Women's Basketball Game Notes vs. Villanova

PROVIDENCE WELCOMES VILLANOVA TO ALUMNI HALL FOR REGULAR-SEASON FINALE... The Friars finish their regular-season schedule at home in Alumni Hall with a pair of BIG EAST games against Georgetown (Feb. 28) and Villanova (Mar. 1). Providence tips off against the Hoyas at 7:00 p.m. on Friday night. On Sunday, the Friars will celebrate senior day prior to their 1:00 p.m. tip-off against the Wildcats.

SENIOR DAY... The Friars will honor their lone senior Ny-Asia Franklin prior to Sunday's game against Villanova. The ceremony is slated to begin at 12:40 p.m., with tip-off set for 1:03 p.m. In two seasons with the Friars, Franklin has played 47 games with nine appearances in the starting line-up. She has averaged 4.0 points and 2.9 rebounds per game and holds a career field-goal percentage of .444 (80-180).

FRIARS VS. WILDCATS ALL-TIME... Providence and Villanova have met 76 times during the history of the two women's basketball programs. The Wildcats lead the all-time series, 49-27, including victories in each of the last two meetings.

FIRST MEETING... The Wildcats took a 12-point advantage into the fourth quarter (41-29) in the first meeting between the two teams on Dec. 29 to open BIG EAST regular-season play. The Friars rallied in the final 10 minutes of play, outscoring Villanova, 20-10. Providence cut the Wildcat's led to 51-49 with 42-seconds left in regulation. Villanova turned the ball over with 12-seconds remaining and then fouled the Friars' Kaela Webb with 3.9-seconds on the clock. Providence inbounded the ball in front of its bench with a chance to either tie or win the game, but was unable to get a shot attempt off before time expired. Webb finished the day with 13 points for Providence, while Mary Gedaka and Madison Siegrist each scored 18 points for Villanova.

FRIARS TO HONOR HARRY PERRETTA PRIOR TO TIP-OFF... Villanova's Harry Perretta will coach the final regular-season game of his career against the Friars at Alumni Hall on Sunday. The 42-year coaching legend announced his retirement prior to the start of the 2019-20 season. He has amassed 781 career coaching victories, which ranks 13th all-time on the list of women's basketball coaching victories. Perretta has patrolled the sideline for all 76 games played between the Friars and Wildcats. Providence College will honor Perretta before the game.

DEFENSE... Sunday's game between Providence and Villanova features the top two teams in the BIG EAST in field-goal percentage defense. The Wildcats have held their opponents to a league-best .360 shooting from the field this season, while the Friars rank second (.373).

MORE ON DEFENSE... The Friars have held 14 of their 29 opponents below 40-percent from the field this season, and have posted a 10-4 record when doing so. Providence held Georgetown to 33.8-percent shooting from the field in its most recent game on Feb. 28 and picked up a 62-55 victory.

FRIARS DEFEAT GEORGETOWN 62-55 HALT 10-GAME WINLESS STREAK TO THE HOYAS... In Providence's most recent game, it defeated Georgetown, 62-55, to halt a 10-game winless streak to the Hoyas. Prior to Friday's win, Providence had defeated Georgetown just five times in the last 35 meetings.

KYRA SPIWAK'S 15 POINTS AGAINST GEORGETOWN MARK HIGHEST SCORING TOTAL IN BIG EAST PLAY... Junior guard Kyra Spiwak paced four Friars in double figures with 15 points in a 62-55 victory over Georgetown on Feb. 28. It marked the highest scoring total of her career vs. a BIG EAST opponent. She shot 6-11 from the field, including 3-8 from beyond the arc. Spiwak has 11 double-digit scoring games in her career overall, including a career-best 22 points against Monmouth (11/20/19).

BACK-TO-BACK DOUBLE-DOUBLES... Mary Baskerville has posted a double-double in each of the Friars' last two games against Butler (14 pts / 13 rebs) and Georgetown (10 pts / 10 rebs). It marks just the second time in her career she has posted double-doubles in back-to-back games. As a rookie in 2018-19, she recorded a double-double in three-straight games against Georgetown, Seton Hall and St. John's.

