Xavier, Mount St. Joseph to honor Lauren Hill with ‘Tipoff Classic’
Xavier University and Mount St. Joseph University will open their upcoming women's basketball seasons with a doubleheader at Cintas Center on Nov. 14 as part of the inaugural Lauren Hill Tip-Off Classic, the schools announced on Wednesday.
The schools plan to open their future seasons with a tribute to Hill, the freshman basketball player that played for Mount St. Joseph despite suffering from terminal brain cancer. Hill made her NCAA debut at the Cintas Center on Nov. 2 against Hiram College.
Hill played in four games and scored off five layups before moving into an assistant coach role with the team. She died on April 10 at the age of 19.
“Lauren instilled hope in all of us by trying to cure cancer and by delivering the message to never give up on your dreams,” Hill's mother, Lisa, said in a press release. “I think the event will mean as much for Hiram and Xavier as it will for the Mount St. Joseph community. The tip-off classic should serve as a way to remember what we have and celebrate life…and watch some basketball!”
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Xavier will start off the day's action against Evansville at 1 p.m. CT. Mount St. Joseph will play Hiram College 30 minutes after the first game.
Hill finished second in 2014 Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year voting to Little League baseball star Mone Davis.
The double-header will be televised by Fox Sports Ohio.
- Christopher Chavez
