Women's Basketball Games Notes vs. Rhode Island / Bryant

FRIARS SET TO FACE RHODE ISLAND AND BRYANT THIS WEEKEND... The Providence College women's basketball team will face a pair of intrastate rivals this weekend. On Saturday, Nov. 28 the Friars will travel to Kingston, R.I. to play the Rams at 1:00 p.m. in the Ryan Center. Providence will return to Alumni Hall to host Bryant in its home opener on Sunday, Nov. 29 at 2:00 p.m.

FRIARS ALL-TIME VS. RHODE ISLAND... The Friars and Rams have met 50 times during the history of the two women's basketball programs. Providence leads the all-time series, 38-12.

LAST TIME PROVIDENCE AND URI MATCHED UP... The last time Providence and URI met was on Dec. 8, 2019 in the Championship Game of the Ocean State Tip-Off Tournament. The Friars captured the title with a 58-51 victory in Smithfield, R.I. Mary Baskerville earned Most Outstanding Player honors at the conclusion of the tournament, having recorded 15 points, five rebounds, two blocked shots and one steal in 16 minutes against the Rams. Baskerville scored 11 of her 15 points in the fourth quarter. Olivia Orlando hauled in a game and career-high 14 rebounds.

PROVIDENCE AND RHODE ISLAND ALL-TIME AT THE RYAN CENTER... The Friars and Rams have played eight times at the Ryan Center in Kingston, R.I. since its doors opened in June of 2002. Providence leads the series on the Rams' home court, 6-2.

FRIARS ALL-TIME VS. BRYANT... Providence and Bryant have met nine times during the history of the two women's basketball programs. The Friars have dominated the series, 8-1. The Bulldogs' only victory in the series came on Nov. 30, 2014 (90-80) in Smithfield, R.I. Since then, the Friars have four-straight wins against Bryant, including three-straight victories in games played as part of the Ocean State Tip-Off Tournament.

THE LAST TIME THE TWO TEAMS MET... Providence and Bryant last met on Dec. 7, 2019 in the first round of the Ocean State Tip-Off Tournament in Smithfield, R.I. The Friars defeated the Bulldogs, 76-32. Mary Baskerville (14 points) and Alyssa Geary (11 points) paced the Friars' offense, while Andrea Cooper collected a team-high six rebounds.

PROVIDENCE AND BRYANT AT ALUMNI HALL... The Friars are 5-0 vs. Bryant at Alumni Hall. The last meeting at Alumni Hall between the two teams dates back to Dec. 3, 2016. Providence earned a 62-51 victory on that day.

FORMER FRIAR GREATS MARY BURKE AND BRITT KING LEAD THE BULLDOGS ON THE SIDELINES... Bryant Head Coach Mary Burke is a 1987 graduate of Providence College. A three-time BIG EAST All-Conference selection, Burke was named a District I All-American as a senior. In her four years as a Friar, Burke helped lead her team to an 80-36 record. During that time, she led the 1985-86 Providence squad to the BIG EAST Championship Game and a bid in the NCAA Tournament. Burke ranks fifth all-time at Providence in scoring (1,672 points) and ninth all-time in rebounding (740). Associate Head Coach Britt King is a former teammate of Burke's at Providence. King closed her PC career as the program's all-time leading rebounder with 1,205 boards and is one of just three players in program history to record 1,000-career points and 1,000-career rebounds. During her time in Providence, she earned All-BIG EAST First Team honors in 1985-86, All-BIG EAST Second Team recognition in 1984-85, BIG EAST All-Tournament honors (1986) and was a 1985 KODAK District I All-American. King also helped lead her team to the NCAA Tournament in the 1984-85 season. King remains the all-time leader in rebounding at Providence, in addition to holding the records for boards in a single-season (398, 1984-85) and in a single game (22, vs. Pittsburgh).

FRIARS FALL TO QUINNIPIAC IN SEASON-OPENER... Providence fell to Quinnipiac, 71-65, in its season opener on Nov. 25 in Hamden, Conn. Providence trailed by as many as 15 in the second quarter, but rallied in the second half to take a 63-62 lead with 2:32 left in regulation. Chanell Williams hit a jumper for Providence to tie the score, 65-65, with 1:55 to play. Quinnipiac closed the game out on a 6-0 run, hitting 6-6 opportunities at the free throw line to claim the six point win.

ALYSSA GEARY NOTCHES CAREER-BEST 17 POINTS... Junior Alyssa Geary paced the Friars' offense against Quinnipiac with a career-best 17 points on 7-17 shooting (.411). She also matched her career high in assists (four) and added five rebounds three blocked shots and one steal.

OLIVIA ORLANDO RETURNS TO THE COURT... Olivia Orlando returned to the court for the first time since Jan. 17, 2020 when she sustained a season-ending injury against St. John's and missed Providence's final 14 games. In the Friars' season opener at Quinnipiac, Orlando finished the day with five points, two steals and a team-high nine rebounds.

