Women's Basketball Game Notes vs. No. 3/5 Connecticut

FRIARS HEAD TO STORRS TO FACE NO. 3 CONNECTICUT... Providence will travel to No. 3/5 Connecticut on Saturday, Jan. 9. The game will be played at Gampel Pavilion and is scheduled to tip-off at 1:00 p.m. on SNY.

GAME WILL BE TELEVISED ON SNY... The Providence vs. Connecticut game will be televised live on SNY. For those in the SNY broadcast footprint, the game also will be available via SNY.tv and/or the NBC Sports app, which requires authentication (log-in credentials).

FAMILIAR FOE... The Friars and Huskies have met 61 times during the history of the two women's basketball programs. Saturday's meeting marks the first between the two teams since Feb. 12, 2013, as the Huskies have returned to the BIG EAST Conference after seven seasons as a member of the American Athletic Conference.

ALL-TIME SERIES... Connecticut leads the all-times series against the Friars, 40-21, including victories in each of the last 28 meetings spanning 20 seasons (1993-2013). The Huskies hold a 35-11 record vs. Providence in BIG EAST regular-season action and a 4-2 mark in the BIG EAST Tournament.

LAST TIME THE FRIARS DEFEATED CONNECTICUT... Providence last defeated Connecticut on March 7, 1993 in the semifinals of the BIG EAST Tournament held at Alumni Hall in Providence, R.I. On that day, the Friars claimed an 87-73 victory.

LAST TIME THE FRIARS DEFEATED A RANKED OPPONENT... The last time Providence defeated a nationally-ranked opponent dates back to Jan. 23, 2013. On that day, the Friars earned a 65-60 overtime victory against No. #RV/25 Villanova in Providence, R.I.

ONE AND ONLY... Providence defeated UConn to win its first [and only] BIG EAST Championship on March 5, 1990. The Friars, who were the No. 2 seed, earned an 82-61 win over the top-seeded Huskies at Gampel Pavilion.

PLAYING DURING THE PANDEMIC... Providence is among the nation's leaders in games played, with 11. They are tops among BIG EAST teams and also have played the most conference games of any league member (six). The Friars played their first six games of the season in an 11-day stretch, spanning five different states: Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Wisconsin and Indiana. Despite multiple changes to the schedule since, Providence has shown to be resilient and flexible. Just recently, the Friars were scheduled to play Georgetown (Jan. 6). That game was postponed and replaced with a road game against Creighton. Within 24 hours that game was canceled and the Friars picked up Butler (Jan. 7).

FRIARS SWEEP SEASON SERIES VS. BUTLER... Providence College finished off a season-sweep of Butler on Jan. 7 at Alumni Hall. The Friars defeated the Bulldogs, 62-50, as senior guard Chanell Williams paced the Friars with 16 points and a career-best eight rebounds. Providence led wire-to-wire, getting out to a 17-4 lead through the opening 10 minutes of play. The Friars shot 47.3-percent from the field (26-55), while holding the Bulldogs to 31-percent from the floor (18-58). Earlier this season, Providence claimed a 73-52 victory over Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse (Dec. 5). In that game, Kyra Spiwak exploded for a career-high 28 points, including an 8-12 performance from three-point territory. Her eight threes are the most made in a game by a BIG EAST player this season.

PIVOTAL THIRD QUARTER PLAYS BIG ROLE IN OUTCOME OF FRIARS' GAME AGAINST SETON HALL... Providence led Seton Hall by as many as 12 late in the second quarter and the Friars took a 41-32 lead into halftime. Providence shot a blistering 62-percent from the floor in the opening half (18-29), while Seton Hall converted 32-percent of its shots (13-32). The third quarter proved pivotal as Seton Hall outscored the Friars 21-8, including a 16-0 run that game the Pirates a six-point advantage. Mary Baskerville led the Friars with a double-double on 24 points and 10 boards. Her 24 points tied a career high, which she set last season against Marquette (Jan. 5, 2020).

XAVIER PULLS AWAY IN FOURTH QUARTER TO DEFEAT PROVIDENCE... Chanell Williams opened the fourth quarter with a steal and a lay-up to tie the score, 41-41, but the Musketeers responded with an 8-0 run fueled by their first two three-point buckets of the game. Xavier was 0-10 from beyond the arc in the first three quarters of play, but hit its first three attempts of the final frame and hit 3-4 overall in the decisive quarter. The Musketeers outscored the Friars 23-11 in the final 10 minutes to take a 64-54 victory. Kyra Spiwak netted a game-high 19 points to pace the Friars. Sarah Leyendecker recorded a double-double for Xavier on 18 points and 11 rebounds.

FRIARS WELCOME FAMILIES INTO ALUMNI HALL VIRTUALLY FOR PREGAME WARM-UPS... Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Providence College is among the majority of institutions across the county that are not allowing fans/families to attend games in person. Prior to the Friars' last home game vs. St. John's on Dec. 19, the program invited families "into Alumni Hall" virtually via Zoom, and will continue the trend for the remainder of their regular-season home games. From the 75 minute mark of the warm-up clock to the 45 minute mark, families are able to wish the team luck on a big screen television located nearest the Friars' hoop for warm-ups. When players are not engaged in a warm-up activity in preparation for the game, they are able to communicate with the family members who join the zoom.