MARY BASKERVILLE RECORDS 12th CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLE... Mary Baskerville notched her sixth double-double of the season and the 12th of her career with 10 points and 10 rebounds against Georgetown on Feb. 28. It marked the fourth double-double for Baskerville during BIG EAST play in 2019-20, and eight of her 12 career double-doubles have been recorded during regular-season conference play overall.

MARGIN OF DEFEAT IN BIG EAST PLAY... Eight of the Friars' 14 losses in BIG EAST Conference regular-season play have been decided by 10 points or less, including seven losses within single digits.

BLOCK PARTY... Mary Baskerville (49) and Alyssa Geary (41) have each recorded 40+ blocks this season. Baskerville leads the BIG EAST Conference in blocks per game (1.9 bpg), while Geary checks in at fifth place (1.4 bpg). The duo is ranked in the top-three all-time in Providence College history for blocked shots by a sophomore. Mary Ann McCoy leads the way in that category with 68 blocked shots, Baskerville in second place (49) and Geary, is tied for third with Andrea Mangum (41). Last season, Baskerville recorded a program record for a freshman with 53 blocked shots.

100 REJECTIONS... On Feb. 23, Mary Baskerville recorded two blocked shots against Butler, giving her 100 blocks in her career. Heading into the final game of the regular-season schedule, Baskerville has recorded 102 career blocks. With one more blocked shot this season, Baskerville will become the first player in program history to record 50+ blocked shots in back-to-back seasons.

KAELA WEBB LEADS THE CHARGE FROM BEYOND THE ARC... Kaela Webb leads the Friars from beyond the arc this season, shooting .402 from deep (70-174). She ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in three-point percentage and fourth in three-pointers made per game (2.4).

LIMITED MINUTES; BIG IMPACT... Mary Baskerville has played 20+ minutes in 14 games this season and is averaging just 21.2 minutes per game. Despite limited minutes, the unanimous Preseason All-BIG EAST selection leads the team in scoring (12.4 ppg), rebounding (7.9 rpg) and blocked shots (1.9 bpg). In a positive trend, Baskerville has played 20+ minutes in five of the Friars' last seven games, including a career-high 33 minutes against Butler on Feb. 23.

FRIARS LOCKED INTO A FIRST ROUND GAME IN UPCOMING BIG EAST TOURNAMENT... Heading into the final weekend of regular-season play, the Friars are a lock to play in the First Round of the BIG EAST Tournament. Providence is currently in eighth place with a 3-14 league record. The BIG EAST First Round is scheduled for March 6, with the No. 8/No. 9 seeds playing at 12:00 p.m. (ET) and the No. 7/No. 10 seeds playing at 2:30 p.m. (ET).

ROAD WARRIORS... The Friars played 19 of their 29 games on the road this season. The Friars are 5-11 in true road games and 2-1 on a neutral court to post a combined 7-12 mark away from home. The Friars finished the BIG EAST regular-season schedule with an 0-9 mark on the road.

FRIARS FINISH NON-CONFERENCE PLAY AT 9-3... Providence College concluded its non-conference schedule with a 9-3 record. Jim Crowley has led the Friars to at least eight wins in regular-season non-conference play during three of his four years at the helm. Last year, Providence finished the non-conference slate 8-4 and in 2016-17 the Friars also posted an 8-4 mark. Crowley's lowest win total in the non-conference action with Providence came during the 2017-18 season (7-6).

FRIARS IMPROVE TO 14-5 UNDER JIM CROWLEY AT IN-SEASON TOURNAMENTS... Providence improved to 14-5 under Jim Crowley when competing at in-season tournaments, with a 3-2 record during the 2019-20 campaign. Providence won the 4th Annual Ocean State Tip-Off Tournament, defeating Bryant (76-32) and Rhode Island (58-51). The Friars posted a 1-2 mark at the Lobo Invitational to close non-conference play (Dec. 18-20). Providence suffered losses to host New Mexico (86-68), Ball State (52-51) and defeated Loyola Marymount (48-45).

