Women's Basketball Game Notes vs. Butler

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FRIARS FINISH TWO-GAME ROAD STRETCH AT BUTLER... Providence will face Butler on Wednesday, Jan. 18 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. It marks the Friars' second-straight road game, having competed at Marquette on Saturday, Jan. 14 in Milwaukee, Wis. Upon completion of the two-game stretch, the Friars will play seven of their final 11 regular-season games at home in Alumni Hall.

PROVIDENCE VS. BUTLER ALL-TIME... The Friars and Bulldogs have met 20 times during the history of the two women's basketball programs. Butler leads the series, 11-9, but the Friars have scored victories in seven of the last nine match-ups, including each of the last five games.

FRIARS AND BULLDOGS AT HINKLE FIELDHOUSE... The Bulldogs lead the series vs. Providence at Hinkle Fieldhouse, 5-4. The Friars have won three of the last four games at Hinkle, including each of the last two.

CURRENT STREAK... The Friars have won five-consecutive games against the Bulldogs, sweeping the regular-season series in each of the last two years. Providence also claimed a BIG EAST Tournament victory over Butler during the five-game stretch (63-61) at Mohegan Sun Arena on March 5, 2021. Four of the five games were decided by double digits.

LAST TIME THE TWO TEAMS MET... The two teams last met on Feb. 16, 2022 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. The Friars claimed a dominant 69-41 victory. Janai Crooms paced the Friars with 17 points and three steals. Grace Efosa added 10 points, five rebounds and one assist, while Olivia Olsen recorded a team-best nine boards and three blocked shots to go along with six points. Celena Taborn led the Bulldogs with 14 points, while Kendall Wingler came off the bench to score 10 points.

ELEVEN GAMES DURING THE SERIES HAVE BEEN DECIDED BY SINGLE DIGITS... Eleven of the 20 games between Providence and Butler have been decided by single digits, including three overtime games. The Bulldogs have earned wins in seven of those meetings (4-7).

OVERTIME... The Friars have prevailed in two of the three overtime games played between Providence and Butler, including a triple-overtime thriller played in Providence on Jan. 18, 2019 (74-68, 3OT). The Friars also earned a 66-63 victory over Butler in the only overtime game between the two teams at Hinkle Fieldhouse (Feb. 17, 2019.

FRIARS FINISH NON-CONFERENCE PLAY 9-2... The Friars finished their non-conference slate with a 9-2 record. It marks the most victories in regular-season non-conference play since 2019-20 (9-3).

FRIARS DEFEAT NO. 25/24 CREIGHTON TO EARN FIRST WIN OVER A NATIONALLY-RANKED OPPONENT SINCE 2013... On Jan. 4, Providence claimed a 79-74 victory over No. 25/24 Creighton in Omaha, Neb. 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. Additionally, the Friars victory over Creighton marked the program's 15th victory all-time vs. a team ranked in the Associated Press Poll. Four of those 15 wins have come on the road, including three true road wins and one neutral-site game. The remaining 11 wins over opponents ranked in the AP Poll have come at home in Providence, R.I.

FRIARS EARN FIRST ROAD WIN OVER A TEAM RANKED IN THE AP POLL SINCE 1989... Providence earned its fourth road victory over a team ranked in the Associated Press Poll program history when it upset No. 25 Creighton in Omaha, Neb. (Jan. 4). It marked the first road win vs. a team ranked in the AP Poll since Dec. 29, 1989. On that day, the Friars defeated No. 25 DePaul, 106-92, during a neutral site game in Palo Alto, Calif. The Friars have two true road wins over teams ranked in the AP Poll vs. No. 17 Houston in Houston, Texas (W, 65-59 on 12/28/85) and vs. No. 15 St. John's in Queens, N.Y. (W, 66-61 on 1/28/84). In addition to the program's four road victories vs. teams ranked in the AP Poll, the Friars have posted 11 wins over teams ranked in the AP Poll at home in Providence, R.I.

FRIARS VS. RANKED OPPONENTS IN 2022-23... The Friars are 1-2 this season vs. nationally ranked opponents and 0-1 vs. opponents receiving votes in the national polls.

