Women's Basketball Set To Open Season At Yale On Tuesday Night

FRIARS OPEN THE 2019-20 SEASON AT YALE... Providence College will open the 2019-20 season against Yale University on Tuesday, Nov. 5 at John J. Lee Amphitheater in New Haven, Conn. Tip-off is slated for 7:00 p.m.

FRIARS ALL-TIME IN SEASON OPENERS... The Friars are 28-17 all-time in season openers during the program's 45-year history.

PROVIDENCE COLLEGE IN SEASON OPENERS UNDER JIM CROWLEY... The Friars are 1-2 in season openers under the direction of fourth-year Head Coach Jim Crowley. The Friars defeated Colgate, 92-85, in double-overtime in Crowley's first game as head coach of the program in 2016-17 at Alumni Hall in Providence, R.I. In 2017-18, Providence fell to Columbia, 73-64, in Providence, R.I. Last season, Providence fell to Penn State, 74-72, in University Park, Pa.

FRIARS AND BULLDOGS ALL-TIME... Providence and Yale have met 13 times during the history of the two women's basketball programs. The Friars lead the all-time series, 12-1.

THE LONE LOSS... Providence's lone loss to Yale came on Dec. 29, 2006 in New Haven, Conn. On that day, the Bulldogs claimed a 68-55 victory. Since then, the Friars have bounced back to win each of the last three games, including two victories under the direction of Head Coach Jim Crowley.

MOST RECENT MEETING... The Friars and Bulldogs last met on Nov. 29, 2018 in Providence, R.I. Providence claimed a 59-42 victory. Yale out-scored Providence 15-7 in the first quarter, having held the Friars to 3-13 shooting from the field (.231). The Friars flipped the script in the second quarter, as they shot 50-percent (7-14). Providence out-scored Yale 21-9 and held the Bulldogs to just one field goal (1-12). The Friars closed the half on an 8-0 run and took a 28-24 lead into the halftime. Providence opened the third quarter with back-to-back buckets to push out to a 32-24 lead. The Bulldogs battled back to tie the game, 32-32, with 5:28 remaining on the clock, but the Friars never relinquished the lead the rest of the way. Providence held a 41-39 lead heading into the final 10 minutes. The Friars locked down on defense in the fourth quarter as they held Yale to just one field goal (1-11). The Friars' Mary Baskerville narrowly missed the first double-double of her career with nine points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Maddie Jolin and Jovana Nogic, who both graduated in May 2019, combined to score 31 of the Friars' 59 points.

FRIARS DEFEAT ASSUMPTION IN EXHIBITION GAME... Providence defeated Assumption College, 80-57, in an exhibition game on Oct. 30 in Providence, R.I. Junior guard Chanell Williams paced three Friars in double figures with 15 points and added three assists, three rebounds and one steal. Sophomores Kaela Webb (13 points) and Alyssa Geary (10 points) also reached double digits in the scoring column. Thirteen players cracked the scoring column overall, as Providence shot 50.9-percent from the field (29-57).

300 NCAA DIVISION I COACHING VICTORIES... Twenty-two year coaching veteran Jim Crowley earned his 300th career victory overall on Nov. 19, 2016 as the Friars defeated Binghamton, 71-58. His win total includes three seasons as head coach at NCAA Division III Keuka College (1993-96), 16 seasons at St. Bonaventure (2000-16) and three seasons at Providence College (2016-present). Crowley needs just one victory to earn his 300th win at the NCAA Division I level, as he stands at 299-286. He collected 258 wins at St. Bonaventure (2000-16) and currenlty has 41 wins as head coach at Providence College.

FRIARS PICKED TO FINISH TIED FOR FIFTH IN BIG EAST PRESEASON COACHES' POLL... Providence College was picked to finish in a tie for fifth place in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll, released on Oct. 10 at Madison Square Garden during the league's annual media day event.

