Providence College Athletics
Providence College
Seton Hall
Women's Basketball Game Notes vs. Seton Hall
1/15/2022 11:24:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Friars conclude the weekend with a BIG EAST match-up against Seton Hall on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
FRIARS WRAP UP WEEKEND WITH BIG EAST TILT AGAINST SETON HALL... The Friars will conclude the weekend with a BIG EAST match-up against Seton Hall on Sunday, Jan. 16 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.
FRIARS AND PIRATES ALL-TIME... Sunday's game between Providence and Seton Hall will mark the 73rd meeting all-time. The Pirates lead the all-time series, 42-30.
RECENT HISTORY... Seton Hall has earned victories in 17 of the last 19 meetings against Providence, including victories in each of the last four games.
LAST TIME PROVIDENCE DEFEATED SETON HALL... Providence last defeated Seton Hall on Feb. 8, 2019. On that day, the Friars claimed an 82-75 victory.
FRIARS AND PIRATES AT ALUMNI HALL... Providence has hosted the Pirates at Alumni Hall 31 times. The Friars lead the series on their home court, 17-14.
FRIARS COMING OFF OF 56-49 VICTORY AGAINST ST. JOHN'S... The Friars are coming off of a 56-49 victory against St. John's (Jan. 14). Providence held St. John's to a season-low 26.2-percent shooting from the field (17-65). The Friars shook off a tough shooting night by hitting 50-percent of its opportunities from the floor in the fourth quarter (7-14). Mary Baskerville paced the Friars' offense, scoring 15 of her game-high 20 points in the second half. She also was responsible for eight of Providence's 18 points in the fourth quarter. She finished the day with her second double-double of the season (and 19th of her career) on 20 points, 11 rebounds and added four blocked shots. Janai Crooms checked in with 16 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three blocked shots and two steals.
MARY BASKERVILLE REACHES 1,000-POINT MILESTONE... In her 91st career game at Providence, Mary Baskerville became the 35th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point milestone. She hit the mark against St. John's on Jan. 14 with 2:41 remaining in the third quarter on a lay-in. Baskerville currently owns 1,009 career points and ranks 33rd on the Friars' all-time scoring list.
DEFENSE... The Friars have held six opponents to 50 points or less this season, including each of their last two foes: Xavier (49) and St. John's (49). The Friars are 6-0 in those games, including a 3-0 mark in the BIG EAST Conference. Earlier this season, Providence held Villanova to 47 points.
FRIARS LEAD THE BIG EAST AND RANK 18TH IN THE NATION IN FIELD-GOAL PERCENTAGE DEFENSE... Providence leads the BIG EAST and ranks 18th in the nation in field-goal percentage defense (.345). The Friars have posted an 8-3 record this season when holding it's opponents below 40-percent from the field.
MAKING IT COUNT AT THE LINE... The Friars are 6-0 this season when making more free throws than their opponent.Â
FULL STRENGTH... Against Xavier on Jan. 11, the Friars suited an entire roster of healthy players for the first time this season. Four different players on the roster have missed seven-or-more games on the year due to injury. Providence was at full strength for a second-straight game when it faced St. John's on Jan. 14. The Friars are 2-0 on the year when suiting up a full roster.
CLEANING THE GLASS... Providence has recorded 40+ rebounds in 10 of its 15 games, 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 rank third in the BIG EAST on the boards, averaging 40.4 rebounds per game. The Friars hauled in a season-best 51 rebounds against Brown.Â
FRIARS RANK 7th IN THE NATION IN DEFENSIVE REBOUNDING... Providence leads the BIG EAST and ranks 7th in the nation in defensive rebounds, averaging 30.7 per game. Tennessee leads the NCAA in defensive rebounding (33.7 drpg).
DOUBLE-TROUBLE... Janai Crooms leads the Friars and ranks second in the BIG EAST with six double-doubles. Mary Baskerville (2) and Alyssa Geary (1) also have recorded double-doubles for the Friars this season, with one each. Additionally, Baskerville has 19 double-doubles in her career, which ranks third in the BIG EAST among active players.
JANAI CROOMS IS ONE OF TWO PLAYERS IN THE BIG EAST CURRENTLY AVERAGING A DOUBLE-DOUBLE... Janai Crooms is one of just two players in the BIG EAST currently averaging a double-double on the season, with 13.6 points and 10.3 rebounds.Â
BLOCK PARTY... The Friars currently lead the BIG EAST and rank sixth in the nation in blocked shots (101) and fourth nationally in blocks per game (6.7 bpg). Entering the weekend, no other team in the BIG EAST Conference had recorded more than 59 blocked shots this season. Mary Baskerville leads the Friars with an average of 2.9 rejections per game. Five players on the team have cracked double-digits in blocked shots and have combined for 84 of the Friars' 101 rejections overall: Baskerville (23), Crooms (22), Alyssa Geary (18), Olivia Olsen (13) and Emily Archibald (10).
