Women's Basketball Defeats Hartford In First Round Of WNIT, 71-54

PROVIDENCE, R.I.– The Providence College women's basketball team defeated Hartford, 71-54, on March 21 in the first round of the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) in Providence, R.I.  It marked the first post-season appearance for the Friars since 2010, as the team improved to 18-15 overall.  Hartford concludes its season with a 23-11 mark.

The Friars hit their first six shots from the field to take a 15-2 lead with 5:55 remaining on the clock in the first quarter. Hartford fought back to within five (20-15) to close the opening 10 minutes of play, and scored the first five points of the second quarter to tie the game, 20-20.

Chanell Williams (Bronx, N.Y.) halted the run with a free throw, but Hartford scored five-straight points to take a 25-21 lead at the 6:27 mark.  Jovana Nogic (Belgrade, Serbia) answered for the Friars with her fourth three-pointer of the game to get PC within one (25-24).  Providence regained the lead (29-27) at 4:42 and held on for a two-point advantage at halftime, 34-32.

Nogic scored 17 points in the opening 20 minutes of action on 6-7 shooting from the field, including a 5-6 performance from beyond the arc.  Sierra DaCosta and Lindsey Abed each scored eight points for Hartford.  The Hawks were able to take advantage of 15 Providence miscues by recording a 17-8 advantage in points off of turnovers.

Providence opened the third quarter on a 9-0 run to take a 43-32 advantage with 6:32 left on the clock. The Friars maintained a double-digit lead heading into the fourth and final frame (51-41).

Hartford cut the deficit to eight (57-49) with 5:54 remaining in the game, but the Friars closed the game with a 14-5 scoring run to put the Hawks away.

Nogic completed the evening with a season-high 27 points on 10-12 shooting overall, including an impressive 7-9 from three-point land.  Her seven threes tied her single-game career high. Baskerville finished the night with a career-high 22 points on 10-13 shooting from the field.  The BIG EAST Freshman of the Year hit 7-8 attempts from the field for 16 points in the second half.  She also added a team-high eight rebounds.

Freshman Kaela Webb (Pontiac, Mich.) had a solid line on the night with nine points, four assists and a career-high six rebounds and four steals.

Providence dished a season-high 23 assists on 28 made field goals (28-48). The Friars have dished 20+ assists in each of their last three games.  Senior guard Maddie Jolin (Rehoboth, Mass.) and sophomore Olivia Orlando (Winthrop, Mass.) each dished a game-high six assists.

The Friars finished the night 11-20 from three-point territory, and improved to 6-1 on the season when hitting 10+ three-pointers in a game.

Providence will advance to Round 2 of the WNIT to face the winner of American vs. Penn, which is scheduled for Friday, March 22 at 7:00 p.m.  Game location and tip-off time will be released at the conclusion of that match-up.

- GO FRIARS! -

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Team Stats

Jovana Nogic

Mary Baskerville

Kaela Webb

Maddie Jolin

Players Mentioned

Maddie Jolin

Jovana Nogic

Olivia Orlando

Kaela Webb

Chanell Williams