12/2/22 #3/3 Connecticut 53-98 (L) Storrs, Conn.

12/4/22 #25/RV Villanova 54-79 (L) Providence, R.I.

12/18/22 RV/RV St. John's 55-63 (L) Queens, N.Y.

1/4/23 #25/24 Creighton 79-75 (W) Omaha, Neb.

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER IN FRIARTOWN... On Jan. 4, the Providence men's and women's basketball teams knocked off nationally-ranked opponents on the same night. The men took down No. 4/5 Connecticut, 73-61, at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, R.I. The women defeated No. 25/24 Creighton at D.J. Sokol Arena in Omaha, Neb.

GRACE EFOSA NETS CAREER-BEST 27 POINTS IN 79-75 VICTORY OVER NO. 25/24 CREIGHTON... Junior Grace Efosa had a career night in the Friars' 79-75 victory over No. 25/24 Creighton. The 5-11 guard exploded for 27 points on 12-17 shooting from the field (0.706) and also contributed five rebounds and three assists. Efosa's previous career high was 13 points at Rhode Island (11/14/22). Her 27 points against the Bluejays marked her sixth double-digit scoring game of the season and seventh of her career.

FOUR FRIARS AVERAGING DOUBLE-FIGURES IN BIG EAST PLAY... Through eight BIG EAST games, four players on the Friars' roster are averaging double figures in the scoring column. Olivia Olsen and Kylee Sheppard are averaging 10.6 points per game, followed by Grace Efosa (10.5 ppg) and Janai Crooms (10.0 ppg).

OLIVIA OLSEN MAKING BIG CONTRIBUTIONS... Sophomore forward Olivia Olsen enters Wednesday's game at Butler ranked second on the team in scoring (11.9 ppg) and rebounding (6.8 rpg) and leads the Friars in blocked shots (1.6 bpg) and offensive rebounds (49). She is shooting a team-best 53-percent from the field (92-175). Olsen leads the team in double-digit scoring games (13), including eight of the last nine games. She is the only player on the roster to score in double figures in each of the last six games. In the Friars' win over No. 25/24 Creighton, Olsen tallied 11 of her 13 points in a decisive second half rally, during which time she hit 5-7 attempts from the field. On Jan. 8 vs. Seton Hall, Olsen posted her first double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 boards and added three steals, two blocks and two assists. Olsen posted her second-straight double-double against Xavier with 13 points and a career-best 13 rebounds. She also added a career-best six blocks and three steals. In BIG EAST play, Olsen is averaging 10.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 1.3 steals per game.

FIRST WIN WHEN TRAILING AT HALFTIME... The Friars earned their first victory of the season when trailing at halftime on Jan. 4 vs. No. 25/24 Creighton. Providence trailed 46-39 at the break and went on to claim a 79-75 victory. The Friars entered the game 0-5 on the year when trailing at the half and currently stand at 1-7 on the season.

START STRONG... The Friars are 10-1 this season when leading at halftime. Providence's only loss when holding a halftime lead came against URI on Nov. 14. The Friars led 50-40 at the break and fell to the Rams, 74-72.

DEFENSE WINS GAMES... The Friars have held 11 of their 19 opponents below 40-percent shooting from the field this season and are 10-1 in those games. PC lost for the first time when holding an opponent below 40-percent on Dec. 28 at DePaul. The Friars held the Blue Demons to 37.7-percent shooting and dropped a 78-69 decision.

HOME-SWEET-HOME... The Friars own an 11-8 record this season, including an 8-2 mark on their home court (Alumni Hall). Providence's two home losses came at the hands of No. 25 Villanova (79-54) on Dec. 4 and Seton Hall (76-60) on Jan. 8. The Friars are 3-6 on the road.

PLAYER MAKER ON OFFENSE... Janai Crooms leads the team in scoring (12.5 ppg) and assists (4.1 apg) through 19 games. As a team, Providence has made 464 field goals this season and Crooms has scored or assisted on 39-percent of Providence's buckets (179).

