Providence College Athletics
Providence College
Yale
Women's Basketball Game Notes vs. Yale
11/8/2021 9:11:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Friars open the 2021-22 season on Tuesday, Nov. 9 at 4:00 p.m.
FRIARS WELCOME YALE TO ALUMNI HALL FOR SEASON OPENER... The Providence College women's basketball team will host Yale in the 2021-22 season opener on Tuesday, Nov. 9 at Alumni Hall in Providence, R.I. Tip-off is set for 4:00 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live on FloSports/FloHoops.
PROVIDENCE ALL-TIME IN SEASON OPENERS... The Friars are 28-19 all-time in season openers during the program's 47-year history. Providence is 2-3 in season openers under the direction of Jim Crowley.
FRIARS AND BULLDOGS ALL-TIME... Providence and Yale have met 14 times during the history of the two women's basketball programs. The Friars lead the all-time series, 12-2. The Friars are 2-1 vs. Yale since renewing the series in 2017 under the direction of Head Coach Jim Crowley
MOST RECENT MEETING BETWEEN PROVIDENCE AND YALE... The Friars traveled to New Haven, Conn. on Nov. 5, 2019 and led 42-33 at the half, but the remainder of the game was suspended due to a scoreboard malfunction. The game was eventually completed on Dec. 3 and the Bulldogs managed to pull out an 82-79 victory. Mary Baskerville paced the Friars with 19 points and nine rebounds. Ellen Andrews (23) and Roxy Barahman (19) combined to score 42 points to lead Yale.Â
YALE RETURNS TO THE COURT FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2019-20 SEASON... Yale has not played a game since March 7, 2020, completing the 2019-20 campaign with regular-season victory against Harvard (60-58). The Ivy League Tournament was then canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Ivy League Council of Presidents decided that league schools would not conduct intercollegiate athletics competitions in winter sports during the 2020-21 season. Yale completed the 2019-20 schedule with a 19-8 overall record.
PLAYERS TO WATCH... Camilla Emsbo, a 6-5 forward, is the lone remaining member of the starting line-up from Yale's 2019-20 team, finishing that season as a Second Team All-Ivy selection. She averaged 15.0 points per game.
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 travel 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.
PRESEASON TUNE-UP... The Friars defeated NCAA Division II Bentley, 64-46, in an exhibition game on Nov. 4 in Providence, R.I. Four Friars reached double figures in the scoring column, led by freshman Kylee Sheppard (14 points). Fellow freshman Olivia Olsen came off the bench to record 11 points, while Mary Baskerville and Janai Crooms each contributed 10 points. Graduate transfer Andreana Wrister hauled in a team-high seven rebounds, and freshman Audrey Koch put up a solid line of eight points, four rebounds and a team-high five assists.
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
ALYSSA GEARY LOOKS TO PICK UP WHERE SHE LEFT OFF... Senior Alyssa Geary returns for her senior year having shown steady progress in her game each of the previous three seasons. Last year, she started all 21 games ranked second among her teammates in (11.4 ppg) and blocked shots (1.3 bpg) and third in rebounding (4.8 rpg) and assists (2.4 apg). Geary recorded a team-best 15 double-digit scoring games, including six-straight to finish the season. She led the Friars in scoring (14.5 ppg), rebounding (6.5 rpg) and blocked shots (2.0 bpg) during the BIG EAST Tournament, including 19 points and nine rebounds in the Friars' First Round victory over Butler (Mar. 3).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.
MARY BASKERVILLE RANKS 21ST ALL-TIME AT PROVIDENCE IN CAREER REBOUNDS... Senior Mary Baskerville enters the 2021-22 season with 597 career rebounds. She currently ranks 21st all-time in career boards at Providence. She needs just six rebonds to take over 20th on the list, which is occupied by Mi-Khida Hankins '11 (602).Â
1,000-POINT MILESTONE ON THE HORIZON... Mary Baskerville has scored 915 points in 83 career games with the Friars. She is on pace to become the 35th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point milestone.
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 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 hit the road to face the Maine Black Bears in non-conference action on Saturday, Nov. 13. The game will be played in Orono, Maine and is scheduled to tip-off at 1:00 p.m.
