Women's Basketball Game Notes vs. St. John's

FRIARS FACE ST. JOHN'S IN FINAL REGULAR-SEASON ROAD GAME OF THE YEAR... Friars play their final regular-season road game of the year at St. John's on Sunday, Feb. 21 at Carnesecca Arena in Queens, N.Y. Tip-off is slated for 2:00 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live on the BIG EAST Digital Network / FloHoops.

PROVIDENCE VS. ST. JOHN'S ALL-TIME... Providence and St. John's will meet for the 74th time on Sunday, when the two teams square off at Carnesecca Arena. St. John's leads the all-time series, 42-31

FRIARS WITH THE UPPER HAND IN RECENT MATCH-UPS... The Friars have won five of the last seven meetings dating back to the 2017-28 season, including each of the last two games. Prior to the seven-game stretch, Providence fell to St. John's in 19 of the previous 20 games, including 14-straight meetings from February 2008 to January 2018.

FRIARS HANDLE ST. JOHN'S IN FIRST MEETING OF THE SEASON AT ALUMNI HALL... 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 New York-native 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.

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.

BY THE NUMBERS... Prior to the Friars' 23-point win over the Red Storm earlier this season, each of the previous six meetings between the two teams were decided by single digits, including four games by three points or less.

FRIARS AND RED STORM AT CARNESECCA ARENA... Providence has earned victories in two of the last three meetings against the Red Storm played at Carnesecca Arena. However, it was St. John's who claimed victory in the most recent meeting on Jan. 17, 2020. The Red Storm pulled out a 64-58 win as part of their annual educational event that welcomed 5600+ elementary and middle-school children to the game.

FRIARS AND RED STORM SPLIT SEASON SERIES IN 2019-20... The Friars and Red Storm split the season series during the 2019-20 campaign, with each team winning on its home court. St. John's claimed a 64-58 win at Carnesecca Arena on Jan. 17. Providence escaped with a one-point victory (54-53) on Feb. 16 as former Friar Earlette Scott converted a traditional three-point play with 4.6 seconds left in regulation.

ALYSSA GEARY AND MARY BASKERVILLE COMBINE FOR 29 POINTS IN 67-55 LOSS AT SETON HALL... Alyssa Geary (17) and Mary Baskerville (12) accounted for 29 points in Saturday's loss to Seton Hall. Geary shot 6-10 from the field, including 2-4 from three-point territory, and matched her season high with nine rebounds. Baskerville shot 4-9 from the floor and grabbed six boards.

COMEBACK FALLS SHORT AT SETON HALL... The Friars trailed 19-16 after the first 10 minutes at Seton Hall, but were outscored 23-11 in the second quarter and faced a 42-27 deficit at halftime. Down by as many as 23 midway through the third, Providence fought back to within 10 (61-51) with 3:40 remaining in regulation. However, the deficit proved to large and the Pirates claimed a 12-point win (67-55).

MARY BASKERVILLE NAMED TO BIG EAST WEEKLY HONOR ROLL FOR SECOND TIME THIS SEASON... Junior forward Mary Baskerville was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday, Feb. 15. It marks the second time this season she has been added to the league's honor roll. In a 1-1 week for the Friars, Baskerville averaged 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.5 steals and 3.0 blocked shots per game. She shot a combined 60-percent from the field (15-25) and converted all three of her free-throw attempts. In the Friars' victory at Creighton, she posted her fourth double-double of the season on 14 points and 10 boards. She also added four blocked shots, three steals and one assist. Baskerville closed the week with 19 points against Marquette on 9-13 shooting from the field (.692). She also contributed two rebounds, two assists, two blocked shots and a career-high six steals. Baskerville was previously named to the honor roll on Nov. 30.

DOUBLE-TROUBLE... Mary Baskerville recorded her team-best fourth double-double of the season against Creighton (Feb. 10) with 14 points and 10 rebounds. All four of her double-doubles this season 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).

IMPORTANCE OF 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 0-9 record in games it is trailing at halftime. The Friars' only loss when leading at halftime came in the first meeting this season 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 10 of its 16 games and have posted a 6-4 record in those contests. The Friars also are 5-1 on the year when shooting 45-percent or better.

DEFENSE... The Friars entered the weekend ranked third among BIG EAST Conference teams in scoring defense (62.7 ppg) and fourth in field goal percentage defense (.398). Including their most recent game against Seton Hall (Feb. 20), Providence has held nine of its 16 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 12.9 points per game in BIG EAST Conference play. She has reached double-digits in the scoring column in eight of the Friars' 11 league games, including a career-high 28 points against Butler. In BIG EAST play, she is shooting 41-percent from the field (46-113), including 37-percent from three-point territory (23-62). In 16 games overall, Spiwak ranks second on the team in scoring at 11.5 points per game.

