Completed Event: Women's Basketball at #3/3 South Carolina on December 28, 2025 , Loss , 55, to, 96
Women's Basketball
at #3/3 South Carolina
Final
55
-
96
Providence College Athletics
Friday, March 3
Uncasville, Conn. / Mohegan Sun Arena
1:30 PM
Providence College
vs
DePaul
Photo by: Brian Foley for Foley-Photograph
Women's Basketball Game Notes vs. DePaul - BIG EAST Tournament First Round
3/1/2023 11:49:00 AM | Women's Basketball
No. 10 seed Friars and No. 7 seed Blue Demons tip-off at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, March 3 in the First Round.
PROVIDENCE COLLEGE GAME NOTES VS. DE PAUL (PDF)
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2023 TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
FRIARS OPEN BIG EAST TOURNAMENT PLAY VS. DE PAUL... The Friars enter BIG EAST Tournament play as the No. 10 seed and will face No. 7 seed DePaul in the First Round on Friday, March 3 at 1:30 p.m. The tournament will be held at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. (March 3-6).
FRIARS ALL-TIME IN THE BIG EAST TOURNAMENT... When Providence tips-off against DePaul on Friday, March 3 in the BIG EAST First Round, it will mark the program's 57th BIG EAST Tournament game overall. The Friars are 22-34 (.393) all-time in the BIG EAST Tournament.
FRIARS ALL-TIME AS A 10-SEED... The Friars are 0-3 all-time as a No. 10-seed in the BIG EAST Tournament. The last time Providence entered tournament play as a 10-seed dates back to the 2016 season.
2016: #7 Creighton 70, #10 Providence 53
2014: #7 Seton Hall 88, #10 Providence 79
1998: #7 Boston College 87, #10 Providence 77
PROVIDENCE VS. DE PAUL ALL-TIME... The Friars and Blue Demons have met 32 times during the history of the two programs. DePaul leads the all-time series, 28-4, including victories in each of the last 22 games. Two of the Friars' four victories against DePaul have come in a neutral court.
LAST TIME PROVIDENCE DEFEATED DE PAUL... The last time Providence defeated DePaul dates back to Jan. 7, 2012. On that day, the Friars earned a 60-52 win over the Blue Demons, who were ranked 20th in the AP poll and 18th in the Coaches' Poll at the time of the game.
FRIARS AND BLUE DEMONS IN THE BIG EAST TOURNAMENT... The Friars are 0-2 all-time vs. DePaul in the BIG EAST Tournament. The first meeting dates back to March 10, 2019. The Blue Demons claimed an 85-60 victory. The most recent meeting was on March 7, 2020, with DePaul earning a 97-59 victory. Both games were played on at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Ill. This will be the first true neutral-site BIG EAST Tournament games between the two teams.
THE ONE AND ONLY... Providence College captured its lone BIG EAST Tournament title in 1990. The Friars, who were the No. 2 seed, defeated top-seeded Connecticut, 82-61, at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Conn.
RUNNER-UP... Providence has advanced to the Championship Game six times. In addition to winning the BIG EAST title in 1990, the Friars finished as the BIG EAST Tournament runner-up in 1983, 1986, 1989, 1991 and 1992.
FRIARS HAVE WON A BIG EAST TOURNAMENT GAME IN THREE OF THE LAST FOUR SEASONS... The Friars have won a BIG EAST Tournament game in three of the last four seasons. In 2019, Providence defeated Xavier, 70-62, in the First Round. In 2020, the Friars posted a 49-46 win over Georgetown in the First Round and in 2022, Providence eliminated Butler, 63-61. It marked the first time since the 1993, 1994 and 1995 seasons that the Friars had won a game in the BIG EAST Tournament in three-straight seasons. Last year, Georgetown halted the Friars' streak in the tournament, defeating Providence, 68-55, in the First Round.
NO. 2 SEED VILLANOVA AWAITS THE WINNER... The winner of Friday's First Round game between No. 10 Providence and No. 7 DePaul will advance to the Quarterfinals to face No. 2 seed Villanova. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Mohegan Sun and the game will be televised on FS2. The Wildcats swept the regular-season series vs. both programs in 2022-23.
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.
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.
TRAILING AT HALFTIME... The Friars are 1-16 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.
LEADING AT THE HALF... The Friars are 12-2 this season when leading at halftime. Both losses 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... The Friars have lost four 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), St. John's (53-50). Overall, 14 of the Friars' 31 games have been decided by nine points or less and the team has posted a 6-8 record in those games. Additionally, Providence has posted a 3-5 record in games decided by five points or less.
DEFENSE WINS GAMES... The Friars have held 14 of their 31 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 31 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 (0-11).
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).
GRACE EFOSA LEADS THE OFFENSE IN BIG EAST PLAY... Grace Efosa ranks third on the team overall in scoring, with 9.6 points per game. In BIG EAST play, she leads the team in scoring (10.8 ppg). Efosa has reached double figures in the scoring column 14 times, including eight 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 31st in the nation in blocked shots (52). Olsen has recorded at least one blocked shot in 24 of the Friars' 31 games. She also has recorded 14 multi-block games. She is 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.
NARIAH SCOTT EMERGES OFFENSIVELY IN CLOSING STRETCH... Sophomore Nariah Scott reached double figures in the scoring column in six of the last nine games, marking the first double-digit games of her career. During the nine game span, she has averaged 10.8 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, 700 rebounds, 400 assists, 150 steals and 100 blocked shots in her career. Crooms finished the regular season ranked 18th in the BIG EAST in scoring (11.7 ppg), ninth in rebounding (7.1 rpg), seventh in assists (3.6 apg), ninth in field-goal percentage (.487), 10th in assist/turnover ratio (1.3), sixth in defensive rebounds (5.1 drpg) and 14th in offensive rebounds (1.9 orpg).
MADE FOR THE MOMENT?... During the 2022 BIG EAST Tournament First Round, then-freshman Emily Archibald recorded a career-high 21 points against Georgetown (March 4). She shot 7-9 from the floor, including an impressive 6-8 performance from beyond the three-point arc. Her 21 points marked the most by a Providence College freshman and also the most by a Friar off the bench in a BIG EAST Tournament game since Jennifer Davis '97 scored 23 points on March 5, 1994 against Boston College in the BIG EAST Tournament Quarterfinals. Archibald has played in all 31 games this season and is averaging 2.6 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. She has scored 8+ points in two of the Friars' last three games. During that stretch, she has hit 6-12 field-goal attempts overall (.500), including 4-8 attempts from beyond the arc (4-8).
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.
• 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 enters the BIG EAST Tournament ranked 12th all-time in career scoring at Providence with 1,337 points.
CLIMBING THE LADDER... Janai Crooms ranks fifth on the Friars' all-time career assist list (447). Crooms dished 171 of her 447 assists during her two seasons at Ohio State (2018-20), added 65 at Michigan State (2020-21) and has registered 211 dimes with the Friars (2021-present). Through 142 career games, Crooms has averaged 3.1 assists per contest.
CROOMS CRACKS TOP-15 IN REBOUNDING... In addition to being ranked among Providence's all-time leaders in scoring and assists, Crooms also has cracked the top-15 in career rebounding at PC. She currently ranks 14th on the Friars' all-time list with 716 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 421 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.
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).
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 winner of Friday's First Round game between No. 10 seed Providence and No. 7 seed DePaul will advance to the BIG EAST Quarterfinals to face No. 2 seed Villanova. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Mohegan Sun and the game will be televised on FS2. The Wildcats swept the regular-season series vs. both programs in 2022-23.
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