Providence College Athletics
Providence College
Quinnipiac
Women's Basketball Game Notes vs. Quinnipiac
12/9/2021 2:42:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Friars finish off non-conference play on Dec. 11 against the Bobcats.
FRIARS CLOSE OUT THE NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE AGAINST QUINNIPIAC... The Friars will close out their 2021-22 non-conference schedule on Saturday, Dec. 11 against Quinnipiac University. The game will be played at Alumni Hall in Providence, R.I. at 1:00 p.m.
ALL-TIME VS. QUINNIPIAC... The Friars and Bobcats have met eight times during the history of the two women's basketball programs. Quinnipiac leads the all-time series, 5-3, including victories in each of the last three meetings.
LAST MEETING... Providence and Quinnipiac last met on Nov. 25, 2020, marking the season opener for both programs. The two schools were not originally scheduled to play, but added one another to the schedule to replace opponents who paused activity due to COVID-19. Quinnipiac won the game, 71-65, in Hamden, Conn. Alyssa Geary (17 points) and Mary Baskerville (15 points) led the Friars in scoring. Quinnipiac was paced offensively by Rose Caverly (20 points) and Mikala Morris (17 points).Â
FRIARS WIN FOUR OF THEIR LAST FIVE... The Friars started the season 1-4, but have righted the ship to win four of their last five games. In the most recent stretch, Providence's only loss came against BIG EAST foe Georgetown (55-47), while defeating Monmouth (64-34), Hartford (73-62), Villanova (66-47) and Brown (59-43). A statistical comparison of the Friars' first five games and last five games is below:
FRIARS COMING OFF 59-43 WIN AT BROWN... The Friars are coming off of a 59-43 victory at cross-city rival Brown on Dec. 8. Janai Crooms recorded her team-best fourth double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while also chipping in eight assists. Alyssa Geary also scored 14 points and contributed eight rebounds and two assists. Freshman Olivia Olsen came off the bench to provide a big spark for the Friars with a career-high 13 points and nine rebounds. The Friars' defensive effort held the Bears to single digits in the second and third quarter to run away with the game. Providence dominated the glass with a season-best 51 rebounds (51-30).
OLIVIA OLSEN PROVIDES A SPARK... The Friars were trailing Brown, 12-7, in the first quarter before freshman Olivia Olsen came off the bench with 4:43 on the clock. Upon entering the game, she scored five points on 2-3 shooting and grabbed two rebounds, helping to turn a five-point deficit into a 21-17 advantage. Olsen went on to finish the game with a career-high 13 points and also matched her career high in rebounding (nine). Through 10 games this season, Olsen has shot an impressive 67-percent from the floor (24-36) and is averaging 6.0 points and 4.4 rebounds in just 16 minutes per game.
FRIARS START BIG EAST PLAY 1-1... Providence College opened BIG EAST Conference play with a 1-1 record. The Friars got a 66-47 victory over Villanova on Dec. 3, but closed the weekend with a 55-47 loss against Georgetown (Dec. 5). Senior Alyssa Geary paced the Friars during opening weekend with 16.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.Â
FRIARS GETTING ON THE BOARDS... Providence has recorded 40+ rebounds in six of its 10 games to start the season, including two games with 50+ boards. Last year, Providence only eclipsed 40 rebounds in one game (49 vs. Butler, 3/5/21). As a team, the Friars are averaging 40.5 rebounds per game. The Friars hauled in a season-best 51 rebounds in their most recent game against Brown.
FRIARS RANK 13TH IN THE NATION IN DEFENSIVE REBOUNDING... Providence ranks 13th in the nation in defensive rebounds, averaging 30.8 per game. Through 10 games, Providence ranks 26th in the NCAA in total rebounds (405) and 84th (of 348 teams) in rebounds per game (40.5).
JANAI CROOMS LEADS THE BIG EAST WITH SIX DOUBLE-DIGIT REBOUNDING GAMES... Janai Crooms ranks second in the BIG EAST in rebounding (10.1 rpg), but leads the league in double-digit rebounding games, with six. DePaul's Aneesah Morrow is first in rebounding (11.3 rpg) and second in double-digit rebounding games (four).
DOUBLE-TROUBLE... Janai Crooms leads the Friars and is tied for the BIG EAST lead in double-doubles, with four. Alyssa Geary and Mary Baskerville are the only other Friars to record double-doubles this season, with one apiece. Baskerville has 18 double-doubles in her career, which ranks third in the BIG EAST among active players.
BLOCK PARTY... The Friars currently lead the BIG EAST and rank sixth in the nation in blocked shots (60). Providence also ranks first in the league blocks per game and ranks 15th in NCAA Division I (6.0 bpg). Mary Baskerville leads the Friars in blocked shots (13) despite playing just four games. Janai Crooms (12) and Olivia Olsen (11) also have reached double figures in blocks.
