Providence College Athletics
Providence College
Connecticut
Women's Basketball Game Notes vs. No. 3/3 Connecticut
12/1/2022 9:30:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Friars head to Gampel Pavilion to face the third-ranked Huskies on Friday, Dec. 2 at 7:00 p.m.
Game Notes (PDF) | Live StatsÂ
Television: SNY
PROVIDENCE OPENS BIG EAST PLAY AT CONNECTICUT ... Providence will travel to Storrs, Conn. to take on No. 3/3 Connecticut at Gampel Pavilion on Friday, Dec. 2. Tip-off is slated for 7:00 p.m. and the game will be televised on SNY.
LAST TIME PROVIDENCE DEFEATED A RANKED OPPONENT... The Friars will face their first nationally ranked opponent of the season when they travel to No. 3/3 Connecticut on Friday. The last time Providence defeated a ranked opponent dates back to Jan. 23, 2013. The Friars claimed a 65-60 victory over then-No. 25 Villanova at Alumni Hall.Â
ALL-TIME SERIES... Connecticut leads the all-time series against the Friars, 43-21, including victories in 31-straight meetings. The Huskies hold a 37-11 record vs. Providence in BIG EAST regular-season action and a 4-2 mark in the BIG EAST Tournament.
LAST TIME THE FRIARS DEFEATED CONNECTICUT... Providence last defeated Connecticut on March 7, 1993 in the semifinals of the BIG EAST Tournament held at Alumni Hall in Providence, R.I. On that day, the Friars claimed an 87-73 victory.
ONE AND ONLY... Providence defeated UConn to win its first [and only] BIG EAST Championship on March 5, 1990. The Friars, who were the No. 2 seed, earned an 82-61 win over the top-seeded Huskies at Gampel Pavilion.
FRIARS AND HUSKIES AT GAMPEL PAVILION... The Friars and Huskies have played 28 times at Gampel Pavilion and UConn has claimed a 19-9 record in those meetings. Providence last defeated Connecticut at Gampel Pavilion on March 5, 1990 to claim the BIG EAST Championship. Since then, the Friars have dropped 16-straight to the Huskies at Gampel, including an 88-31 loss in the most recent meeting between the two teams on Feb. 27, 2022.
OFFENSE VS. DEFENSE... The Connecticut Huskies are the top-scoring offense in the BIG EAST this season, averaging 87.2 points per game. On the flip side, the Friars have the second-best scoring defense in the league (No. 31 in NCAA), allowing just 54.2 points per game. The Friars also rank second in the league (No. 41 in NCAA) in field-goal percentage defense (.350, 169-483).
MORE DEFENSE... The Friars have held six of their eight opponents below 40-percent shooting from the field this season and the Friars are 6-0 in those games.Â
FRIARS PUT UP SEASON-BEST 85 POINTS AGAINST BRYANT... Providence defeated Bryant, 85-60, in its most recent game on Nov. 27. It marks the highest single-game scoring total for the Friars since Nov. 14, 2017, when the squad claimed a 98-95 overtime victory against Northeastern. Additionally, it's the first time Providence scored 80+ points in a game since Feb. 8, 2019 when it defeated Seton Hall 82-75.
HOME-SWEET-HOME... Providence enters Friday's game with a 6-2 record. The Friars are 5-0 on their home court (Alumni Hall) and 1-2 on the road.
PLAYER MAKER ON OFFENSE... Janai Crooms leads the team in scoring (16.1 ppg) and assists (4.0 apg) through eight games. As a team, Providence has made 193 field goals this season and Crooms has scored or assisted 44-percent of Providence's buckets (85).Â
JANAI CROOMS STANDS ALONE... Janai Crooms is the only player in the BIG EAST currently ranked in the top-10 in scoring (10th), rebounding (5th) and assists (5th). Crooms also shoots an impressive 60-percent from the field (53-88), which ranks sixth in the BIG EAST. Additionally, she is only active player in the league with more than 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 350 assists, 100 steals and 100 blocked shots in her career.
