Women's Basketball Game Notes vs Villanova

FRIARS SET TO FINISH OFF REGULAR-SEASON SCHEDULE WITH BACK-TO-BACK HOME GAMES AT ALUMNI HALL... Providence College will close out the regular-season schedule with back-to-back home games at Alumni Hall, beginning with the Villanova Wildcats on Wednesday, Feb. 24. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m. The Friars will play their final regular-season game on Saturday, Feb. 27 against DePaul (1:00 p.m.).

FAMILIAR FOE... The Friars and Villanova Wildcats have met 78 times, marking the most games against a single opponent in Providence College women's basketball history.

ALL-TIME SERIES... Villanova leads the all-time series against Providence, 51-27. The Wildcats have won each of the last four games against the Friars, including a season-series sweep a year ago during the 2019-20 campaign.

A LOOK AT THE LAST DECADE... Providence and Villanova have played 22 times over the course of the last decade. The Friars have claimed just five wins against Villanova during that stretch, with four of the five victories coming at Alumni Hall. In breaking down the series during that 10-year span, Providence is 4-6 vs. Villanova at home, 0-11 on the road and 0-1 at a neutral site.

LAST TIME PROVIDENCE DEFEATED VILLANOVA... Providence last defeated Villanova on Jan. 6, 2019 in Providence, R.I. On that day, the Friars claimed a 67-61 victory to snap a seven-game skid against the Wildcats.

FRIARS LOOKING TO SPLIT THE SEASON SERIES WITH THE WILDCATS... Providence fell to Villanova in the first game of the season series on Feb. 3 at Finneran Pavilion (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. The game marked the Friars' return to the court for the first time in 25 days due to a COVID-related pause in team activity.

ALYSSA GEARY HAD A CAREER DAY AT VILLANOVA... 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.

FRIARS HELD SIEGRIST IN CHECK IN FIRST MEETING... Providence held Maddy Siegrist, the BIG EAST's leading scorer (23.0 ppg) to single digits for the first time this season, snapping a streak of 14-consecutive games overall in double figures. Entering Wednesday's game in Providence, the Friars remain the only team this year to hold Siegrist to single digits in the scoring column. The reigning BIG EAST Player of the Week is coming off of a 31-point game against Georgetown (Feb. 21). She has scored 25+ points in eight games this season, with a career-high 34 points coming against Creighton on Dec. 19.

LAST MEETING AT ALUMNI HALL... Providence and Villanova last met at Alumni Hall on March 1, 2020. The Friars led by as many as 14 points in the second quarter, but Villanova outscored Providence 50-26 in the second half to earn the win. Heading into the fourth quarter, the game was tied, 44-44. The Wildcats hit a three to open the final frame, but Chanell Williams scored four-straight points to give the Friars a 48-47 advantage. Villanova answered by hitting six of their next seven field-goal attempts to claim a 67-55 with 2:27 left in the game and held on for the win. It marked the final regular-season game for Head Coach Harry Perretta, who patrolled the sidelines at Villanova for 42 seasons.

FRIARS COMING OFF A LOSS TO ST. JOHN'S... The Friars fell to St. John's 65-47 in its most recent game on Feb. 21 in Queens. Turnovers, transition and rebounding all played key factors in the game as St. John's held scoring advantages in points off of turnovers (19-2), second-chance points (11-0) and fast-break points (18-2). Alyssa Geary (13) and Kyra Spiwak (10) were the only Friars to crack double digits in the scoring column, while Mary Baskerville paced the team on the board with six rebounds and also added six points. Unique Drake led four St. John's players in double figures with 17 points, while Leilani Correa registered a double-double on 15 points and 10 rebounds, while also contributing five assists and five steals.

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 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 0-10 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 17 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 enter Wednesday's game ranked third among BIG EAST Conference teams in scoring defense (63.1 ppg) and fourth in field goal percentage defense (.400). Providence has held nine of its 17 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 12.7 points per game in BIG EAST Conference play. She has reached double-digits in the scoring column in nine of the Friars' 12 league games, including a career-high 28 points against Butler. In BIG EAST play, she is shooting 41-percent from the field (49-120), including 39-percent from three-point territory (25-65). In 17 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 enters Wednesday's game ranked third among BIG EAST players in free-throw percentage. She has converted 40-46 attempts at the stripe (.870). Over the course of the last eight games, she has hit 20-21 opportunities at the line, and at one point hit 15-straight during that span.

BASKERVILLE ENTERED WEEKEND SIXTH IN THE BIG EAST AND 32nd IN THE NATION IN FIELD-GOAL PERCENTAGE... Mary Baskerville leads the Friars in field-goal percentage (.538, 93-173) through the 16 games she has played. She enters Wednesday's game ranked sixth in the BIG EAST Conference and 32nd in the nation among NCAA Division I players in field-goal percentage.

RANKED AMONG LEAGUE PLAYERS IN MULTIPLE CATEGORIES... In addition to being ranked sixth in the BIG EAST in field-goal percentage, Baskerville also ranks among the league's best in several other categories: scoring (16th), rebounding (eighth), blocked shots (second) and defensive rebounds (sixth).

WILLIAMS MAKING AN IMPACT IN HER FINAL SEASON... Through 17 games this season, Williams is impacting every facet of the stat sheet. She's averaging 9.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Williams is shooting 40-percent from the field overall (64-160), including 44-percent from three-point territory (16-36). She has reached double figures in the scoring column eight times, including six of the last 10 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 ADDED ANOTHER WEAPON TO HER GAME... Not known for her three-point shooting ability, Chanell Williams has shown marked improvement in that area of her game in 2020-21. She has ranked as high as second in the BIG EAST in three-point percentage, but recently fell out of the rankings due to league minimums for makes/attempts. Through 17 games, she has hit 16-36 attempts from beyond the arc (.444). 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 Wednesday's game with 299 career assists. She is currently tied for 13th all-time at Providence in career assists with Diann Reynolds '88 (299). With at least one more assist, she will become just the third Friar in the last decade to record 300-or-more assists during her career, joining Symone Roberts '13 (351) and Sarah Beal '17 (385).

ON THE BOARDS... Mary Baskerville leads the Friars in rebounding this season with 6.5 boards per game. In 79 career games, she has posted an average of 7.2 rebounds per game (571 total rebounds). It currently ranks as the eighth best career rebounding average in program history. Her 571 rebounds also rank 23rd all-time at Providence.

LONGTERM GOALS... Mary Baskerville enters Wednesday's game against Villanova with 870 career points, and is on pace to become the 35th player in program history to eclipse the 1,000-point milestone. Through 79 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. 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 (11.0 ppg), rebounding (4.7 rpg) and assists (2.5 apg) and is second in blocked shots (1.2 bpg). She has reached double figures in the scoring column 11 times, including a career-best 22 points against Villanova (Feb. 3). Eight of her double-digit games have come during BIG EAST play.

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 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 conclude their regular-season schedule on Saturday, Feb. 27 against DePaul. It will mark the first meeting between the two teams this season. Providence and DePaul were scheduled to meet previously on Jan. 23 at Wintrust Arena, but that match-up was postponed due to COVID-related issues in the Friars' program.

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Players Mentioned

Mary Baskerville

Alyssa Geary

Kyra Spiwak

Sophia Widmeyer

Chanell Williams

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