FRIARS WIN 2019 OCEAN STATE TIP-OFF TITLE... The Friars defeated in-state rivals Bryant (76-32) and Rhode Island (58-51) in the 4th Annual Ocean State Tip-Off Tournament held in Smithfield, R.I. on Dec. 7-8. It marked the Friars' first championship in the tournament's existence. Mary Baskerville was named Most Outstanding Player, while Earlette Scott claimed All-Tournament Team honors.

FRIARS POST LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY SINCE 1991... The Friars defeated Bryant, 76-32, in the opening round of the Ocean State Tip-Off Tournament on Dec. 7 in Smithfield, R.I. Providence's 44-point margin of victory is the largest since defeating Syracuse by 46 (106-60) on Feb. 20, 1991.

ALYSSA GEARY NAMED TO BIG EAST WEEKLY HONOR ROLL... Alyssa Geary was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Feb. 17. It marked Geary's first league honor as a Friar, as she averaged 11.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in games vs. Seton Hall (Feb. 14) and St. John's (Feb. 16). Geary recorded a team-best 12 points and six rebounds against Seton Hall. She followed with 10 points, four rebounds, three assists and one blocked shot in a 54-53 victory over St. John's. The Friars overcame a 16-point deficit to beat the Red Storm, with Geary hitting a critical three-point basket to tie the score, 49-49, with 1:36 remaining in regulation. Geary was the only Friar to crack double figures in the scoring column in both games and has scored in double digits in five of the last seven games for Providence, since being reinserted into the starting line-up. For the season, Geary is averaging 6.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game.

EARLETTE SCOTT NAMED TO BIG EAST WEEKLY HONOR ROLL... Sophomore Earlette Scott was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Jan. 27. It marked the first league honor of her career. She averaged a team-best 16.5 points per game and added 6.0 rebounds and 1.0 assist against Butler and Xavier the previous weekend. She shot 9-17 from the field (.529), including 3-7 from beyond the arc (.429). Additionally, she hit 12-16 attempts from the foul line. In the Friars' victory over Xavier, Scott scored a career-high 20 points, including 17 points in the second half to help Providence overcome an eight-point deficit in the third quarter. She shot 4-10 from the field against the Musketeers and hit 11-13 free throws overall, including a perfect 6-6 from the stripe in the final 1:47 of play. Scott also matched her career high on the glass with eight rebounds. In the team's loss to Butler on Friday night, Scott scored 13 points on 5-7 shooting from the field and added four rebounds.

MARY BASKERVILLE NAMED TO BIG EAST WEEKLY HONOR ROLL... Mary Baskerville was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Dec. 9. She guided the Friars to a 2-1 record last week, and also was named Most Outstanding Player at the 4th Annual Ocean State Tip-Off Tournament on Dec. 8. In three games, Baskerville averaged 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots per game, and shot 63.3-percent from the field (19-30). In the Friars' lone loss, she tallied 19 points and nine rebounds against Yale. That game originally began on Nov. 5, before it was suspended at halftime. The Friars and Bulldogs completed the second half of play on Dec. 3 in New Haven, Conn. At the Ocean State Tip-Off in Smithfield, R.I., Baskerville tallied 14 points and four rebounds in 15 minutes of action against Bryant. She followed with 15 points and five rebounds in the championship game against Rhode Island. Baskerville scored 11 of her 15 points in a decisive fourth quarter effort, while shooting 4-4 from the field, to give Providence a 58-51 victory.

KAELA WEBB NAMED TO BIG EAST WEEKLY HONOR ROLL IN BACK-TO-BACK WEEKS... Sophomore Kaela Webb was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll in back-to-back weeks to start the season (Nov. 11 and Nov. 18). It marks her first appearances on the league's weekly honor roll, having previously been recognized among the weekly award winners as BIG EAST Freshman of the Week last season (Jan. 21).

MARY BASKERVILLE NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST TEAM 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.

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)

WHAT'S NEXT... The Friars will head to Chicago, Ill. to compete in the 2020 BIG EAST Tournament at Wintrust Arena and will play in the First Round on Friday, March 6. Providence's seeding an opponent in the tournament will be determined at the conclusion of regular-season play on Sunday, March 1.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mary Baskerville

Ny-Asia Franklin

Alyssa Geary

Earlette Scott

Kyra Spiwak

Kaela Webb

Providence College Athletics