GETTING OFF TO A GOOD START... The Friars are 5-1 this season when leading at halftime. On the flip side, Providence has compiled an 0-5 record in games it is trailing at halftime. The Friars' only loss when leading at halftime came against Seton Hall (Jan. 3). Providence held a 41-32 lead at the break, but fell to the Pirates, 77-71.

GAMES IN THE 70s... Providence is 3-1 this season when scoring 70+ points. The Friars' only blemish came in a loss to Seton Hall on Jan. 3 (77-71).

SHOOTING THE ROCK... Providence has shot a higher percentage from the field than its opponents in eight of its 11 games and have posted a 5-3 record in those contests. The Friars are 5-1 on the year when shooting 45-percent or better.

DEFENSE... The Friars rank third among BIG EAST Conference teams in scoring defense (60.5) and field goal percentage defense (.379). Connecticut happens to lead the league in both categories, allowing just 49.7 points per game and holding opponents to .282 shooting.

THREE-POINT THREATS... The Friars currently rank second among BIG EAST teams in three-point field goal percentage. Providence has hit 34.1-percent of its attempts from beyond the arc (60-176). Chanell Williams ranks third among BIG EAST players in three-point percentage (.560, 14-25), while Kyra Spiwak ranks fifth in three-pointers per game (2.0).

KYRA SPIWAK LEADS THE WAY IN BIG EAST PLAY... Kyra Spiwak is averaging a team-best 15.5 points per game in BIG EAST Conference play. She is the only Friar to score in double figures in each of the six conference games, including a career-high 28 points in the first meeting this season against Butler. She recently netted 10 points in the series sweep over the Bulldogs on Jan. 7. In BIG EAST play, she is shooting 44.9-percent from the field (31-69), including 40.5-percent from three-point territory (17-42). In 11 games overall, Spiwak ranks second on the team in scoring at 12.3 points per game.

BASKERVILLE AND WILLIAMS AMONG NCAA DIVISION I ACTIVE CAREER LEADERS... Mary Baskerville ranks 24th among NCAA Division I active career leaders in field-goal percentage (.552). Chanell Williams is ranked 22nd among NCAA Division I active career leaders in games played, with 108.

WILLIAMS PLAYING LIKE A VETERAN LEADER... Through 11 games this season, Williams leads the Friars in steals (1.5 spg), ranks third in scoring (10.2 ppg) assists (2.7 apg) and second in assist/turnover ratio (+1.43). She's shooting 46-percent from the field overall (44-96), including 56-percent from three-point territory (14-25). She has reached double figures in the scoring column six times, including each of the last four games. Williams recorded a season-best 20 points against St. John's on Dec. 19. It marked just the third 20-point game of her career. In Providence's most recent game against Butler (Jan. 3), Williams tallied 16 points, three assists, two steals and a career-high eight rebounds.

ADDING ANOTHER WEAPON TO HER ARSENAL... Not known for her three-point shooting ability, Chanell Williams has shown marked improvement in that area of her game in 2020-21. Through 11 games, she has hit 14-25 attempts from beyond the arc (.560). Prior to this season, Williams converted just 8-41 three-point attempts (.195).

DOUBLE-TROUBLE... Mary Baskerville recorded her third double-double of the season in the Friars' against Seton Hall on 24 points and 10 rebounds. All three of her double-doubles have come during BIG EAST play. Overall, it marked the 15th double-double of her career.

AVERAGING JUST SHY OF A DOUBLE-DOUBLE IN BIG EAST PLAY... In five BIG EAST Conference games, Mary Baskerville is nearly averaging a double-double for Providence with 13.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. Baskerville has posted a double-double in three of the five BIG EAST games she has played this season. She did not play in the Xavier game on Dec. 31. For the season, Baskerville leads the Friars in scoring (14.1 ppg), rebounding (7.3 rpg), blocked shots (1.7 bpg) and is second in steals (1.1 spg).

BASKERVILLE ECLIPSES 500 CAREER REBOUNDS... Mary Baskerville hauled in 11 rebounds on Dec. 5 against Butler and eclipsed the 500-rebound milestone for her career. She currently owns 540 career boards. Through 10 games this season, Baskerville leads the Friars in rebounding with 7.2 boards per contest, which is in line with her career average of 7.4 rebounds per game (73 games).

ALYSSA GEARY PUTTING UP SOLID NUMBERS ACROSS THE BOARD... Alyssa Geary currently ranks fourth on the team in scoring (10.1 ppg, third in rebounding (4.6 rpg), second in blocks (1.5 bpg) and assists (2.9 apg). She scored a career-high 17 points in the season-opener against Quinnipiac and has scored 8+ points in nine of 11 contests, including seven double-digit scoring games. In BIG EAST action, Geary has reached double figures in the scoring column during each of the last four games and ranks fourth among her teammates in scoring average vs. league opponents (10.5 ppg).

