Providence College Athletics
Providence College
Iona
Women's Basketball Game Notes vs. Iona
11/16/2022 12:55:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Friars travel to New Rochelle, N.Y. to face the Gaels on Thursday, Nov. 17 at 7:00 p.m.
Game Notes (PDF)Â |Â Â Watch Live on ESPN+Â |Â Â Live Stats
FRIARS TO FACE IONA IN NON-CONFERENCE ACTION... Providence College will travel to New Rochelle, N.Y. to face Iona in non-conference play on Thursday, Nov. 17. The game will be played at the Hynes Athletics Center and is scheduled to tip-off at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN+.
PROVIDENCE VS. IONA ALL-TIME... The Friars and Gaels have met four times in the history of the two programs and Providence leads the series, 4-0. The Friars are 3-0 vs. the Gaels at Alumni Hall in Providence, R.I. and 1-0 in the series on Iona's home court.
LONE MEETING IN NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. ... Providence and Iona first met on Jan. 15, 1990. That meeting marks the only game played between the two programs in New Rochelle, N.Y. The Friars earned an 84-64 victory on that day. Each of the next three meetings in the series were played at Alumni Hall in Providence, R.I.
PROVIDENCE / IONA CONNECTION... Iona men's basketball assistant coach Bob Walsh spent the last three seasons with the Providence College men's basketball program as the team's Associate Director of Player Development, Scouting and Recruiting Coordination. Walsh also served as an Assistant Coach at Providence from 1998-2005. Walsh began his career as a graduate assistant with Iona athletics and the men's basketball program in 1994.
PROVIDENCE DROPS 74-72 DECISION AT RHODE ISLAND... The Friars dropped their first game of the season on Nov. 14 to Rhode Island, 74-72, at the Ryan Center in Kingston, R.I. The Friars led by as many as 13 midway through the second quarter and carried a 10-point advantage into halftime (50-40). With 5:41 remaining in the fourth quarter, URI used a 9-0 run to gain a 72-68 lead. The Friars responded with four-straight points to tie the game, 72-72, with 1:46 on the clock. The Rams' Maye Toure scored the go-ahead bucket with just under a minute to play and the Friars were unable to convert on the offensive end to tie or go ahead. The Friars got the ball back with three-seconds left after a defensive stop and called a timeout. Janai Crooms received the inbounds pass and had to put up a running three-point attempt as the clock expired, but the effort was off the mark and URI held on for the two-point victory. Providence shot a season-best 58-percent from the field (29-50), including a 7-10 performance from beyond the arc (.700). The Friars gave away nine points at the free throw line after going 7-16 in the game (.438). The Rams also benefited from a 24-14 advantage in points off of turnovers.
JANAI CROOMS NETS SEASON-BEST 24 POINTS AT URI... Senior guard Janai Crooms scored a season-best 24 points in the Friars' most recent game against URI on Nov. 14. It marked her second 20+ point effort of the season through three games. She shot 11-16 from the field and also recorded five assists and four rebounds.
GRACE EFOSA NETS CAREER-HIGH 13 VS. RHODE ISLAND... Junior guard Grace Efosa scored a career-high 13 points on Nov. 14 against Rhode Island. She shot 5-9 from the field, including 1-1 from three-point territory, marking the first made three of her career. Efosa also added three assists, two rebounds and one steal.Â
EMILY ARCHIBALD PROVIDES A SPARK OFF THE BENCH... Sophomore forward Emily Archibald provided a spark off the bench against Rhode Island on Nov. 14. In 22 minutes of action, she recorded a season-high six points, eight rebounds, three assists and one blocked shot. Her eight boards marked a team high vs. the Rams. Archibald hit 2-3 attempts from the field, including 1-1 from three-point territory. She also led the team in plus/minus rating (+11).
THREE-POINT THREATS... Junior Brynn Farrell and sophomore Meghan Huerter are tied for the team lead in three-point percentage this season, as both players have converted 5-11 attempts from deep (.455). Huerter recently scored a career-high nine points on 3-4 shooting from deep against URI on Nov. 14. For the season, all 11 of Huerter's field-goal attempts have been from three.
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 all three games and is averaging 25.3 minutes per contest. Farrell has reached double figures in the scoring column in two games and ranks third on the team in scoring overall (9.7 ppg). She ranks second on the team in field-goal percentage (.500, 10-20) and is tied for the team lead in three-point percentage (.455, 5-11). She also contributes 3.7 rebounds per game and ranks second in steals (1.3 spg).
PLAYER MAKER ON OFFENSE... Janai Crooms leads the team in scoring (17.7 ppg) and assists (3.3 apg) through three games. As a team, Providence has made 74 field goals this season and Crooms has scored or assisted 43-percent of those makes (32).
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.
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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.Â
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 heads into Thursday's game tied for 32nd all-time in career scoring at Providence with 1,039 points. She is joined by Doreen Ferguson '88 and Julie Wheeler '98.
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CLIMBING THE LADDER... Janai Crooms ranks 11th place on the Friars' all-time career assist list (348). 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 112 dimes with the Friars (2021-present). Through 115 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).
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).
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.
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 to face Boston College on Sunday, Nov. 20 in Chestnut Hill, Mass. Tip-off is set for 12:00 p.m. at Conte Forum.