JANAI CROOMS STANDS ALONE... Janai Crooms is only active player in the league with more than 1,200 points, 600 rebounds, 400 assists, 125 steals and 100 blocked shots in her career. Through 19 games this season, Crooms ranks 16th in the BIG EAST in scoring (12.5 ppg), ninth in rebounding (7.3 rpg), fifth in defensive rebounds (5.4 drpg), fifth in assists (4.1 apg), eighth in field-goal percentage (.523), 12th in blocked shots (1.0 bpg) and ninth in assist/turnover ratio (1.4).

20 SOMETHING... Five different Friars have recorded at least one 20-point game this season. Janai Crooms has scored 20+ points in three of the Friars' 19 games. Olivia Olsen recorded the first 20+ point game of her career against Brown (22) on Dec. 7. On Dec. 28, Brynn Farrell dropped a career-best 21 points and Grace Efosa tallied a career-best 27 points against No. 25/24 Creighton on Jan. 4. Most recently, Kylee Sheppard scored a season-best 20 points against Seton Hall on Jan. 8. Six players on the Friars' roster have recorded at least one 20-point game during their careers: Crooms (eight), Kylee Sheppard (three), Olsen (one) Farrell (one) Efosa (one) and Emily Archibald (one).

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 Wednesday's game at Butler ranked 21st all-time in career scoring at Providence with 1,223 points.

CLIMBING THE LADDER... Janai Crooms is tied for sixth on the Friars' all-time career assist list (415). Crooms dished 171 of her 415 assists during her two seasons at Ohio State (2018-20), added 65 at Michigan State (2020-21) and has registered 179 dimes with the Friars (2021-present). Through 131 career games, Crooms has averaged 3.2 assists per contest.

CROOMS CRACKS TOP-20 IN REBOUNDING... In addition to being ranked among Providence's all-time leaders in scoring and assists, Crooms also has cracked the top-20 in career rebounding at PC. She currently is tied for 19th on the Friars' all-time list with 643 rebounds. She has recorded double-digit boards in three games this season, including a season-high 17 boards against Weber State on Nov. 26.

SINGLE DIGITS... Eight of the Friars' 19 games have been decided by nine points or less and the team has posted a 4-4 record in those games. Additionally, Providence has posted a 2-1 record in games decided by five points or less.

BOARD IT... The Friars have out-rebounded 15 of their 19 opponents this season and have posted an 11-4 record in those games. Providence is 0-4 on the season when it secures fewer rebounds than its opponent.

FRIARS PUT UP SEASON-BEST 85 POINTS AGAINST BRYANT... The Friars defeated Bryant, 85-60, on Nov. 27. It marks their highest single-game scoring total since Nov. 14, 2017, when they claimed a 98-95 overtime victory against Northeastern. It's the first time Providence scored 80+ points in a game since Feb. 8, 2019 when it defeated Seton Hall 82-75.

LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY SINCE 2018-19 SEASON... The Friars defeated Central Connecticut, 77-45, on Dec. 10. The 32-point win is the largest margin of victory since defeating Bryant by 44 (74-32) on Dec. 7, 2019. The Friars have won two games this season by 30-or-more points. Providence defeated Hartford, 60-30, on Nov. 25.

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 MAKES CONSECUTIVE APPEARANCES ON BIG EAST WEEKLY HONOR ROLL... Janai Crooms earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll in back-to-back 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.

KYLEE SHEPPARD NAMED TO BIG EAST WEEKLY HONOR ROLL AS FRIARS CLOSE NON-CONFERENCE PLAY... Sophomore guard Kylee Sheppard was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday, Dec. 26. She posted her first career double-double against Sacred Heart on Dec. 20, with 13 points and 10 rebounds. She also added four assists, two steals and a career-best two blocked shots.

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).

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.

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 play seven of their final 11 regular-season games at home in Alumni Hall. Providence returns to action with back-to-back home games against Georgetown (Jan. 21) and Creighton (Jan. 24), upon completing its trip to Indianapolis.

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Players Mentioned

Emily Archibald

Logan Cook

Janai Crooms

Grace Efosa

Brynn Farrell

Kammie Ludwig

Olivia Olsen

Kylee Sheppard

Providence College Athletics