Providence College Athletics
Providence College
Seton Hall
Women's Basketball Game Notes vs. Seton Hall
1/7/2023 11:50:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Friars host the Pirates on Sunday, Jan. 8 at 1:00 p.m.
GAME NOTES (PDF) | WATCH LIVE | LIVE STATS
FRIARS RETURN TO ALUMNI HALL FOR FIRST HOME GAME IN 21 DAYS... Providence College returns to Alumni Hall to host Seton Hall on Sunday, Jan. 8 at 1:00 p.m. It marks the first home game for Providence since Dec. 10, as the squad played each of its last four games on the road.
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.Â
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 all-time when it upset No. 25 Creighton in Omaha, Neb. on 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.
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.
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.Â
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.
PROVIDENCE VS. SETON HALL ALL-TIME... Sunday's match-up between Providence and Seton Hall will mark the 75th meeting all-time. The Pirates lead the series, 44-30, including victories in each of the last six games.
LOOK AT THE LAST DECADE... Seton Hall has compiled a 19-2 record against Providence over the last decade, dating back to the 2012-13 campaign. Prior to that 10-year stretch, the series was evenly matched, with the Friars holding a 28-25 record vs. the Pirates from 1978-2012.
LAST TIME PROVIDENCE DEFEATED SETON HALL... Providence last defeated Seton Hall on Feb. 8, 2019. On that day, the Friars earned an 82-75 victory at Alumni Hall in Providence, R.I.
FRIARS AND PIRATES AT ALUMNI HALL... Providence leads the all-time series vs. Seton Hall, 17-15, when playing at Alumni Hall in Providence, R.I. The Pirates have claimed victories in each of the last three games played on the Friars' home court.Â
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 Blujays marked her sixth double-digit scoring game of the season and seventh of her career.
TOTAL TEAM EFFORT... While the headline boasted Grace Efosa's 27 point effort in the Friars' win over No. 25/24 Creighton, the stat sheet proves it was a total team effort. Three other players joined Efosa in double figures, including Janai Crooms (14), Olivia Olsen (13) and Kylee Sheppard (12). Efosa (16) and Olsen (11) combined for 27 points in the decisive second half on 12-15 shooting. As a team, Providence shot an impressive 54.8-percent from the field during the game (34-62), marking their second-highest shooting percentage this season. It helped offset a night when Creighton drilled 16-32 attempts from beyond the arc (.500). The Jays were 27-62 from the field overall (.435). The Friars won the battle of the boards, 36-31, led by a career-best nine rebounds by Brynn Farrell. Four Friars posted 5+ rebounds on the night. Ball security played a key role in the game, as Providence committed a season-low six turnovers. Statistically, Providence outscored the Jays in points off turnovers (9-5), points in the paint (42-18), second-chance points (13-4) and bench points (11-10).
OLIVIA OLSEN MAKING BIG CONTRIBUTIONS... Sophomore forward Olivia Olsen enters Sunday's game against Seton Hall ranked second on the team in scoring (11.9 ppg) and rebounding (6.2 rpg) and leads the Friars in blocked shots (1.3 bpg) and offensive rebounds (39). She is shooting a solid 52-percent from the field (77-148). Olsen leads the team in double-digit scoring games (10) and is the only player on the roster to score in double figures in each of the last three games. In the Friars' most recent 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.Â
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.
START STRONG... The Friars are 9-1 this season when leading at halftime. Providence's only loss when holding a halftime lead came against Rhode Island 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 10 of their 16 opponents below 40-percent shooting from the field this season and are 9-1 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 a 10-6 record this season, including a 7-1 mark on their home court (Alumni Hall). Providence's lone home loss came at the hands of No. 25 Villanova (79-54) on Dec. 4. The Friars are 3-5 on the road.
PLAYER MAKER ON OFFENSE... Janai Crooms leads the team in scoring (12.7 ppg) and assists (4.1 apg) through 16 games. As a team, Providence has made 398 field goals this season and Crooms has scored or assisted on 39-percent of Providence's buckets (153).Â
JANAI CROOMS STANDS ALONE... Janai Crooms is only active player in the league with more than 1,000 points, 600 rebounds, 400 assists, 125 steals and 100 blocked shots in her career. Through 16 games this season, Crooms ranks 16th in the BIG EAST in scoring (12.7 ppg), 10th in rebounding (7.4 rpg), fifth in defensive rebounds (5.5 drpg), fifth in assists (4.1 apg), fifth in field-goal percentage (.530), 10th in blocked shots (1.0 bpg) and seventh in assist/turnover ratio (1.6).
20 SOMETHING... Four different Friars have recorded at least 20-point game this season. Janai Crooms has scored 20+ points in three of the Friars' 15 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. Most recently, Grace Efosa tallied a career-best 27 points against No. 25/24 Creighton on Jan. 4. Six players on the Friars' roster have recorded at least one 20-point game during their careers: Crooms (eight), Kylee Sheppard (two), 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 Sunday's game against Seton Hall ranked 22nd all-time in career scoring at Providence with 1,189 points.Â
CLIMBING THE LADDER... Janai Crooms ranks eighth on the Friars' all-time career assist list (404). Crooms dished 171 of her 404 assists during her two seasons at Ohio State (2018-20), added 65 at Michigan State (2020-21) and has registered 168 dimes with the Friars (2021-present). Through 128 career games, Crooms has averaged 3.2 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 21st on the Friars' all-time list with 623 rebounds. She has recorded double-digit boards in three games this season, 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 guard this season, and is the third highest single-game total overall.
SINGLE DIGITS... Eight of the Friars' 16 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.Â
BOARD IT... The Friars have out-rebounded 13 of their 16 opponents this season and have posted a 10-3 record in those games. Providence is 0-3 on the season when it secures fewer rebounds than its opponent.
FRIARS PUT UP SEASON-BEST 85 POINTS AGAINST BRYANT... Providence defeated Bryant, 85-60, 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.
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.
DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORERS... Nine of the 12 players on the Friars' roster have scored in double figures at least once this season, and seven of the nine have reached double digits in multiple games. The challenge for the Friars is putting those individual scoring efforts together, consistently. Providence is 5-1 when they have three or more players in double figures. In the remaining nine games, just two players (or fewer) have reached double digits in the scoring column and Providence has posted a 4-5 record in those games. Olivia Olsen leads Providence in double-digit scoring games (nine), followed by Janai Crooms (eight) and Brynn Farrell (six).
FIVE FRIARS IN DOUBLE FIGURES... Providence has had five players reach double figures in the same game three times this season. The team first achieved the feat against Bryant (Nov. 27): Crooms (19), Koch (13), Archibald (12), Farrell (12) and Efosa (10). It marked the first time five Friars scored in double digits in a single game since Feb. 23, 2019 vs. Creighton. Providence also had five players in double figures against Central Connecticut (Dec. 10): Crooms (16), Olsen (15), Huerter (11), Cook (10), Farrell (10). The Friars saw five players reach double-digits in its most recent game against Sacred Heart on Dec. 20: Kylee Sheppard (13), Brynn Farrell (13), Grace Efosa (12), Olivia Olsen (11), Janai Crooms (10).
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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.Â
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
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.
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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 host Xavier on Wednesday, January 11 for their annual Project Providence game. Tip-off is set for 11:00 a.m. as local elementary and middle school children have been invited to attend the game.
