Game Notes vs. Rhode Island

Game Notes (PDF) | Watch Live on ESPN+ | Live Stats

FRIARS BEGIN THREE-GAME ROAD SWING AT RHODE ISLAND... Providence College begins a three-game road swing on Monday, Nov. 14 at the University of Rhode Island. Tip-off is slated for 6:00 p.m. at the Ryan Center in Kingston, R.I. It marks the first road game of the season for Providence, who will continue play on the road against Iona (Nov. 17) and Boston College (Nov. 20).

FRIARS START SEASON 2-0... Providence has claimed victories over Dayton (69-60) and Stonehill (56-32) to open the season 2-0. It marks the Friars' first 2-0 start to a season since 2019-20. That year, Providence reeled off six-straight victories to begin the year.

FRIARS ALL-TIME VS. RHODE ISLAND... The Friars and Rams have met 52 times during the history of the two women's basketball programs. Providence leads the all-time series, 39-13.

PROVIDENCE AND RHODE ISLAND ALL-TIME AT THE RYAN CENTER... The Friars and Rams have played nine times at the Ryan Center in Kingston, R.I. since its doors opened in June of 2002. Providence leads the series on the Rams' home court, 7-2.

LAST MEETING AT THE RYAN CENTER... Providence and URI last met at the Ryan Center on Nov. 28, 2020. The Friars led wire-to-wire in a 76-50 victory. PC outscored the Rams 35-18 in the second half to seal the win. Only two players on the current Friar roster (Grace Efosa and Lauren Sampson) competed in that game. For the remaining 10 players on Providence's 2022-23 team, Monday's game will be their first game experience at the Ryan Center.

WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR... URI defeated Providence 66-53 in the most recent meeting between the two programs on Nov. 17, 2021 in Providence, R.I. Current senior guard Janai Crooms posted 14 points, six boards, two assists and three steals for the Friars.

FRIARS' DEFENSE STIFLES STONEHILL IN 56-32 WIN... Providence defeated Stonehill, 56-32, on Nov. 11 in Providence, R.I. After a competitive battle in the first quarter, the Friars' defense kicked in to hold the Skyhawks to 17 points over the course of the final three quarter, including just eight points in the second half. Providence held Stonehill to 23.5-percent from the field (12-51). The Skyhawks showed signs of life in the first quarter, shooting 4-8 from three-point territory, but Providence held them to 1-21 shooting from three-point land the rest of the game.

OLIVIA OLSEN AND BRYNN FARRELL PACE THE FRIARS AGAINST STONEHILL... Olivia Olsen (13) and Brynn Farrell (12) scored 25 of the Friars' 56 points in a 24-point victory over Stonehill on Nov. 11 (56-32). The duo are the only players to score in double figures during each of the Friars' first two games to start the season.

PROVIDENCE CLAIMS WIN IN SEASON OPENER... The Friars defeated Dayton, 69-60, it its season opener at Alumni Hall on Nov. 7. The Friars improved to 29-20 all-time in season openers and 33-16 all-time in home openers.

LOOKING BACK AT THE WIN OVER DAYTON... Providence opened the season with a 69-60 victory over Dayton. The Friars led wire-to-wire in the victory and held a its biggest margin of the night (14 points) with 4:01 remaining in the third quarter. Providence outscored Dayton 20-6 in points off of turnovers and 9-2 in fast-break points. Janai Crooms paced four Friars in double figures with 20 points and also added a team-high nine rebounds. Olivia Olsen scored 11 of her 15 points in the second half and completed the night with seven boards. Grace Efosa and Brynn Farrell each recorded 10 points in the victory. Efosa matched her career-high in scoring, while Farrell made her debut with the Friars hit double digits for just the second time in her career.

FOUR FRIARS IN DOUBLE FIGURES... Four Friars reached double figures in the scoring column vs. Dayton on Nov. 7, including Janai Crooms (20), Olivia Olsen (15), Brynn Farrell (10) and Grace Efosa (10). The last time Providence had four or more players in double figures dates back to the 2020-21 season (Jan. 7, 2021 vs. Butler). On that day Chanell Williams (16), Mary Baskerville (13), Alyssa Geary (10) and Kyra Spiwak (10) all tallied double-digits in the scoring column.