MARY BASKERVILLE NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST AS ONE OF FOUR UNANIMOUS SELECTIONS... Sophomore Mary Baskerville was a unanimous selection to the 2019-20 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team, announced at the league's annual media day at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 10. She earned BIG EAST Freshman of the Year accolades at the conclusion of the 2018-19 season, in addition to a unanimous selection to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team. She is just the second player in program history to earn BIG EAST Freshman of the Year recognition, and first since Friar great Tracy Lis '92 was named BIG EAST Rookie of the Year in 1989. Baskerville also was a five-time BIG EAST Freshman of the Week, marking the most freshman of the week honors in program history. As a rookie, Baskerville averaged 9.5 points per game and led the Friars in rebounding (7.3 rpg), blocked shots (1.5 bpg), double-doubles (six) and field-goal percentage (.580, 141-243). She established program records for blocked shots (53) and field-goal percentage (.580) for a freshman. Additionally, her .580 field-goal percentage was the second-highest for a single-season in program history overall, trailing Elizabeth Lawlor's shooting clip of .581 (193-332) during the 1988-89 season.

MOST WINS IN BIG EAST PLAY SINCE 1996-97... The Friars completed the 2018-19 regular-season schedule with an 8-10 mark in the BIG EAST Conference and finished in tie for sixth place in the league standings. The Friars' eight wins were the most in conference play since 1996-97, when Providence also finished with an 8-10 mark. It marked just the fourth time in the last 20 years that the Friars have recorded six or more victories in league play.

FRIARS COMING OFF OF FIRST POST-SEASON APPEARANCE SINCE 2010... The Friars' 2019 WNIT selection marked the program's 15th post-season appearance overall and first since 2010. Complete post-season breakdown below (records in parentheses).

2018-19 WNIT Round of 16 - (2-1)

2009-10 WNIT Quarterfinal Round (3-1)

1991-92 NCAA Tournament First Round (0-1)

1990-91 NCAA Tournament Second Round (1-1)

1989-90 NCAA Tournament East Regional (1-1)

1988-89 NCAA Tournament First Round (0-1)

1986-87 National Women's Invitational Tournament (1-2)

1985-86 NCAA Tournament First Round (0-1)

1981-82 EAIAW Regional Tournament (0-1)

1980-81 EAIAW Regional Tournament (0-1)

1979-80 EAIAW National Tournament (3-1)

1978-79 EAIAW Regional Tournament (0-1)

1977-78 EAIAW Regional Tournament (1-1)

1976-77 EAIAW Regional Tournament (2-2)

1975-76 EAIAW Regional Tournament (1-2)

HEAD COACH JIM CROWLEY IN POST-SEASON PLAY... Jim Crowley guided the Friars to their first post-season appearance since 2010, having earned a bid to the 2019 Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT). The Friars claimed wins over Hartford (71-54) and Penn (64-54), before falling to Georgetown (53-46) in the Round of 16. Prior to his arrival on Smith Hill, Crowley led St. Bonaventure to four WNIT appearances and two NCAA Tournament berths. Crowley is 10-7 all-time in post-season play, including a 7-5 mark in the WNIT. Crowley is 2-1 in the postseason as head coach at Providence College.

FRIARS IN OVERTIME GAMES UNDER JIM CROWLEY... Providence is 5-4 in overtime games under the direction of Head Coach Jim Crowley, including a 3-0 mark in 2018-19. The Friars are 3-3 vs. BIG EAST opponents in overtime.

ROAD WARRIORS... The Friars will play 12 of their first 14 games on the road, including three-straight road trips to start the 2019-20 season. Providence's lone home games at Alumni Hall/Mullaney Gymnasium are scheduled for Nov. 17 vs. Boston College and Nov. 24 against UMass Lowell. The Friars will be on the road for the entire month of December and will return to Providence to host BIG EAST foes DePaul and Marquette on Jan. 3 and Jan. 5, respectively.

FRIARS LOSE TOP TWO SCORERS FROM A SEASON AGO... The Friars will enter the 2019-20 campaing looking to replace 24.2 points per game off offense with the loss of Jovana Nogic (13.8 ppg) and Maddie Jolin (10.4 ppg) to graduation. Rising sophomores Mary Baskerville and Kaela Webb are the Friars' top two returning scorers, having averaged 9.5 points and 8.1 points per game, respectively.

WHAT'S NEXT... The Friars will remain on the road to face UMass in non-conference action on Saturday, Nov. 9 at the Mullins Center in Amherst, Mass. Tip-off is slated for 2:00 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Mary Baskerville

Alyssa Geary

Maddie Jolin

Jovana Nogic

Kaela Webb

Chanell Williams