Providence College Athletics
Providence College
St. John's
Women's Basketball Game Notes vs. St. John's
2/26/2023 10:15:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Friars set to host St. John's in regular-season finale on Monday, Feb. 27 at 7:00 p.m.
GAME NOTES (PDF)Â |Â LIVE STATSÂ | Â WATCH
FRIARS HOST ST. JOHN'S IN REGULAR-SEASON FINALE... The Friars host St. John's in the regular-season finale on Monday, Feb. 27. The game will be played at Alumni Hall in Providence, R.I. and will tip-off at 7:00 p.m.
FRIARS VS. RED STORM ALL-TIME... Providence and St. John's have met 77 times during the history of the two women's basketball programs. The Red Storm lead the all-time series, 45-32. During the 2021-22 campaign, the two teams split the season series with each program winning on its home court.Â
DOWN TO THE WIRE... Nine of the last 11 games in the all-time series have been decided by single digits, including two games that went to overtime. Providence is 5-4 in those match-ups.
FRIARS AND RED STORM AT ALUMNI HALL... Providence has won four of the last five games against St. John's at Alumni Hall, including each of the last three. Four of the five games during the stretch were decided by single digits, including three games by three points or less.
FIRST MEETING OF THE SEASON SERIES... Providence and St. John's met earlier this season on Dec. 18 at Carnesecca Arena in Jamaica, N.Y. St. John's won the game, 63-55. The Red Storm were unbeaten at the time and receiving votes in both national polls. Providence held a 43-40 lead heading into the fourth quarter, but the Red Storm started the final frame with a 9-0 run to take a six-point advantage. Brynn Farrell scored the Friars' first points of the quarter at the 5:30 mark on a three from the top of the key. The Red Storm claimed its largest lead of the day (63-52) with eight seconds remaining in regulation and Farrell hit a three for Providence as time expired to make the final score 63-55. Kylee Sheppard scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Farrell added nine points and Grace Efosa and Olivia Olsen each recorded eight points. The Red Storm got a game-high 21 points from Jayla Everett and Jillian Archer contributed 11.
SPLITSVILLE... Providence and St. John's have split the regular-season series in each of the last four seasons. During that stretch, the home team has earned the victory each time. The Friars are the last to earn a sweep in the season series between the two teams (2017-18).
LOOKING AHEAD TO THE BIG EAST TOURNAMENT... The Friars will enter the BIG EAST Tournament as the No. 10 seed and will face No. 7 seed DePaul on Friday, March 3. Tip-off is set for 1:30 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena. The winner will advance to the Quarterfinal Round to face No. 2 seed Villanova.
FRIARS VS. RANKED OPPONENTS IN 2022-23... The Friars are 1-4 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.
2/24/23   #15/15 Villanova   50-67 (L)   Villanova, Pa.
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).
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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' 30 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 six 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 20 of their 30 opponents this season and have posted an 13-7 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 9.5 points per game. In BIG EAST play, she leads the team in scoring (10.7 ppg). She also improves her shooting percentage in BIG EAST play, from .404 to .418 (76-182). Efosa has reached double figures in the scoring column 13 times, including seven 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 30th in the nation in blocked shots (51). Olsen has recorded at least one blocked shot in 23 of the Friars' 30 games. She also has recorded 14 multi-block games. With her three blocks against Villanova on Feb. 24, she became just the fifth player in program history to recorded 50+ blocks in a single season. Olsen joined 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.Â
NARIAH SCOTT EMERGING ON OFFENSE... Sophomore Nariah Scott has reached double figures in the scoring column in six of the last eight games, marking the first double-digit games of her career. During the eight game span, she has averaged 11.8 points per game. She scored a career-high 20 points 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 (11.7 ppg), 10th in rebounding (7.1 rpg), seventh in assists (3.7 apg), 10th in field-goal percentage (.491), 12th in assist/turnover ratio (1.3), seventh in defensive rebounds (5.1 drpg) and 13th in offensive rebounds (2.0 orpg).
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 Monday's regular-season finale against St. John's ranked 12th all-time in career scoring at Providence with 1,324 points.Â
CLIMBING THE LADDER... Janai Crooms ranks fifth on the Friars' all-time career assist list (444). Crooms dished 171 of her 444 assists during her two seasons at Ohio State (2018-20), added 65 at Michigan State (2020-21) and has registered 208 dimes with the Friars (2021-present). Through 141 career games, Crooms has averaged 3.1 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 709 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 414 rebounds (7.1 rpg).
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).
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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 have claimed the No. 10 seed in the upcoming BIG EAST Women's Basketball Championship, scheduled for March 3-6 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The Friars will tip-off against No. 7 seed DePaul at 1:30 p.m.