1,000-POINT MILESTONE... Janai Crooms scored her 1,000th point in the Friars' season opener vs. Dayton on Nov. 7. She entered the game 14 points shy of the milestone and hit the mark with 7:41 left in the third quarter. Crooms currently ranks 35th all-time in career scoring at Providence with 1,015 points.

HOME-SWEET-HOME... The Friars will play eight of their first 12 games at Alumni Hall in Providence, R.I., including back-to-back home games against Dayton (Nov. 7) and Stonehill (Nov. 11) to open the season. Providence also will host the Friar Thanksgiving Classic as part of the 12-game stretch (Nov. 25-27) and will welcome Hartford, Weber State and Bryant to Alumni Hall.

PROTECT THE BALL... Through two games, the Friars have turned the ball over a total of 20 times (10.0 topg) and have posted a +7.5 turnover margin, which is second-best among BIG EAST Conference teams. Providence has forced its opponents into 32 miscues and has outscored its opponents 31-15 in points off turnovers.

DEFENSE... The Friars are the only BIG EAST team ranked inside the top-three in the league in field-goal percentage defense (.313, 35-112) and three point percentage defense (.222,10-45). To begin the season, Providence has held both of its opponents below 40-percent shooting from the field (Dayton - 0.377 and Stonehill - 0.235).

GETTING TO THE LINE... The Friars average 20 free-throw attempts per game on the young season. Of the 31 total fouls that Providence has drawn, senior Janai Crooms has been the play maker 10 times. As a team, Providence is shooting 72.5-percent from the foul line (29-40) with Crooms sitting at just 58.3-percent at the stripe (7-12). With her ability to get to the rim, Crooms will look to improve in this area.

PAINT PRESENCE... The Friars have outscored their opponents in the paint this season by a 66-36 margin this season (+30).

BRYNN FARRELL FITTING IN JUST FINE WITH THE FRIARS... Junior transfer Brynn Farrell is fitting in just fine with the Friars in her first season with the program. She has started both games and is averaging 27.4 minutes per contest. Farrell has reached double figures in the scoring column in back-to-back games for the first time in her collegiate career (played previous two seasons at Florida) and ranks third on the team in scoring overall (11.0 ppg). In Providence's most recent game, she netted 12 points and added career highs in rebounds (seven) and steals (three). Through two games, she's shooting 44-percent from the field (7-16), including a team-best 40-percent from three-point land (4-10).

JANAI CROOMS NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST TEAM... Senior guard Janai Crooms was among the list of 11 student-athletes named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team, released at the league's annual media day on Oct. 18 at Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y. Crooms is entering her second season with the Friars and her final season of NCAA Division I basketball. In addition to her time at Providence (2021-present), she also played two seasons at Ohio State (2018-20) and one season at Michigan State (2020-21). A year ago, Crooms was named All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention after leading the Friars in scoring (13.8 ppg), rebounding (7.2 rpg) and assists (3.5 apg).

CLIMBING THE LADDER... Janai Crooms ranks 11th place on the Friars' all-time career assist list (343). Crooms dished 171 of her 343 assists during her two seasons at Ohio State (2018-20), added 65 at Michigan State (2020-21) and has registered 107 dimes with the Friars (2021-present). Through 114 career games, Crooms has averaged 3.0 assists per contest.

ALL GROWN UP... Last season, the Friars featured one of the youngest rosters in the BIG EAST Conference with six freshmen. Those six players are entering the 2022-23 season having earned a wealth of experience, with each player seeing action in 20-or-more games as a rookie. Audrey Koch and Olivia Olsen were two of just three players on the roster to compete in all 30 games last season. Additionally, Emily Archibald, Kylee Sheppard and Koch each started 15-or-more games.