CROOMS ONE OF TWO PLAYERS IN BIG EAST AVERAGING A DOUBLE-DOUBLE... Janai Crooms is one of just two players in the BIG EAST who are currently averaging a double-double. Through 10 games, Crooms has put up 13.7 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. DePaul's Aneesah Morrow also is averaging a double-double with 18.4 points and 11.3 rebounds per contest.
FLIRTING WITH THE PROGRAM'S FIRST TRIPLE-DOUBLE... Janai Crooms has narrowly missed out on a bid for a triple-double in three games this season. On Nov. 20 against Boston College, she finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Against Hartford on Dec. 1, she logged 25 points, 11 boards and eight assists. On Dec. 8 against Brown, Crooms put up 14 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. In the program's 48-year existence, a Friar has never recorded a triple-double.
STREAKING... In the season opener vs. Yale on Nov. 9, senior Alyssa Geary went 0-7 from the floor and was held scoreless. Since then, Geary has reached double figures in nine-straight games. She enters Saturday's game against Quinnipiac ranked second on the team in scoring (13.2 ppg) and assists (2.8 apg), while also contributing 4.9 rebounds per game. She has converted 44.8-percent of her attempts from the field (47-105) and 76.9-percent of her attempts at the stripe (30-39).
GEARY PLAYS SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN THE FRIARS' 4-1 STRETCH... Providence is 4-1 in its last five games and Alyssa Geary has been a big influence on the court during that stretch. She has led the team in scoring (13.8 ppg) and has posted the second-highest rebounding (6.6 rpg) and assist (2.4 apg) totals on the team. Additionally, she has combined to shoot 49-percent from the field in the last five games (23-47), including a 40-percent clips from beyond the three-point arc (6-15). She also has converted 81-percent of her free throws (17-21).
BALANCED ATTACK... Through 10 games, the Friars have had six different players lead the team in scoring. Janai Crooms and Alyssa Geary are the only players to repeat as the team's leading scorer. Of the four remaining players to lead the squad, three are freshman: Emily Archibald (20 vs. Maine), Kylee Sheppard (18 vs. Boston College) and Olivia Olsen (12 vs. Monmouth). They are joined by Mary Baskerville (15 vs. URI), who has played in just four games this season.
TWO-TIME MAINE GATORADE PLAYER OF THE YEAR EMILY ARCHIBALD RETURNS TO HER HOME STATE AND DROPS 20 ON THE BLACK BEARS... On Nov. 13, Kennebunk, Maine native Emily Archibald 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).
ALYSSA GEARY NETS CAREER-BEST 24 POINTS AGAINST UMASS... Senior forward Alyssa Geary scored a career-high 24 points against UMass on Nov. 23. It marked the second 20-point game of Geary's career. She previously scored 22 points in a match up against BIG EAST foe Villanova during the 2020-21 campaign. Against the Minutewomen, she shot 8-20 from the field and was 7-8 from the charity stripe. Her seven made free throws tied her career high. In addition to her 24 points, she added seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.
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.
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 956 points with the Friars in 87 career games. She is on pace to become the 35th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point milestone, needing just 44 points.
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.
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.
ALYSSA GEARY NAMED TO BIG EAST WEEKLY HONOR ROLL... Alyssa Geary earned BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll accolades on Dec. 6, following her performance against Villanova and Georgetown in conference play. She averaged 16.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Geary also collected her first double-double of the season - and second of her career- against Villanova on Dec. 3 with 18 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. She combined to shoot 43-percent from the field (9-21) and 85-percent from the foul line (11-13).
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. In the Friars' 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 OVERPOWER MONMOUTH FOR FIRST HOME WIN... The Friars overpowered Monmouth from start to finish in a 64-34 victory on Nov. 28. It marked the Friars first victory at home this season after dropping their first four games at Alumni Hall. Freshman Olivia Olsen scored 12 points to lead three Friars in double figures. Kaci Donovan led Monmouth with seven points.Â
SHORT-HANDED FRIARS FALL TO EXPERIENCED UMASS SQUAD... Providence fell to UMass, 80-62, on Nov. 23 in Providence, R.I. The Friars had just eight players available for the game due to various injuries - four of which were freshmen. Providence got out to a 20-12 lead after 10 minutes of play, but the Minutewomen outscored the Friars 49-23 during the course of the second and third quarters to take control of the game. UMass held a 49-33 advantage on the glass and used a 24-6 edge in second chance points.
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 resume BIG EAST Conference play against Creighton on Sunday, Dec. 19 at 1:00 p.m. The game will be played at Alumni Hall in Providence, R.I. and will be broadcast live on the BIG EAST Digital Network via FloSports.
