Women's Basketball Game Notes vs. DePaul

FRIARS LOOK TO EVEN REGULAR-SEASON SERIES WITH DE PAUL... The Friars will head to Chicago, Ill. to face DePaul on Sunday, Feb. 6 at Wintrust Arena. Tip-off is set for 3:00 p.m. (ET) and the game will be broadcast live on the BIG EAST Digital Network via FloSports. In the first game between the two teams this season, DePaul earned a 98-77 victory at Alumni Hall on Jan. 7.

PROVIDENCE VS. DE PAUL ALL-TIME... The Friars and Blue Demons have met 29 times during the history of the two programs. DePaul leads the all-time series, 25-4, including victories in each of the last 19 games.

LAST TIME PROVIDENCE DEFEATED DE PAUL... The last time Providence defeated DePaul dates back to Jan. 7, 2012 - exactly 10 years ago. On that day, the Friars earned a 60-52 win over the Blue Demons, who were ranked 20th in the AP poll and 18th in the Coaches' Poll at the time.

FRIARS IN SEARCH OF FIRST WIN VS. DE PAUL IN CHICAGO... The Blue Demons have swept the all-time series, 14-0, against Providence in Chicago. The Blue Demons are 11-0 vs. Providence at McGrath-Phillips Arena and 3-0 against the Friars at Wintrust Arena.

FIRST MEETING OF 2021-22... The two teams met earlier this season on Jan. 7 at Alumni Hall in Providence, R.I. The Blue Demons claimed a 98-77 victory. The Friars held a 26-22 lead after the first quarter, but the Blue Demons were able to gain control of the game in the second quarter with a 33-16 scoring advantage to lead 55-42 at halftime. The Friars managed to cut the deficit to seven in the third (64-57), but it proved to be the closest PC would get the rest of the way. Freshman Kylee Sheppard recorded a career-best 22 points and six assists for the Friars. Mary Baskerville tallied 15 points on 6-6 shooting from the field in 17 minutes of action. The Friars shot an impressive 54.2-percent from the floor (32-59) and were 5-16 from three (.316) and 8-10 from the foul line (.800). The Blue Demons shot 47.5-percent from the floor and finished the game with 21 more shot attempts than Providence (38-80). DePaul was 10-27 from three (.370) and 12-15 from the line (.800).

ROAD WARRIORS... Providence College will play six of its last nine regular-season games on the road, beginning with Marquette and DePaul this weekend (Feb. 4-6). In mid-February, Providence will face a stretch of three road games in five days vs. Butler (Feb. 16), Seton Hall (Feb. 18) and St. John's (Feb. 20). The match-up with Butler is a rescheduled game, which was originally set to be played on Jan. 2.

FRIARS FALL IN BACK-AND-FORTH AFFAIR AT MARQUETTE... In a game that saw 10 lead changes and nine ties, the Providence College Friars fell to Marquette by a narrow margin of 61-59. The Golden Eagles held a 44-30 advantage in rebounding. Eighteen of Marquette's rebounds came off the offensive glass. Providence shot 43-percent from the field (23-54), including 5-10 from beyond the arc (.500) and hit 8-13 free throws. Marquette shot just 33-percent from the field (21-63), including 3-9 from the arc (.333), but finished the game +8 at the free-throw line (16-20). Janai Crooms (16) and Kylee Sheppard (15) combined for 31 points.

FRIARS GIVE NO. 10 HUSKIES A SCARE... Providence is coming off of a solid performance against No. 10 UConn. The Friars gave the Huskies all they could handle before falling 69-61 on Jan. 30 in Providence, R.I. The game was played in front of a sellout crowd at Alumni Hall (1,500). Janai Crooms led all scorers with a career-best 27 points on 8-11 shooting from the field, including a 3-4 effort from beyond the arc. She also converted 8-10 free throw attempts and collected two rebounds, two assists and two steals. Providence held the advantage against UConn in points off turnovers (20-10), points in the paint (28-24), second-chance points (11-7) and fast-break points (5-4).

JANAI CROOMS IS LOCKED IN... Janai Crooms leads the Friars in scoring (14.0 ppg), rebounding (8.5 rpg) and assists (3.9 apg) through the 20 games she has played, while shooting 48-percent from the field (105-220). In a stretch of three games heading into the weekend match-ups against Marquette and DePaul, Crooms raised her level of offensive efficiency, shooting north of 60-percent in each contest. During the three-game stretch, Crooms has combined to shoot 68-percent from the field (19-28), including 5-7 from three-point territory (.714) while averaging 18.3 points per game. Her three-point shooting of late has added another dimension to her offensive arsenal. In her first 16 games with the Friars she converted three triples on just 10 attempts. In the Friars' most recent game against Marquette, Crooms scored 16 points and added five rebounds and five assists.

PROVIDENCE IS 4-2 ON THE ROAD... The Friars have posted a 4-2 record this season on the road, including a 2-2 mark in BIG EAST regular-season play.

FRIARS IN OVERTIME... Providence is 2-1 in overtime games this season. Both of their wins during overtime have come on the road against Maine (66-61) and Georgetown (66-58). The Friars lone loss in OT came at home against Yale (63-57) in the 2021-22 season opener.

