Women's Hoops Defeats Xavier On The Road, 63-55

CINCINNATI, OHIO– The Providence College women's basketball team defeated Xavier, 63-55, on Feb. 15 in Cincinnati, Ohio.  It marked the Friars' first-ever victory at the Cintas Center, as the squad improved to 15-11 overall and 7-7 in the BIG EAST.  Xavier dropped to 11-13 on the year (2-11 BIG EAST).

Providence started the game with an 8-0 run and forced an early timeout by Xavier just 2:00 minutes into the game. Xavier got on the board during its next offensive possession to make it an 8-2 game.  The Friars led by as many as 19 (25-6) with 23-seconds left on the clock, but Xavier's A'Riana Gray hit a three-pointer as the quarter came to a close to make the score 25-9.

The Musketeers closed the gap to 11 (29-18) with 6:22 left in the second quarter, but the Friars responded with an 11-4 run to push their lead back to 18 (40-22) with 1:36 to go. Xavier sored four unanswered points to get within 40-26 at halftime.

Jovana Nogic (Belgrade, Serbia) was locked in offensively, scoring 17 first-half points on 6-7 shooting overall, including a 5-6 showing from beyond the arc.  Gray paced the Musketeers with 15 points.

As a team, Providence shot a blistering 75-percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes (15-20), including an 86-percent clip from three-point territory (6-7).

The Musketeers started the third quarter with a 6-1 spurt to get within single digits (41-32), but Mary Baskerville (Enfield, Conn.) scored Providence's first field goal of the half at the 8:27 mark to get it back to double figures (43-32).  Xavier went right back to work and edged within eight points on two occasions before the Friars went on an 8-2 run to take a 51-37 advantage.  The Musketeers would not go quietly, as they finished the quarter with a 7-2 scoring spurt (53-44).

Xavier remained within striking distance throughout the fourth quarter, keeping the Friars' lead to single digits.  Princess Stewart hit a three-point bucket for the Musketeers at the 4:36 mark to make it a 59-53 game, but both teams went silent from the field until Baskerville hit the second of two free throw attempts with 46-seconds left (60-53). Providence hit 3-4 free throws in the final 34-seconds to seal the win.

Nogic led all scorers with 22 points and added five rebounds, two steals and one assist.  It marked Nogic's sixth 20-point game of the season and 24^thof her career. Freshman Kaela Webb (Pontiac, Mich.) also reached double figures for Providence with 10 points.  Olivia Orlando (Winthrop, Mass.) played a key role in the victory as she led Providence with 10 rebounds and seven assists, while adding five points and two blocked shots.

Senior Maddie Jolin (Rehoboth, Mass.) became the 35^thplayer in program history to reach the 1,000-point milestone.  She achieved the feat with 13-second remaining in the third quarter as she converted the first of two free throws.  Jolin finished the night with seven points and four rebounds.

Providence shot 50-percent from the field (22-44), including a 7-12 showing from deep (.583).  It marked the third time this season that the Friars shot 50-percent or better from the field, and they have posted a 3-0 record in those games – and all were victories against BIG EAST opponents.

Gray led Xavier with 20 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.  Carrie Gross added 12 points, while Aaliyah Dunham contributed 10 points and six assists.

The Friars' 15 victories are the most since the 2009-10 campaign when the program finished the year 19-15.  It also marks the most wins in BIG EAST play (seven) since going 7-9 in the conference that same season.

Providence returns to action on Sunday, Feb. 17 against Butler at 2:00 p.m.  The game will be played at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. and will be broadcast live on the BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN) via FOX Sports Go.

- GO FRIARS! -

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Team Stats

Jovana Nogic

Kaela Webb

Mary Baskerville

Maddie Jolin

Players Mentioned

Mary Baskerville

Maddie Jolin

Jovana Nogic

Olivia Orlando

Kaela Webb