SPIWAK RANKS SECOND IN THE BIG EAST IN FREE-THROW PERCENTAGE... Kyra Spiwak entered the weekend ranked second among BIG EAST players in free-throw percentage. Through Saturday's game against Seton Hall, she has converted 38-44 attempts at the stripe (.864). Over the course of the last seven games, she has hit 18-19 opportunities at the line, and at one point hit 15-straight during that span.

BASKERVILLE ENTERED WEEKEND SIXTH IN THE BIG EAST AND 27TH IN THE NATION IN FIELD-GOAL PERCENTAGE... Mary Baskerville leads the Friars in field-goal percentage (.539, 90-167) through the 15 games she has played. She entered the weekend ranked sixth in the BIG EAST Conference and 27th in the nation among NCAA Division I players in field-goal percentage.

WILLIAMS IMPACTS THE GAME IN SO MANY WAYS... Through 16 games this season, Williams is impacting every facet of the stat sheet. She's averaging 9.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Williams is shooting 40-percent from the field overall (61-152), including 46-percent from three-point territory (16-35). She has reached double figures in the scoring column eight times, including six of the last nine 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.

WILLIAMS RANKS SECOND IN THE BIG EAST IN THREE-POINT FIELD-GOAL PERCENTAGE... 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 second among BIG EAST players in three-point percentage. Through 16 games, she has hit 16-35 attempts from beyond the arc (.457). Prior to this season, Williams converted just 8-41 three-point attempts (.195).

WILLIAMS PUT HER STAMP ON THE FRIARS' VICTORY AT CREIGHTON... Chanell Williams put her stamp on the Friars' victory at Creighton on Feb. 10 with a solid stat line in the boxscore. She paced all scorers in the 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.

CLIMBING THE LADDER... Chanell Williams enters Saturday's game with 297 career assists. She currently ranks 14th all-time on the Friars' all-time assist list, recently passing Paulette Hassett '78 (291) and Sonya Lewis '94 (290). Three more assists will give her sole possession of 13th place, currently held by Diann Reynolds '88 (299).

ON THE BOARDS... Mary Baskerville leads the Friars in rebounding this season with 6.5 boards per game. In 78 career games, she has posted an average of 7.2 rebounds per game (565 total rebounds). It currently ranks as the eighth best career rebounding average in program history. She is one rebound shy of tying Joanie Powers '86 (currently ranked 23rd) on the Friars' all-time career rebounding list (566).

LONGTERM GOALS... Mary Baskerville enters Sunday's game against St. John's with 864 career points, and is on pace to become the 35th player in program history to eclipse the 1,000-point milestone. Through 78 career games and in the midst of just her third season with the team, she has averaged 11.1 points per game during her career. She has recorded double figures for the Friars 45 times during her career, including six 20+ point games.

ALYSSA GEARY PUTTING UP SOLID NUMBERS ACROSS THE BOARD... Alyssa Geary currently ranks third on the team in scoring (10.9 ppg), rebounding (4.8 rpg) and assists (2.4 apg) and is second in blocked shots (1.1 bpg). She has reached double figures in the scoring column 10 times, including a career-best 22 points against Villanova (Feb. 3). Seven of her double-digit games have come during BIG EAST play.

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.

SOPHIA WIDMEYER STEPPED UP FOR SHORT-HANDED FRIARS AT CREIGHTON... Junior Sophia Widmeyer has averaged 9.4 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.

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.

SLOW START HAMPERS FRIARS' EFFORTS AGAINST MARQUETTE... The Friars are coming off of a 73-52 loss against Marquette in Providence, R.I. on Jan. 13. Providence found itself trailing by as many as 15 in the first quarter and trailed 39-22 at halftime. In the final 20 minutes of play, the Friars went toe-to-toe with the Golden Eagles' offense, but the first half deficit proved too much to overcome. Marquette held just a slim four-point scoring margin in the second half (34-30). Mary Baskerville paced the Friars with 19 points, while Kyra Spiwak added 15. Jordan King and Selena Lott were among four players in double figures for Marquette, with 14 points each.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 will remain on the road to face St. John's on Sunday, Feb. 21 at 2:00 p.m. Providence will return home to Alumni Hall to host Villanova (Feb. 24) and DePaul (Feb. 27) in its final regular-season games of the year.

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Players Mentioned

Mary Baskerville

Alyssa Geary

Earlette Scott

Kyra Spiwak

Sophia Widmeyer

Chanell Williams

Providence College Athletics