Women's Basketball Game Notes vs. Marquette

FRIARS SET TO HOST MARQUETTE... The Friars will host BIG EAST foe Marquette on Saturday, Feb. 13 at Alumni Hall in Providence, R.I. It marks the Friars' first home game since Jan. 7. Tip-off is slated for 1:00 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on the BIG EAST Digital Network / FloHoops.

SENIOR DAY... Prior to Saturday's game, the Friars will honor their senior class, consisting of Andrea Cooper, Olivia Orlando, Kyra Spiwak, Chanell Williams and team manager Jen Cappucci. The ceremony will begin at 12:39 p.m. and will be streamed live for family via YouTube.

FRIARS LOOKING TO EVEN THE SEASON SERIES... Providence and Marquette will meet for the second time this season on Feb. 13. The two teams met earlier in the year on Dec. 4 in Milwaukee, which marked the BIG EAST opener for both programs. The Golden Eagles claimed an 89-40 victory. Marquette closed the first quarter on an 8-0 spurt and then extended its run to 19-0 in the second quarter, while the Friars were scoreless for 10 minutes of action. The Golden Eagles mounted a 41-12 lead at halftime and never looked back. Kyra Spiwak was the lone Friar to score in double figures with 10 points. Olivia Orlando grabbed eight rebounds and dished five assists. Jordan King and Selena Lott each recorded 18 points for Marquette, while Lauren Van Kleunen chipped in 17 points. The Golden Eagles dominated the boards, 50-23, and outscored the Friars 32-6 in points off of turnovers.

PROVIDENCE VS. MARQUETTE ALL-TIME... Providence and Marquette have met 24 times during the history of the two programs. The Golden Eagles lead the series, 19-5, and have earned victories in 12 of the last 13 meetings, including each of the last seven games.

FRIARS AND GOLDEN EAGLES AT ALUMNI HALL... The Friars and Golden Eagles have met 11 times at Alumni Hall in Providence, R.I. The Golden Eagles lead the series at Alumni, 9-2, including victories including each of the last three meetings.

LAST TIME PROVIDENCE DEFEATED MARQUETTE... The last time Providence College defeated Marquette dates back to Jan. 27, 2017. On that day, the Friars earned a 66-64 victory at Alumni Hall in Providence, R.I.

SHORT-HANDED FRIARS TAKE DOWN CREIGHTON ON THE ROAD... Providence College traveled to Omaha, Neb. with seven active players on Feb. 10 and left DJ Sokol Arena with a 60-48 victory. It marked just the second win all-time for the Friars on Creighton's home court. Providence led for 36:30 of the game, including a 14-point margin with 6:26 left in the third quarter. The Bluejays inched within 51-44 as Providence went scoreless for over four minutes of action. Sophia Widmeyer halted the run with a three-point bucket on the left wing to push the Friars' lead back to double digits (54-44), sparking a 7-0 run en route to a decisive win (60-48). Chanell Williams led all scorers with 17 points and added four rebounds, four assists, two steals and one blocked shot. Mary Baskerville registered her fourth double-double of the season on 14 points and 10 boards.

WILLIAMS PUT HER STAMP ON THE FRIARS' VICTORY AT CREIGHTON... Chanell Williams put her stamp on the Friars' victory at Creighton with a solid line in the boxscore. She paced all scorers in the game with 17 points on 6-13 shooting and a 4-4 performance from the foul line. She also dished a game-high four assists and added four rebounds, two steals and one blocked shot.

DOUBLE-TROUBLE... Mary Baskerville recorded her fourth double-double of the season in the Friars' most recent game against Creighton with 14 points and 10 rebounds. All four of her double-doubles have come during BIG EAST play. Overall, she owns 16 double-doubles in her career. During the game at Creighton, she also added to her stat line with four blocked shots, three steals and one assist, while shooting 50-percent from the field (6-12).

SOPHIA WIDMEYER ANSWERED THE BELL... Junior Sophia Widmeyer has averaged 9.1 minutes off the bench this season in a reserve role, but she answered the bell when her team needed her the most in a win over Creighton on Feb. 10. The Friars traveled just seven active players to face the Bluejays. Widmeyer was called to action, playing a season-high 32 minutes. She grabbed a career-high nine rebounds and two steals, and hit the most critical shot of the game with 4:00 minutes left in regulation to halt a four-minute Providence scoring drought and give her team a 54-44 lead. Her shot sparked a 7-0 run and put the game away.

GETTING OFF TO A GOOD START... The Friars are 6-1 this season when leading at halftime. On the flip side, Providence has compiled an 0-7 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 nine of its 14 games and have posted a 6-3 record in those contests. The Friars also are 5-1 on the year when shooting 45-percent or better.

DEFENSE... The Friars rank second among BIG EAST Conference teams in scoring defense (62.0 ppg) and field goal percentage defense (.391). Providence has held eight of its 14 opponents below 40-percent from the field this season.

