Providence College Athletics
Providence College
Massachusetts
Women's Basketball Game Notes vs. UMass
11/22/2021 9:23:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Friars host the Minutewomen at Alumni Hall on Tuesday, Nov. 23 at 4:00 p.m.
FRIARS SET TO HOST UMASS PRIOR TO THANKSGIVING ... The Providence College women's basketball team will host UMass on Tuesday, Nov. 23 at 4:00 p.m. The game will be played at Alumni Hall/Mullaney Gymnasium in Providence, R.I. and will be broadcast live on FloSports. It marks the third game of a seven-game home stand for the Friars.
PROVIDENCE VS. UMASS ALL-TIME... Tuesday's game between Providence and UMass will mark the 21st meeting all-time. The Friars lead the series, 13-7.
STREAKING... The Friars have earned victories in each of the last six meetings between the two programs. Five of those wins occurred between 2007 and 2011. Providence and UMass renewed the series during the 2019-20 season, during which the Friars claimed a 72-63 win in Amherst, Mass. (Nov. 9, 2019).
LAST TIME UMASS DEFEATED PROVIDENCE... The last time UMass defeated Providence dates back to Dec. 4, 2004. On that day, the Minutewomen earned a 53-39 victory at Alumni Hall.
FRIARS AND MINUTEWOMEN AT ALUMNI HALL... The first game between the Friars and the Minutewomen was held at the Providence Civic Center on Jan. 29, 1977. UMass earned an 84-56 victory. Since then, each meeting played in Providence has been at Alumni Hall/Mullaney Gymnasium, where the Friars have earned a 5-3 record vs. UMass.
HOME-SWEET-HOME... The Friars will play 13 of their first 17 games at home in Alumni Hall/Mullaney Gymnasium in Providence, R.I. Through the first two months of the season, the Friars leave the city of Providence just twice. On Nov. 13, the Friars traveled to Orono, Maine to face the Black Bears. On Dec. 31, Providence will travel to Cincinnati, Ohio to take on Xavier (and remain on the road to face Butler on Jan. 2). Providence's only other road game during the months of November and December will be played at Brown University, which is located in Providence, R.I.
FRIARS SEEKING FIRST HOME WIN OF THE SEASON... The Friars are currently 0-3 this season at Alumni Hall. Providence picked up its lone victory of the young season at Maine (66-61, OT) on Nov. 13.
JANAI CROOMS FINISHED ONE ASSIST SHY OF A TRIPLE-DOUBLE AGAINST BOSTON COLLEGE... Junior Janai Crooms finished one assist shy of a triple-double against Boston College on Nov. 20 with 17 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. It marked her second double-double of the season and fourth of her career. She joins Mary Baskerville as the only two players on the roster this season with a double-double.Â
KYLEE SHEPPARD RETURNS TO THE COURT AFTER A TWO GAME ABSENCE AGAINST BOSTON COLLEGE... Freshman Kylee Sheppard missed two games with an injury before returning to the court against Boston College on Nov. 20. She tallied a career-high 18 points, seven rebounds and three steals against the Eagles.
MARY BASKERVILLE NOTCHES FIRST DOUBLE-DOUBLE OF THE SEASON... Mary Baskerville recorded 15 points and 11 rebounds against URI on Nov. 17, marking her first double-double of the season. Baskerville owns 18 double-doubles in her career with the Friars.Â
CLEANING THE GLASS... Providence has recorded 40+ rebounds in three of its four games to start the season. Last year, Providence only eclipsed 40 rebounds in one game (49 vs. Butler, 3/5/21). As a team, the Friars are averaging 40.3 rebounds per game.Â
FRIARS SET TO MAKE THEIR RETURN TO THE DUNKIN' DONUTS CENTER... The Friars will host a game at the Dunkin' Donuts Center for the first time since 2010 when they welcome Connecticut on Sunday, Jan. 30. Tip-off is set for 11:00 a.m. It marks the first time Providence has played a game at the Dunkin' Donuts Center since Feb. 6, 2010 against West Virginia.
