Providence College Athletics

Wednesday, January 4
Omaha, Neb. / D.J. Sokol Arena
7:00 PM (ET)

Providence College

10-6,1-4Big East

79
at
75

Creighton

9-5,3-3Big East

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2
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4
F
Providence
15
24
24
16
79
Creighton
24
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11
18
75
Grace Efosa scans the floor against Creighton

Friars Take Down No. 25 Creighton On The Road, 79-75

1/4/2023 9:53:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Grace Efosa paced the Friars with a career-high 27 points; Friars defeat first nationally-ranked opponent since 2013.

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 15th 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! -
 
 
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