Providence College Athletics
Providence College
Villanova
Women's Basketball Game Notes vs. No. 15/15 Villanova
2/23/2023 9:55:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Friars head to Finneran Pavilion to face the Wildcats on Friday, Feb. 24 at 7:00 p.m.
GAME NOTES (PDF)Â |Â LIVE STATSÂ | Â WATCH
FRIARS SET TO TAKE ON NO. 15/15 VILLANOVA... The Friars will face No. 15/15 Villanova on Friday, Feb. 24 at Finneran Pavilion in Villanova, Pa. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. It marks the final regular-season road game for Providence.
FAMILIAR FOE... The Friars and Villanova Wildcats have met 82 times, marking the most games against a single opponent in Providence College women's basketball history.
ALL-TIME SERIES... Villanova leads the all-time series against Providence, 54-28. The Wildcats have won seven of the last eight games, including two-straight heading into Friday's match-up.
FRIARS AND WILDCATS IN VILLANOVA, PA. ... The Friars and Wildcats have met 35 times in Villanova, Pa. The Wildcats lead the series on their home court, 29-6. Providence is 0-4 vs. Villanova at Finneran Pavilion.
LAST TIME PROVIDENCE DEFEATED VILLANOVA ON ITS HOME COURT... The last time Providence claimed victory on the Wildcats' home court dates back to Jan. 19, 2011. On that day, the Friars defeated Villanova, 58-53, at The Pavilion. Since then, Providence has lost 11-straight games to the Wildcats on their home court.
A LOOK AT THE LAST DECADE... Providence and Villanova have played 21 times over the course of the last decade. The Friars have claimed just four wins against the Wildcats during that stretch, with all four of those victories coming at Alumni Hall. In breaking down the series during that 10-year span, Providence is 4-7 vs. Villanova at home and 0-10 on the road.
FRIARS AND WILDCATS IN OVERTIME... Providence and Villanova have played five overtime games during the all-time series. Providence is 4-1 all-time in those games, recording its first setback in OT vs. Villanova on Feb. 24, 2021. Villanova escaped Alumni Hall with a 63-58 overtime win as Maddy Siegrist hit a deep step-back three with 6.1-seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game, 55-55. The Wildcat went on to outscore the Friars 8-3 in the extra session to take the win.
FRIARS VS. RANKED OPPONENTS IN 2022-23... The Friars are 1-3 this season vs. nationally ranked opponents and 0-2 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.
1/24/23   -/RV Creighton   46-64 (L)   Providence, R.I.
2/1/23   #5/4 Connecticut   54-64 (L)   Providence, R.I.
FRIARS FINISH NON-CONFERENCE PLAY 9-2... The Friars finished their non-conference slate with a 9-2 record. It marks the most victories for Providence in regular-season non-conference play since 2019-20 (9-3).
Â
TRAILING AT HALFTIME... The Friars are 1-14 this season when trailing at halftime. Providence earned its lone victory of the season when trailing at the half on Jan. 4 vs. No. 25/24 Creighton. Providence trailed 46-39 at the break and went on to claim a 79-75 victory.Â
LEADING AT THE HALF... The Friars are 12-2 this season when leading at halftime. Both losses in this scenario were decided by two points or less. Providence led 60-50 at URI and fell by a final score of 74-72 (Nov. 14). On Feb. 11, the Friars held a 33-32 lead at the half against Butler and dropped a 63-62 decision.
SINGLE DIGITS... Thirteen of the Friars' 29 games have been decided by nine points or less and the team has posted a 6-7 record in those games. Additionally, Providence has posted a 3-4 record in games decided by five points or less. The Friars have lost three of their last four games by four points or less, including two one-point losses: vs. Butler (63-62), Marquette (52-51), Georgetown (73-69).
DEFENSE WINS GAMES... The Friars have held 14 of their 29 opponents below 40-percent shooting from the field this season and are 12-2 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. On Jan. 24, Providence held Creighton to 39.7-percent shooting in a 64-46 loss.
BOARD IT... The Friars have out-rebounded 19 of their 29 opponents this season and have posted an 13-6 record in those games. Providence is winless the season when it secures fewer rebounds than its opponent (0-10).