20 SOMETHING... Janai Crooms has scored 20+ points in three of the Friars' eight games. She ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in 20+ point games. Maddy Siegrist (Villanova) leads the way with seven, followed by DePaul's Aneesah Morrow (six) and UConn's Azzi Fudd (four).Â
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 Friday's game at UConn ranked 26th all-time in career scoring at Providence with 1,115 points.Â
CLIMBING THE LADDER... Janai Crooms ranks 10th on the Friars' all-time career assist list (370). Crooms dished 171 of her 370 assists during her two seasons at Ohio State (2018-20), added 65 at Michigan State (2020-21) and has registered 134 dimes with the Friars (2021-present). Through 120 career games, Crooms has averaged 3.1 assists per contest.
CROOMS CRACKS TOP-25 IN REBOUNDING... In addition to being ranked among Providence's all-time leaders in scoring and assists, Crooms also has cracked the top-25 in career rebounding at PC. She currently ranks 24th on the Friars' all-time list with 574 rebounds. She has hauled in double-digit rebounds in each of the last two games, including a season-high 17 boards against Weber State on Nov. 26. Her 17 boards mark the highest single-game total by a BIG EAST player this season.
SINGLE DIGITS... Five of the Friars' eight games have been decided by nine points or less and team has posted a 3-2 record in those games. Additionally, Providence has posted a 1-1 record in games decided by three points or less.Â
FIVE FRIARS IN DOUBLE FIGURES... Providence had five players reach double-figures in the scoring column during its 85-60 victory over Bryant on Nov. 27, including Janai Crooms (19), Audrey Koch (13), Emily Archibald (12), Brynn Farrell (12) and Grace Efosa (10). It marked the first time five Friars scored in double digits in a single game since Feb. 23, 2019 vs. Creighton.
JANAI CROOMS MAKES CONSECUTIVE APPEARANCES ON BIG EAST WEEKLY HONOR ROLL... Janai Crooms has earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll each of the last two weeks (Nov. 21 & 28). To claim her most recent recognition, Crooms was named Most Outstanding Player of the Friar Thanksgiving Classic (Nov. 25-27) after averaging 11.0 points, 13.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game in a 3-0 week for Providence.
OLIVIA OLSEN NAMED TO FRIAR THANKSGIVING CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM... Olivia Olsen was named to the Friar Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament Team, following Providence's three victories over Hartford, Weber State and Bryant (Nov. 25-27). Olsen led the Friars in scoring (13.0 ppg) and contributed 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocked shots, 1.0 assist and 1.0 steal per game. She shot 55.6-percent from the field (15-27) and 90-percent from the foul line (9-10).Â
KYLEE SHEPPARD RETURNS TO THE LINE-UP... Sophomore guard Kylee Sheppard was injured in the season opener vs. Dayton (Nov. 7) and missed the Friars' next four games. She returned to the court for the opening game of the Friar Thanksgiving Classic on Nov. 25 and has played three-straight games. In her return, Sheppard averaged 10.0 points, 3.7 boards and 2.7 assists per game.Â
DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORERS... Eight of the 12 players on the Friars' roster have scored in double figures at least once this season, and five of the eight have reached double digits in multiple games. The challenge for the Friars is putting those individual scoring efforts together, consistently. The Friars have had three or more players in double figures in the same game just three times. Providence is 3-0 when they have three or more players in double figures. In the remaining five games, just two players (or fewer) have reached double digits in the scoring column and Providence has posted a 3-2 record in those games.
ALL GROWN UP... Last season, the Friars featured one of the youngest rosters in the BIG EAST Conference with six freshmen. Those six players entered 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... Providence will return to Alumni Hall to host BIG EAST foe Villanova on Sunday, Dec. 4 at 7:00 p.m. It's the start of a three-game home stand for the Friars as they will welcome non-conference opponents Brown (Dec. 7) and Central Connecticut (Dec. 10).