KYRA SPIWAK LEADS THE WAY IN BIG EAST PLAY... Kyra Spiwak is averaging a team-best 13.1 points per game in BIG EAST Conference play. She has reached double-digits in the scoring column in seven of the Friars' nine league games, including a career-high 28 points in the first meeting this season against Butler. In BIG EAST play, she is shooting 43-percent from the field (39-93), including 39-percent from three-point territory (20-52). In 13 games overall, Spiwak ranks second on the team in scoring at 11.4 points per game.

SPIWAK RANKS SECOND IN THE BIG EAST IN FREE-THROW PERCENTAGE... Kyra Spiwak ranks second among BIG EAST players in free-throw percentage. She has converted 86.1-percent of her attempts from the stripe (31-36). Sonya Morris (DePaul) leads the BIG EAST in free-throw percentage (.889, 32-36). Over the course of the last five games, she has hit a all 11 of her free-throw attempts (11-11), including a 5-5 performance vs. Seton Hall on Jan. 3.

WILLIAMS PLAYING LIKE A VETERAN LEADER... Through 14 games this season, Williams leads the Friars in steals (1.4 spg), second in assists (2.9 apg) and assist/turnover ratio (+1.48) and fourth in scoring (10.4 ppg). She's shooting 44-percent from the field overall (57-131), including 47-percent from three-point territory (15-32). She has reached double figures in the scoring column eight times, including six of the last seven 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. She paced all scorers with 17 points in the Friars' most recent game at Creighton.

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 and ranks third among BIG EAST players in three-point percentage. Through 14 games, she has hit 15-32 attempts from beyond the arc (.469). Prior to this season, Williams converted just 8-41 three-point attempts (.195).

CLIMBING THE LADDER... Chanell Williams enters Saturday's game with 289 career assists. She is two assists shy of taking sole possession of 15th place on the Friars' all-time list, currently held by Sonya Lewis '94, with 290 handouts.

ON THE BOARDS... Mary Baskerville leads the Friars in rebounding this season with 6.9 boards per game. In 76 career games, she has posted an average of 7.3 rebounds per game (557 total rebounds). It currently ranks as the eighth best career rebounding average in program history.

LONGTERM GOALS... Mary Baskerville enters Saturday's game against Marquette with 833 career points, and is on pace to become the 35th player in program history to eclipse the 1,000-point milestone. Through 76 career games and in the midst of just her third season with the team, she has averaged 11.0 points per game during her career.

ALYSSA GEARY PUTTING UP SOLID NUMBERS ACROSS THE BOARD... Alyssa Geary currently ranks third on the team in scoring (10.8 ppg), rebounding (4.3 rpg) and assists (2.6 apg) and is second in blocked shots (1.1 bpg). She has reached double figures in the scoring column in six of the last seven game, including a career-best 22 points against Villanova (Feb. 3). The only game during that span she failed to reach double digits came against Creighton (eight points), after being saddled with foul trouble.

GEARY HAS CAREER DAY AGAINST THE WILDCATS... Junior Alyssa Geary scored a career-best 22 points in the Friars' loss to Villanova on Feb. 3. She shot 7-16 from the field and was 7-8 from the foul line in the game, while also adding one assist and one steal. Not only did Geary's 22-point effort mark a career high, but it also marks her first career 20+ point game.

20-POINT GAMES... Four Friars have scored 20-or-more points in a game this season. Mary Baskerville leads the way, having eclipsed the 20-point mark, twice, 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. Alyssa Geary is the most recent Friar to reach the 20-point mark, with a career-best 22 against Villanova on Feb. 3. It marked the first 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 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 each home game, the program has invited families "into Alumni Hall" virtually via Zoom, and will continue the trend for the remainder of their regular-season. 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.

FRIARS SUFFER 67-53 LOSS AT VILLANOVA ON FEB. 3... Providence fell to Villanova on Feb. 3 (67-53). The Friars were within striking distance heading into the final 10 minutes of play (43-36), but an 8-0 run midway through the fourth quarter gave the Wildcats a 15 points lead. Kyra Spiwak halted the run with a pair of free throws and the Friars held an 8-7 scoring advantage to close the game, but fell to the Wildcats, 67-53.

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 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 FOR SECOND TIME THIS SEASON... Senior guard Chanell Williams was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Jan. 11. It marked her second appearance on the league's weekly honor roll this season, having previously been recognized on Dec. 21. In a 1-1 week for the Friars, Williams averaged 11.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game. She shot a combined 52.6-percent from the field, converting 10 of her 19 field goal attempts. She opened the week with 16 points and a career-high eight rebounds in a 62-50 victory over Butler on Jan. 7. Williams knocked down 7-12 shots from the field (.583), including 1-2 from beyond the three-point line. She also added three assists and two steals. On Jan. 9, Williams recorded a team-best four assists and two steals to go along with six points in the Friars' match-up against No. 3 Connecticut.

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 play back-to-back games on the road against Seton Hall (Feb. 20) and St. John's (Feb. 21). The game against the Red Storm was recently added as a rescheduled contest to replace a previously postponed date on Jan. 30. Tip-off at Seton Hall is scheduled for 1:00 p.m., and 2:00 p.m. at St. John's.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mary Baskerville

Andrea Cooper

Alyssa Geary

Olivia Orlando

Kyra Spiwak

Sophia Widmeyer

Chanell Williams

Providence College Athletics