GRACE EFOSA LEADS THE OFFENSE IN BIG EAST PLAY... Grace Efosa ranks third on the team overall in scoring, with 9.4 points per game. In BIG EAST play, she is the only Friar averaging double figures in the scoring column (10.6 ppg). She also improves her shooting percentage in BIG EAST play, from .405 to .420 (71-169). Efosa has reached double figures in the scoring column 12 times, including six BIG EAST games. She recorded a career-high 27 points in the Friars' win over then-No. 25/24 Creighton.
BLOCK PARTY... Olivia Olsen ranks second in the BIG EAST and 33rd in the nation in blocked shots (48). Olsen has recorded at least one blocked shot in 22 of the Friars' 29 games. She also has recorded 13 multi-block games. There are only four players in program history who have recorded 50+ blocks in a single season: Mary Ann McCoy (68 in 1977-78), Andrea Mangum (52 in 1990-91), Monika Roberts (57 in 1999-00) and Mary Baskerville (53 in 2018-19 and 51 in 2019-20). Baskerville is the only player to reach 50+ blocked shots in multiple seasons. With two games remaining on the regular-season schedule, Olsen is two blocks shy of reaching 50.
NARIAH SCOTT EMERGING ON OFFENSE... Sophomore Nariah Scott has reached double figures in the scoring column in six of the last seven games, marking the first double-digit games of her career. During the six game span, she has averaged 13.4 points per game. She scored a career-high 20 points in the Friars' most recent game against Georgetown on Feb. 21, including 10 points in the fourth quarter.
JANAI CROOMS STANDS ALONE... Janai Crooms is only active player in the league with more than 1,200 points, 650 rebounds, 400 assists, 150 steals and 100 blocked shots in her career. Crooms ranks 19th in the BIG EAST in scoring (11.6 ppg), ninth in rebounding (7.0 rpg), sixth in assists (3.7 apg), 11th in field-goal percentage (.484), 12th in assist/turnover ratio (1.3), seventh in defensive rebounds (5.1 drpg), 14th in offensive rebounds (1.9 orpg) and 15th in steals (1.3 spg).
20 SOMETHING... Five different Friars have recorded at least one 20-point game this season. Janai Crooms is the only player to record multiple 20-point games and has done so three times.Â
• Janai Crooms (20) vs. Dayton, 11/7/22
• Janai Crooms (24) vs. Rhode Island, 11/14/22
• Janai Crooms (25) vs. Boston College, 11/20/22
• Olivia Olsen (22) vs. Brown, 12/7/22
• Brynn Farrell (21) vs. No. 25/24 Creighton, 1/4/23
• Kylee Sheppard (20) vs. Seton Hall, 1/8/23
• Nariah Scott (20) vs. Georgetown, 2/21/23
Seven 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), Emily Archibald (one) and Nariah Scott (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 Friday's game at Villanova ranked 13th all-time in career scoring at Providence with 1,312 points.Â
CLIMBING THE LADDER... Janai Crooms ranks fifth on the Friars' all-time career assist list (442). Crooms dished 171 of her 442 assists during her two seasons at Ohio State (2018-20), added 65 at Michigan State (2020-21) and has registered 206 dimes with the Friars (2021-present). Through 140 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 ranks 15th on the Friars' all-time list with 701 rebounds. She has recorded double-digit boards in six games this season, including a season-high 17 rebounds against Weber State on Nov. 26. In her two seasons at Providence, she has recorded 406 rebounds (7.1 rpg).
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.
 Â
GRACE EFOSA EARNS SPOT ON BIG EAST WEEKLY HONOR ROLL... Providence College junior guard Grace Efosa scored a game-high 16 points, including the game-winning bucket with 4.4-seconds left in regulation, to lift the Friars to a 50-48 victory over Xavier on Jan. 28 at the Cintas Center. She shot 8-16 from the floor vs. the Musketeers and also recorded a game-high eight rebounds and added two steals and one assist. For her efforts, Efosa was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Jan. 30. It marked the first conference recognition of her career.
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
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).
 Â
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 close the regular-season schedule at home against St. John's for senior day on Monday, Feb. 27. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. at Alumni Hall. Providence will honor grad student Logan Cook and seniors Janai Crooms and Lauren Sampson during a pregame ceremony.