FULL STRENGTH... On Jan. 11 against Xavier, the Friars suited an entire roster of healthy players for the first time during the 2021-22 season. Four different players on the roster have missed seven-or-more games on the year due to injury, including Mary Baskerville, Kylee Sheppard, Nariah Scott and Grace Efosa. Providence has remained at full strength for each of the last seven games.

DEFENSE... The Friars have held six opponents to 50 points or less this season, including three BIG EAST opponents: Villanova (47), 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.

FRIARS LEAD THE BIG EAST IN FIELD-GOAL PERCENTAGE DEFENSE... Entering the weekend against Marquette and DePaul, Providence leads the BIG EAST and ranks 53rd in the nation in field-goal percentage defense among 348 teams (.367). The Friars have posted an 9-5 record this season when holding it's opponents below 40-percent from the field. On Friday night, Providence held Marquette to 33.3-percent shooting (21-63), in a 61-59 loss.

CLEANING THE GLASS... Providence has recorded 40+ rebounds in 11 of its 21 games, including two games with 50+ boards. Last year, Providence eclipsed 40 rebounds in just one game (49 vs. Butler, 3/5/21) .

DOUBLE-TROUBLE... Janai Crooms leads the Friars and ranks second in the BIG EAST with six double-doubles. Mary Baskerville (2), Olivia Olsen (1) and Alyssa Geary (1) also have recorded double-doubles for the Friars this season. Additionally, Baskerville has 19 double-doubles in her career, which ranks fourth in the BIG EAST among active players.

FRIARS AMONG THE TOP SHOT-BLOCKING TEAMS IN THE NATION... Entering the weekend, the Friars led the BIG EAST and ranked sixth in the nation in blocked shots and blocks per game. Mary Baskerville leads the Friars with an average of 2.6 rejections per game. Five players on the team have cracked double-digits in blocked shots and have combined for 105 of the Friars' 130 rejections overall: Baskerville (36), Crooms (23), Alyssa Geary (22), Olivia Olsen (15) and Emily Archibald (11). On Friday night at Marquette, the Friars recorded six blocks.

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... Entering the weekend, Mary Baskerville ranked 25th among NCAA Division I active career leaders in blocks per game (1.81 bpg). In 97 games at Providence, Baskerville has recorded 176 blocked shots. Her career total ranks second among active BIG EAST players, trailing only UConn's Olivia Nelson-Ododa. She also is inside the top-25 among NCAA active career leaders in total blocks.

MARY BASKERVILLE WORKING HER WAY UP THE FRIARS' ALL-TIME SCORING LIST... Mary Baskerville currently owns 1,040 career points and ranks 30th on the Friars' all-time scoring.

MARY BASKERVILLE RANKS 15th ALL-TIME AT PROVIDENCE IN CAREER REBOUNDS... Senior Mary Baskerville ranks 15th all-time in career boards at Providence with 683. She is six rebounds shy of taking sole possession of 14th place, currently held by Nadine Malcolm '97 (688).

JANAI CROOMS RANKS 14TH AT PROVIDENCE CAREER ASSISTS... Janai Crooms owns 313 career assists and is tied for 13th on the Friars' all-time list. In 103 career games, Crooms is averaging 3.0 assists per game.

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.

ROOKIE IMPACT... Freshman point guard Kylee Sheppard missed nine of the Friars first 11 games while battling injury. She has appeared in each of the last 10 games for Providence and has played in 12 games overall. In a small sample size of the season, she has played a key role as a rookie. She currently ranks second on the team in scoring (11.6 ppg), first in steals (1.9 spg) and third in assists (2.3 apg). She also contributes 3.7 rebounds per game. She has reached double digits in the scoring column six times, including a career-best 22 points against DePaul. She eclipsed the 20-point mark for a second time in Providence's victory over Georgetown on Jan. 23. Sheppard drained 21 points against the Hoyas, including seven in overtime.

AUDREY KOCH CRACKS DOUBLE FIGURES... On Jan. 28, freshmen Audrey Koch came off the bench in the Friars' game against Creighton and cracked double digits in the scoring column for the first time as a Friar. In just 20 minutes of action, she netted 13 points on 5-7 shooting, including a 2-3 effort from beyond the arc.

OLIVIA OLSEN MAKING THE MOST OF HER TIME ON THE COURT... Freshmen forward Olivia Olsen has provided a spark off the bench for the Friars in her first season. Olsen plays roughly 16 minutes per game for the Friars, shooting an efficient 58.9-percent from the field (53-90) and averaging 6.3 points, 4.5 rebounds per game. She tied for third on the team in rebounding, and is second in offensive boards (36).

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.

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.

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.

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 return to Alumni Hall for a pair of home games against Butler and Xavier. Providence will host the Bulldogs on Friday, Feb. 11 at 7:00 p.m. on the BIG EAST Digital Network (FloSports). On Sunday, Feb. 13, the Friars will host the Musketeers on FS1 at Noon.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Emily Archibald

Mary Baskerville

Janai Crooms

Alyssa Geary

Audrey Koch

Olivia Olsen

Nariah Scott

Kylee Sheppard

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Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball versus Middle Tennessee on November 24, 2025 at 12:00 PM (ET)

Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball versus Mississippi St. / Alcorn St. on November 25, 2025 at 12:00 or 2:30 PM (ET)

Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball versus Bryant on November 30, 2025 at 1:00 PM

Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball at Xavier on December 4, 2025 at 11:00 AM

Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball at St. John's on December 7, 2025 at 2:00 PM

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