Friars Erase 11-Point Second Half Deficit To Defeat St. John's In OT, 67-66

QUEENS, N.Y.– The Providence College women's basketball team defeated St. John's, 67-66, on Jan. 11 at Carnesecca Arena in Queens, N.Y. Senior Maddie Jolin (Rehoboth, Mass.) was fouled under the basket with 0.7 seconds left in overtime and hit one of two free throws to lift the Friars to victory.  Providence overcame an 11-point deficit with 4:16 remaining in the third quarter.

The Friars improved to 10-7 overall and 2-3 in the BIG EAST, while St. John's dropped to 8-7 overall (1-3 BIG EAST).

Providence shot .500 from the floor in the first half (12-24), including 5-7 from three-point territory (.714), and were led by Jolin's 11 points.  Jolin was locked in offensively, shooting 4-5 from the field, including a perfect 3-3 from deep.

The Friars led by as many as seven in the first quarter, and St. John's managed a six-point lead midway through the second.  The Friars trailed by four (32-28) with less than a minute to play in the first half, but senior Jovana Nogic (Belgrade, Serbia) knocked down a three-point bucket with nine seconds left to get Providence within one at the break (32-31).

Providence missed its first eight shot attempts of the third quarter as St. John's raced out to a 42-31 lead. The Friars finally got on the scoreboard with 3:09 remaining in the quarter as Andrea Cooper (Edmond, Okla.) hit a pair of free throws.  Providence managed to cut its deficit to six heading into the fourth quarter (48-42).

The Friars started the final stanza on a 9-0 run, punctuated by a three-point play by Mary Baskerville (Enfield, Conn.) to give PC a 51-48 lead with 4:34 on the clock.

St. John's battled back to tie the game, 54-54, with just under a minute to play, but freshman Kaela Webb (Pontiac, Mich.) willed her way to the basket for a lay-up and a two-point Providence lead with 35-seconds remaining (56-54).

On St. Johns' next possession, the Friars played solid defense, resulting in a missed shot attempt and a key defensive rebound by Baskerville.  Chanell Williams (Bronx, N.Y.) was sent to the free throw line with six-seconds left, where she missed the first attempt and made the second for a 57-54 lead.

St. John's called timeout to advance the ball, and with four seconds left on the clock, Alisha Kebbe drained a triple to send the game to overtime (57-57).

Jolin opened the extra session with a three-point bucket just four-seconds into the action.  The Friars' lead grew to as many as five (63-58) with 3:18 left.

Nogic hit a pair of free throws with 18-seconds left in OT to give Providence a 66-63 lead, but the Friars committed a foul on the other end as Akina Wellere attempted a three-pointer. Wellere converted all three foul shots to tie the game, 66-66, with 11 seconds left.

Providence called timeout to advance the ball and draw up the final play.  As time wound down, freshman Earlette Scott (Brooklyn, N.Y.) drove the lane and put up an errant shot.  Jolin was fouled under the basket while attempting to secure the rebound. She went to the line and sealed the game, hitting one of her two free throws.

St. John's inbounded the ball on the baseline, and attempted a long pass into the frontcourt, but it was knocked away by Jolin to preserve the win.

Jolin finished the game with a season-high 19 points and added four rebounds, five assists and two steals.  She shot 7-9 from the field, including 4-5 from three-point territory.  Baskerville recorded her second double-double of the season on 14 points and 10 rebounds, to go along with two blocked shots. Baskerville also had an efficient night from the floor, hitting 5- 8 shot attempts.

Kebbe led three players in double figures for St. John's with 16 points.  Curteeona Brelove added a double-double on 15 points and 13 boards.

The Friars' victory marked the third-straight over St. John's, having swept the series in 2017-18. The last time Providence earned three-consecutive wins over the Red Storm dates back to the late 90s, spanning the 1996-97 and 1997-98 seasons.

The Friars return to action on Sunday, Jan. 13 against BIG EAST foe Seton Hall at Walsh Gymnasium in South Orange, N.J.  The game will be televised live on FS2 and is scheduled to tip-off at 1:00 p.m.

- GO FRIARS! -

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Team Stats

Maddie Jolin

Mary Baskerville

Jovana Nogic

Chanell Williams

Players Mentioned

Mary Baskerville

Andrea Cooper

Maddie Jolin

Jovana Nogic

Earlette Scott

Kaela Webb

Chanell Williams