OMAHA, NEB. – The Providence College women's basketball team rallied from a 12-point deficit to defeat No. 25/24 Creighton, 79-75, on Jan. 4 at D.J. Sokol Arena in Omaha, Neb. It marked the Friars' first victory over a nationally-ranked opponent since 2013, as
Grace Efosa netted a career-best 27 points to lead four players in double figures. Providence improved to 10-6 overall (1-4 BIG EAST), while Creighton dropped to 9-5 (3-3 BIG EAST).
1ST QUARTER:
• Creighton held a 7-6 lead at the media timeout (4:40).
• A 10-2 run extended the Bluejays' lead to 18-8 with 2:43 on the clock.
• Providence cut the lead to six (21-15), but Creighton's Molly Mogensen hit a three as time expired to make it a 24-15 game at the intermission.
2ND QUARTER:
• Creighton outscored Providence 13-12 through the opening 5:10 of the second quarter, giving the Jays a 10-point lead (37-27).
• Providence used an 8-0 run to get within four (37-33) with 3:06 on the clock.
• Creighton halted the run with a triple from the left wing at the 2:18 mark and finished the quarter with a 9-6 scoring edge.
• The Jays held a 46-39 lead at halftime.
• During the opening 20 minutes of play, Providence converted 17-35 shots from the field (.486), while Creighton connected on 16-32 attempts (.500).
• Creighton's lead came by way of 11-19 shooting from three-point territory, compared to 2-5 shooting from deep by the Friars.
3RD QUARTER:
• An 8-0 run over 2:08 helped Providence cut the deficit to two (49-47).
• The Friars took their first lead of the night 54-52 on a traditional three-point play by
Janai Crooms with 5:36 on the clock.
• The play capped a 15-3 run over 4:28 heading into the media timeout (5:00).
• Providence extended its lead to 59-52 as Friars' defense held Creighton scoreless for more than five and a half minutes.
• The Jays got back on the board with a three at the 1:26 mark (59-55).
• Providence took a 63-57 advantage into the final quarter.
4TH QUARTER:
• Providence took its largest lead of the game (63-55) with 9:08 showing on the clock.
• Creighton called timeout with 6:17 to play, with the Friars still holding a five-point advantage (70-65).
• The Jays closed the gap to three, but Efosa answered with back-to-back buckets to put Providence ahead 76-69.
• Creighton answered with their 15
th three of the game at the 2:19 mark (76-72).
• Both teams went scoreless for just over two minutes before Efosa hit two free throws with four seconds left in regulation, extending the Friars lead to 78-72.
• Creigton advanced the ball with a timeout and Morgan Maly drained a triple to get the Jays within three (78-75).
•
Janai Crooms made it a two possession game with a free throw in the final second to seal the win (79-75).
NOTES:
• The last time Providence defeated a ranked opponent dates back to Jan. 23, 2013 when it claimed a 65-60 victory over then-No. 25 Villanova at Alumni Hall.
• Providence earned its first victory of the season when trailing at halftime. The Friars entered the contest 0-5 when trailing at the half.
• Providence improved to 5-0 when four or more players score in double figures.
• Efosa finished the night with a career-best 27 points on 12-17 shooting. She also added five rebounds and three assists.
• Crooms completed the night with 14 points, six boards, four assists and two steals.
•
Olivia Olsen scored 11 of her 13 points in the decisive second half and also finished the game with five boards, two steals and two blocked shots.
•
Kylee Sheppard rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12 points and added four boards, two assists and one blocked shot.
• Providence posted its second-highest shooting percentage of the season (.548), having connected on 34-62 attempts from the field.
• Creighton shot 43.5-percent (27-62), including a 16-32 performance from deep (.500).
• The Friar defense limited the Jays to just five threes in the second half.
• Providence won the battle of the boards, 36-31, and dominated the scoring in the paint, 42-18.
• The Friars also led in second-chance points, 13-4.
• Ball security was a huge factor in the game as Providence committed a season-low six turnovers. The Friars held a 9-5 advantage on the scoreboard in points off turnovers.
UP NEXT:
• The Friars will return to Alumni Hall in Providence, R.I. to host Seton Hall on Sunday, Jan. 8. Tip-off is slated for 1:00 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on the BIG EAST Digital Network / FloSports.
- GO FRIARS! -