MARY BASKERVILLE MISSES OUT ON DOUBLE-DOUBLE IN LIMITED MINUTES... Mary Baskerville was saddled with foul trouble in the first half against Quinnipiac on Nov. 25. Despite playing just 16 minutes, she finished the game with 15 points on 7-12 shooting and added a team-high nine rebounds.

KYRA SPIWAK HEATS UP IN SECOND HALF... Kyra Spiwak scored 10 of her 14 points against Quinnipiac in the second half, including eight in the third quarter to help spur the Friars' second-half rally. Spiwak was 4-11 from the field and 4-4 from the free-throw line. She also contributed three assists and three rebounds.

SCHEDULE CHANGE... Providence College was scheduled to face Northeastern it its season opener on Nov. 25, but that game was canceled, as Northeastern pushed the start of its non-conference schedule to Dec. 6. Quinnipiac also endured a season-opening cancellation, allowing for the Friars and Bobcats to reach an agreement to face one another in Hamden, Conn. on the 25th.

A LOOK BACK AT THE 2019-20 SEASON... Providence completed the 2019-20 season with a 13-19 overall record and a 3-15 mark in the BIG EAST Conference (eighth place).

HOW THE FRIARS FARED IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY... The Friars finished the 2019-20 non-conference slate with a 9-3 record. Jim Crowley has led the Friars to at least eight wins in regular-season non-conference play during each of his four seasons at the helm.

COMING UP SHORT IN LEAGUE PLAY... Eight of the Friars' 15 losses in BIG EAST regular-season play last year were decided by 10 points or less, including seven losses within single digits.

ROAD WARRIORS... Providence College played 21 of its 32 games on the road during the 2019-20 campaign.

VETERAN PRESENCE... Seven of the 10 players on the Friars' 2020-21 roster are upperclassmen, including four seniors and three juniors. Each of those upperclassmen have some degree of experience in the starting line-up, with five of the seven starting 15 games or more a year ago.

PROVIDENCE WINS A BIG EAST TOURNAMENT GAME IN BACK-TO-BACK SEASONS FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 1994 AND 1995... The Friars won a BIG EAST Tournament game in each of the last two seasons. In 2019, Providence defeated Xavier, 70-62, in the First Round. This year, the Friars posted a 49-46 win over Georgetown in the First Round. It marks the first time since 1994 and 1995 that the Friars have won a game in the BIG EAST Tournament in back-to-back seasons.

BLOCK PARTY... Mary Baskerville (51) and Alyssa Geary (49) each recorded 45+ blocked shots in 2019-20. The duo is ranked in the top-three at Providence for blocked shots by a sophomore. Mary Ann McCoy leads the way in that category with 68 blocked shots, Baskerville is second (51) and Geary ranks third.

BASKERVILLE AND GEARY AMONG BIG EAST'S TOP SHOT BLOCKERS... Mary Baskerville finished first in the BIG EAST in blocked shots (1.8 bpg), while Alyssa Geary finished tied for fourth (1.5 bpg).

BASKERVILLE RECORDS 50+ BLOCKS IN BACK-TO-BACK SEASONS... Mary Baskerville is the first player in program history to record 50+ blocked shots in back-to-back seasons. She finished the 2019-20 campaign with 51 rejections. In 2018-19, she recorded a program record for a freshman with 53 blocked shots.

GEARY SETS PROVIDENCE COLLEGE RECORD FOR BLOCKS IN A BIG EAST TOURNAMENT GAME... Alyssa Geary set the Providence College record for blocked shots in a BIG EAST Tournament game (6) vs. Georgetown on March 6 in the first round. The previous record was set by Monika Roberts (4 vs. Seton Hall in 2001).

THREE-POINT THREATS... As a team, the Friars hit 188 three-point field goals in 2019-20, marking the seventh-highest total for a single season in program history. Under the direction of Head Coach Jim Crowley, the Friars have been one of the most prolific three-point shooting teams in program history. In 2018-19, the Friars finished with 218 three pointers (second), 192 in 2017-18 (t-fourth) and 192 in 2016-17 (t-fourth).

HOW THE FRIARS STACKED UP... Providence finished first in the BIG EAST in three-point field goal percentage and 36th in the nation, having converted 188-534 attempts from beyond the arc (.352) in 2019-20.

DEFENSE... The Friars finished second in the BIG EAST and 58th in the nation (among 348 team) in field-goal percentage defense (.373). Providence held 17 of its 32 opponents below 40-percent shooting from the field during the season and posted an 11-6 record when doing so.

FRIARS TWO YEARS REMOVED FROM FIRST POST-SEASON APPEARANCE SINCE 2010... The Friars' 2019 WNIT selection marked the program's 15th post-season appearance overall and first since 2010. Last season, NCAA and WNIT Championships were canceled to the Covid-19 pandemic. 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)

WHAT'S NEXT... The Friars will return to action on Wednesday, Dec. 2 against Boston College at 5:00 p.m. The game will be played at Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Mass. Providence has won each of the last three games against Boston College, including last year's 76-60 victory in Providence, R.I.

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Players Mentioned

Mary Baskerville

Andrea Cooper

Alyssa Geary

Olivia Orlando

Kyra Spiwak

Chanell Williams