IN THE SHADOWS... While Chanell Williams got credit for a game-high 20 points and Mary Baskerville recorded a double-double, Alyssa Geary was all over the stat sheet against St. John's. She helped guide the Friars to victory with 14 points, six rebounds, three steals and a team-high four assists. She shot 6-12 from the field, including 2-4 from the three-point arc. She played the second-most minutes of any Friar in that game (32), and was +26 in the plus/minus efficiency rating.

OLIVIA ORLANDO MAKES AN IMPACT IN HER RETURN... In the Friars' season opener against Quinnipiac, Olivia Orlando returned to the court for the first time since Jan. 17 - when she sustained a season-ending injury against St. John's and missed Providence's final 14 games of the 2019-20 campaign. She has started all 11 games for Providence this season and leads the team in assists (3.2 apg) and assist/turnover ratio (+2.06). She also ranks second in rebounding (6.1 rpg), and has contributed 3.8 points and 1.3 steals per game. She recently dished a game-high four assists against Butler and added five rebounds and two steals.

TAKING CHARGE... Senior forward Andrea Cooper leads the Friars in a stat that largely goes unnoticed - taking charges. Through 11 games, Cooper has taken a team-best 13 charges.

20-POINT GAMES... Three Friars have scored 20-or-more points in a game this season. Mary Baskerville leads the way, having eclipsed the 20-point mark, twice. She scored 20 points against Boston College on Dec. 2 and a career-high 24 points against Seton Hall on Jan. 3. She owns six 20-point games in her career. Kyra Spiwak became the second Friar to reach the 20-point plateau this season, scoring a career-high 28 points against Butler. It marked the second 20-point game of her career, and first 20-point game in BIG EAST Conference action. Chanell Williams scored a season-best 20 points against St. John's, marking the third 20-point game of her career.

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.

FRIARS HANDLE ST. JOHN'S IN BIG EAST ACTION... In the Friars defeated St. John's, 76-53, on Dec. 19 in Providence, R.I. St. John's managed a one-point lead on two occasions in the first quarter, but it was all Providence after that. The Friars took a 34-24 advantage into halftime and maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way. Four Friars reached double figures in the scoring column led by Chanell Williams' 20 points. Providence shot 46.2-percent from the field (30-65), while St. John's shot 39.6-percent (19-48). The Friars also held a 37-28 advantage in rebounding. Providence's 37 boards marked a season high as a team, matching its total of 37 in the season opener vs. Quinnipiac.

LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY IN BIG EAST PLAY SINCE 1996... The Friars' 23-point win over St. John's on Dec. 19 (76-53) is the largest margin of victory for Providence during BIG EAST play since defeating Pittsburgh by 27 (90-63) on Feb. 21, 1996.

CHANELL WILLIAMS NAMED TO BIG EAST WEEKLY HONOR ROLL AFTER 20-POINT OUTING VS. ST. JOHN'S... Chanell Williams was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday, Dec. 21. Williams led all scorers with a season-high 20 points to help Providence defeat St. John's, 76-53, on Dec. 19 in Providence, R.I. She shot 7-12 from the field, including 4-6 from beyond the three-point arc. She also dished three assists and collected two rebounds and two steals. She did not commit a turnover during her 28 minutes on the floor.

KYRA SPIWAK EARNS BIG EAST WEEKLY RECOGNITION FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HER CAREER... Senior guard Kyra Spiwak was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Dec. 7. It marked the first weekly league honor of Spiwak's career with the Friars. Spiwak averaged 14.3 points per game in three contests last week, including 19.0 points per game in BIG EAST Conference play. She netted 10 points in the Friars' conference opener at Marquette (Dec. 4) and followed with a career-high 28 points at Butler the next day. Twenty-three of her 28 points against the Bulldogs came during the first half in just 17 minutes of action. For the game, Spiwak shot 10-17 from the field, including 8-12 from three-point territory.

MARY BASKERVILLE NAMED TO BIG EAST WEEKLY HONOR ROLL... Junior forward Mary Baskerville was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Nov. 30. She guided the Friars to a 2-1 record to open the season, averaging 16.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.3 blocked shots, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steals per game. She shot an impressive .649 from the field, hitting 24-37 attempts from the floor. In the season opener at Quinnipiac, Baskerville recorded 15 points, a season-high nine rebounds and two assists in just 16 minutes of action. Over the weekend, she posted 16 points and seven boards against Rhode Island and a season-high 18 points and five rebounds against Bryant. Baskerville recorded a career-best five blocked shots against the Bulldogs.

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).

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.

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 are scheduled to face Villanova on Wednesday, Jan. 13 at Finneran Pavilion in Villanova, Pa. Tip-off is slated for 2:00 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live on the BIG EAST Digital Network via FloHoops.

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Players Mentioned

Mary Baskerville

Andrea Cooper

Alyssa Geary

Olivia Orlando

Kyra Spiwak

Chanell Williams