MORE REJECTION... The Friars recorded a season-high 11 blocks against Xavier on Jan. 11. It marked the second time this year that the team has registered double-digit blocks. Prior to this season, the last time the Friars recorded double-digit blocks in a game was on Nov. 12, 2013 against Bryant.
MARY BASKERVILLE RANKS AMONG NCAA DIVISION I ACTIVE CAREER LEADERS IN BLOCKED SHOTS AND BLOCKS PER GAME... Mary Baskerville ranks 21st among NCAA Division I active career leaders in blocks per game (1.79 bpg). In 91 games at Providence, Baskerville has recorded 163 blocked shots during her career, which ranks 25th among NCAA Division I active players.
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.
MARY BASKERVILLE RANKS 17th ALL-TIME AT PROVIDENCE IN CAREER REBOUNDS... Senior Mary Baskerville ranks 17th all-time in career boards at Providence with 652. With 11 boards against St. John's on Jan. 14, Baskerville passed Rhode Island-native and former All-BIG EAST First-Team selection Chelsea Marandola '10, who finished her career with 651 (2005-10).
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JANAI CROOMS RANKS 14TH AT PROVIDENCE CAREER ASSISTS... Janai Crooms owns 301 career assists and ranks 14th on the Friars' all-time list heading into Sunday's game against Seton Hall. Crooms leads the Friars and ranks among the top-5 in the BIG EAST this season with 4.6 assists per game.
KYLEE SHEPPARD JUST GETTING STARTED... Kylee Sheppard has played just six games for the Friars having missed the bulk of her rookie season with an injury. She has started five of the six games she has played and is averaging 12.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.3 steals per game. Sheppard is shooting an efficient 52-percent from the field (26-50), including a team-best 54.5-percent from beyond the arc (12-22). She recently returned to her hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio with her Friar teammates and led the squad to a 54-49 BIG EAST victory over Xavier (Jan. 11). Sheppard recorded a team-high 13 points on 4-8 shooting, including a 3-5 performance from three-point territory. She also added four rebounds, three assists and three steals in 32 minutes of action. She also showed she can be cool under pressure, sinking a pair of free throws with 22-seconds left in the game to provide a three-point cushion en route to the Providence victory (54-49).
OLIVIA OLSEN PROVIDING A SPARK... Freshman Olivia Olsen has provided a spark off the bench this season, and has done so in an efficient manner. She has played all 15 games off the bench and is averaging 6.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and nearly 1.0 block per game. She is shooting a blistering 65.6-percent from the field (42-64), including a clip of 71.4-percent during BIG EAST play (20-28).Â
ROOKIE IMPACT... Freshman Emily Archibald played a key role in the Friars' victory over Xavier, scoring five of her eight points in the fourth quarter to help seal the win. Archibald matched her classmate Kylee Sheppard by also making a pair of clutch free throws to make it a two-possession game with three seconds left in regulation (54-49).Â
KYLEE SHEPPARD NOTCHES CAREER-HIGH 22 POINTS VS. BLUE DEMONS... Freshman point guard Kylee Sheppard recorded a career-high 22 points in the loss to DePaul. In just her fourth game of the season, she shot 9-12 from the floor and added two rebounds and a team-best six assists and two steals.Â
MARY BASKERVILLE DRAINS AN EFFICIENT 15 POINTS VS. DE PAUL... Mary Baskerville came off the bench to play 17 minutes in the Friars' loss to DePaul on Jan. 7. She was a perfect 6-6 from the field, including 1-1 from three point range. Her first career three-pointer came on an inbounds play with two seconds left on the shot clock. Baskerville also contributed five rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal, without committing a turnover.Â
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.
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.
JANAI CROOMS NAMED TO BIG EAST WEEKLY HONOR ROLL FOR SECOND TIME... Janai Crooms earned BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll accolades for the second time this season on Dec. 13. The junior guard averaged 19.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists in wins over Brown and Quinnipiac. Crooms recorded 14 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and two blocked shots at Brown on Dec. 8. She closed the week with 24 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, one steal and one blocked shot against Quinnipiac (Dec. 11). For the week, she shot an impressive 59.2-percent from the floor (16-27). Her 24 points against the Bobcats marked the second 20+ point game this season and was one-point shy of her season high.
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)
WHAT'S NEXT... The Friars hit the road for three-straight games, beginning with a weekend series at Villanova (Jan. 21) and Georgetown (Jan. 23). Providence will finish off the road stretch at Creighton on Jan. 28 before returning home to host Connecticut at the Dunkin' Donuts Center on Jan. 30.