NEWCOMERS... The Friars added two transfers and one freshman to the roster in 2022-23. Graduate student Logan Cook played four seasons at Iowa, during which time the Hawkeyes won two Big Ten titles (2019, 2022) and advanced to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament (2022) and Sweet 16 (2019). She played 53 career games and averaged 1.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. Junior Brynn Farrell played two seasons at Florida, where she played 28 games for the Gators after being slowed by an injury. She averaged 2.9 points and 1.0 rebound per game and connected on 22-28 free throw attempts in two seasons (.786). Kammie Ludwig is the lone true freshman on the squad and attended Geneseo High School prior to arriving on campus. The 3A All-State selection and IBCA All-State honoree averaged 24.6 points per game as a senior and finished her career as Geneseo's all-time leading scorer (1,881 points).

2021-22 UNANIMOUS BIG EAST ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM HONOREE KYLEE SHEPPARD RETURNS FOR SOPHOMORE CAMPAIGN... Kylee Sheppard missed a third of her rookie season with injuries, but still found a way to make a significant impact during her time on the court. She appeared in 20 of the Friars' 30 games and averaged 9.6 points, 3.2 rebounds. 2.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Sheppard finished the year ranked third on the team in scoring and second in assists and steals. She shot 40.2-percent from the field (68-169), including 24-68 from three-point territory (.353), and recorded eight double-digit scoring games. Sheppard notched 20+ points in two games as a rookie, and both came during BIG EAST regular-season play, including a career-best 22 points against DePaul (Jan. 7) on 9-12 shooting from the field.

A GLIMPSE OF WHAT SHE CAN DO... Sophomore Emily Archibald scored a career-high 21 points in the Friars' BIG EAST Tournament game against Georgetown, shooting 7-9 from the floor, including an impressive 6-8 performance from beyond the arc. Her 21 points marked the most by a Providence College freshman and also the most points by a Friar off the bench in a BIG EAST Tournament game since Jennifer Davis '97 scored 23 points against Boston College in the BIG EAST Quarterfinals in 1994.

RAISING THE BAR IN YEAR TWO... Olivia Olsen was one of just three players to appear in all 30 games last season. She averaged just shy of 20 minutes per game as a freshman but took advantage of her time on the court with an impressive stat line. She led the Friars in field-goal percentage and was the only player on the roster to convert better than 50-percent from the floor (.529, 83-157). Olsen finished fifth on the team in scoring (6.8 ppg) and second in rebounding (5.6 rpg). She compiled eight double-digit scoring games and three double-digit rebounding games last season, including two double-doubles. Six of her double-digit scoring games came during BIG EAST Conference play. The 6-3 forward also led the team in rebounding 11 times, including eight of the last nine games to finish the year. She ranked second on the team in offensive rebounds (60) and recorded a total of 169 rebounds overall. Olsen came off the bench during the first 24 games of the season before finally cracking the starting line-up in the closing stretch of the season.

PRESEASON TUNE-UP... The Friars hosted Southern New Hampshire in an exhibition game on Oct. 25 at Alumni Hall. Providence claimed a 91-43 victory and was led by sophomore forward Olivia Olsen's 23 points and nine rebounds. She shot 10-12 from the field and also added two blocked shots and one steal. Emily Archibald (15), Kylee Sheppard (14), Nariah Scott (10) and Brynn Farrell (10) also recorded double digits in the scoring column. Providence shot 63-percent from the field as a team (38-60), including 50-percent from three-point land (8-16).

BIG EAST PRESEASON COACHES' POLL... The Friars were picked to finish eighth in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll, with 34 points. Connecticut is picked to win the league, having collected 10 first place votes and 100 points overall. Creighton (89 points) and Villanova (83 points; 1 first-place votes) round out the top three spots. Last season, the Friars finished eighth in the 2022 regular-season standings with an 11-19 overall record and a 6-14 mark in the BIG EAST.

FRIARS IN THE POSTSEASON... The Friars' last appeared in the postseason during the 2018-19 campaign. 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 will remain on the road for non-conference games against Iona and Boston College to complete a three-game road swing. Providence travels to New Rochelle, N.Y. to take on the Gaels on Thursday, Nov. 17 at 7:00 p.m. The Friars then travel to Chestnut Hill, Mass. to face the Eagles on Sunday, Nov. 20. Tip-off is set for 12:00 p.m. at Conte Forum.

Providence College Athletics

Next Event

Related Videos