-for-11 from the stripe at Temple on Dec. 16, both career-highsÂ
- Second on team corralling 64 offensive rebounds (2.2 per game) … Averaged 5.0 rebounds per game (4th on team)Â
- Ranked 9th in the A-10 and second on the team averaging 1.03 blocks per gameÂ
As a Redshirt Junior at Xavier (2021-22)
- Played in 30 games, making 28 starts
- Averaged 26.0 minutes, 9.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per gameÂ
- Led the team in total blocks for the third-straight season with 21, ranked third in rebounding and fourth in scoring
- Led the team and ranked 12th in the Big East in field-goal percentage (.473)
- Ranked 15th in the conference in both rebounding (5.5) and blocked shots (0.7) per game
- Ranks seventh in Xavier history with 80 career blocks
- Named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Dec. 20
- Scored in double figures 13 times and scored a season-high 18 points twice (Dec. 19 vs Southeast Missouri, March 4 vs St. John's)
- She had three games with 10 or more rebounds and pulled down a season-high 15 rebounds against Southeast Missouri on Dec. 19
- She notched two double-doubles (Dec. 19 vs Southeast Missouri, March 4 vs St. John's) and made a season-high eight field goals twice (Dec. 3 at Marquette, March 4 vs St. John's)
- Recorded a season-high three blocks twice (Dec. 3 at Marquette, Dec. 19 vs Southeast Missouri)
- Had a season-high five steals at Creighton on Feb. 11
- Named the 2021-22 BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, becoming the first Musketeer to earn the academic honor since joining the conference
As a Redshirt Sophomore at Xavier (2020-21)
- Played in 14 games, making nine starts
- Averaged 3.9 points and 2.6 rebounds per game
- Led the team in total blocks (15) for the second-straight season and averaged 1.1 blocks per game to rank 11th in the Big EastÂ
- Posted a .442 field-goal percentage (19-for-43)
- Had a season-high seven rebounds vs Indiana State on Dec. 14 and scored a season-high 10 points vs. Georgetown on Feb. 28.
As a Redshirt Freshman at Xavier (2019-20)
- Played in 30 games, making 21 starts
- Averaged 5.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game
- Led the team in blocks with 32, while ranking sixth in the Big East
- Posted two double-doubles and added 10 assists and seven steals
- Scored a season-high 14 points twice (at Butler on Jan. 31, at Creighton on Jan. 24) while scoring in double figures seven times
- Had 10 or more rebounds in a game three times and posted a season-high five blocks vs. Creighton on Feb. 23
As a Freshman at Xavier (2018-19)
- Played in seven games before suffering a season-ending injury
- Received a medical redshirt
- Averaged 4.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game
- Added 12 blocks, two steals and two assists while hitting 60 percent (15-for-25) of her shot attempts
High School
- Three-sport athlete (crew, basketball and track)
- Led Winchester Thurston to its first ever WPIAL Championship as a senior
- Averaged 18.6 points and 14 rebounds per game as a junior
- Led her team to a 20-2 overall record in her senior season
- Was the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette WPIAL Class 1A Player of the Year in 2017
- Earned first-team all-conference honors in 2017
- Played for WPA Bruins AAU Team
Personal
- Daughter of Kacey Townsend
CAREER HIGHS
Burt on Townsend:Â "We are welcoming the BIG EAST Scholar Athlete of the Year as Ayanna has had a successful career on the court and in the classroom at her previous stop," Burt said. "Ayanna brings high-level rebounding and interior scoring to our program. Her athleticism, defensive prowess and skill level are top notch. We expect Ayanna to make an immediate impact within our program."
Statistics
Season Statistics
No statistics available for this season.
There are no statistics available for this player.
Historical Player Information
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2022-23Junior
Forward
6'2"
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2023-24Senior
Center
6'2"