NEW LOOK FRIARS... The Friars welcome eight new faces to the program this season, including two transfers and six freshmen. Andreana Wrister is a graduate transfer, who played four seasons at Tennessee State. Janai Crooms, a native of Cranston, R.I., has played three seasons of NCAA Division I basketball in the Big Ten at Ohio State and Michigan State. Both Wrister and Crooms are guards. Four more guards will join the rotation as freshmen in Kylee Sheppard, Meghan Huerter, Nariah Scott and Audrey Koch. Olivia Olsen and Emily Archibald join the front court for their rookie seasons in the college ranks.
PROVIDENCE PICKED TO FINISH EIGHTH IN BIG EAST PRESEASON COACHES' POLL... The Friars were picked to finish eighth in the 2021-22 BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll, which was released at the league's annual media day at MSG in New York City. The Friars recorded 32 points in the poll and sit above Georgetown (27), Xavier (18) and Butler (17). Connecticut was a unanimous selection to win the league for a second-straight season.
MARY BASKERVILLE NAMED TO ALL-BIG EAST SECOND TEAM AT THE CONCLUSION OF 2020-21 SEASON... Last season, Mary Baskerville led Providence College in scoring (12.7 ppg), rebounding (6.5 rpg), blocked shots (1.8 bpg), steals (1.4 spg) and field-goal percentage (.538, 112-208). For her efforts, she was named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team. It marked her first postseason honor since earning BIG EAST Freshman of the Year and BIG EAST All-Freshman Team accolades in 2019.Â
CLEARED FOR TAKE-OFF... The NCAA cleared Janai Crooms to play during the 2021-22 season on Nov. 4, prior to the Friars' exhibition game against Bentley. Crooms was a four-star recruit and ranked No. 36 in 2018 class by Prospect Nation coming out of St. Andrew's (Barrington, R.I.). She played two seasons at Ohio State (2018-20) before transferring to Michigan State for the 2020-21 campaign. Crooms has two years of eligibility remaining, including the current 2021-22 seasons.
CROOMS SHINES IN EARLY STAGES OF 2021-22 SEASON... Cranston, R.I. native Janai Crooms made her debut with the Friars on Nov. 9 against Yale. She played the previous three seasons in the Big Ten at Ohio State and Michigan State and has two years of eligibility with the Friars. Through four games, she leads the team in scoring (16.8 ppg), rebounding (10.5 rpg), assists (5.0 apg) and steals (2.5 spg). She ranks second among her teammates blocked shots (1.5 bpg). Crooms has recorded a team-best two double-doubles. In the Friars' most recent game against Boston College (Nov. 20) she fell one assist shy of a triple-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.Â
MARY BASKERVILLE RANKS 20th ALL-TIME AT PROVIDENCE IN CAREER REBOUNDS... Senior Mary Baskerville ranks 20th all-time in career boards at Providence with 623. She hauled in a team-best nine rebounds in the Friars' season opener against Yale (Nov. 9) and passed former Friar Mi-Khida Hankins '11 (602) in the rankings.Â
1,000-POINT MILESTONE ON THE HORIZON... Mary Baskerville has scored 946 points (86 games) with the Friars. She is on pace to become the 35th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point milestone.
TWO-TIME MAINE GATORADE PLAYER OF THE YEAR EMILY ARCHIBALD RETURNS TO HER HOME STATE AND DROPS 20 ON THE BLACK BEARS... Freshman forward Emily Archibald has had an impressive start to her career with the Friars. Through two games, she is averaging 15.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, while shooting .522 from the field (12-23). On Nov. 13, she returned to her home State of Maine and dropped a team and career high 20 points on the Black Bears. She shot 57-percent from the field (8-14) and added six boards and two steals. Archibald is a two-time Maine Gatorade Player of the Year (2020, 2021) and was named Miss Maine Basketball (2021).
JANAI CROOMS NAMED TO BIG EAST WEEKLY HONOR ROLL... Janai Crooms was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday, Nov. 15. In two games last week to start the 2021-22 season, she averaged 18.0 points, 13.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 3.0 steals and 2.5 blocked shots per game. Her 13.0 rebounds per game is a BIG EAST best to start the season. In the Friars' most recent game against Maine (Nov. 13), Crooms exploded for 18 points, 19 rebounds, five assists, four blocked shots and two steals.
FRIARS IN THE POSTSEASON... The Friars' last appeared in the postseason during the 2018-19 campaign, when their current senior class came on to the scene as freshmen. Providence's 2019 WNIT selection marked the program's 15th post-season appearance overall and first since 2010. In 2019-20, NCAA and WNIT Championships were canceled to the Covid-19 pandemic, and Friars did not qualify for postseason during the abbreviated 2020-21 campaign. Complete post-season breakdown follows (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)
FRIARS DROP 66-53 DECISION TO URI... The Friars fell to URI, 66-53, on Nov. 17 in Providence, R.I. Providence got out to a 12-5 lead, but the experienced Rams recovered to take a 17-14 advantage at the first intermission. URI held a slim scoring advantage in two of the next three quarters to take the win. Turnovers and the three-point line were key factors in the outcome. The Friars turned the ball over 21 times, which led to 23 of the Rams' points - including 17 points in the first quarter alone. URI converted nine three-point field goals (.474) compared to a 2-14 showing for the Friars (.143). Mary Baskerville led the Friars with 15 points and 11 boards. URI got a game-high 21 points from Dolly Cairns and a 15 points and 17 rebound effort from Seton Hall graduate transfer Dez Elmore.
FRIARS OVERCOME 17-POINT DEFICIT TO DEFEAT MAINE IN OVERTIME...The Friars started 1-13 from the field against Maine on Nov 13 and had to overcome a 17-point deficit to take the win in overtime (66-61). A strong second quarter got the momentum going for PC, outscoring the Black Bears, 21-11, and cutting the deficit to 28-24 at halftime. In the fourth quarter, Maine gained a 54-48 advantage on an 8-0 run with 5:45 remaining on the clock. Maine went scoreless for over two and a half minutes and the Friars managed to tie the game, 56-56, capped by a traditional three-point play from Mary Baskerville. In overtime, Providence outscored Maine 10-5. Freshman Emily Archibald (four) and junior Janai Crooms (three) combined to score seven of the Friars' 10 points in the extra session. Archibald paced the Friars with 20 points, while Crooms recorded a double-double on 18 points and 19 rebounds. Senior Alyssa Geary contributed 15 points.
FRIARS DROP SEASON OPENER TO YALE IN OVERTIME... The Friars dropped their season opener to Yale in overtime (63-57) on Nov. 9 in Providence, R.I. The Bulldogs used a +9 scoring advantage at the free throw line, which proved to be a critical factor in the game. Providence shot just 9-20 from the stripe (.450), while the Bulldogs shot 18-23 (.783). Janai Crooms led the Friars with 18 points in her debut with the program and also added seven rebounds, four assists and four steals. Senior Mary Baskerville contributed 11 points, nine rebounds, six blocked shots and four steals before fouling out. Freshman Emily Archibald started at forward and played 36 minutes in her collegiate debut, recording 10 points, five rebounds and two assists.
WHAT'S NEXT... The Friars will return to action on Nov. 28 against Monmouth. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m. at Alumni Hall in Providence, R.I.
FOUR GAMES IN EIGHT DAYS... When the Friars tip-off against Monmouth on Nov. 28 it will start a stretch of four games in eight days. That stretch concludes with a pair of BIG EAST games against Villanova (Dec. 3) and Georgetown (Dec. 5). It also marks the final four games in a seven-game home stand.
