Women's Basketball Game Notes Vs. Columbia

GAME INFORMATION VS. COLUMBIA | FRIDAY, NOV. 8 | ALUMNI HALL | 7:00 PM
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FRIARS HOST COLUMBIA AT ALUMNI HALL... Providence College will host Columbia University in non-conference action on Friday, Nov. 8 at Alumni Hall / Mullaney Gymnasium in Providence, R.I. Tipoff is slated for 7:00 p.m.

FRIARS AND LIONS ALL-TIME... Providence and Columbia have met three times during the history of the two women's basketball programs. The Lions lead the series, 3-0. The lone meeting at Alumni Hall dates back to Nov. 10, 2017. Columbia won the game, 73-64. Last season, the two teams played in New York City on Nov. 29. The Lions defeated the Friars, 77-52.

FRIARS DEFEAT MERCY IN SEASON OPENER... Providence defeated Mercy, 64-32, in its season opener on Nov. 4 at Alumni Hall. All 14 players on the roster saw game action, with only two of those 14 playing 20-or-more minutes. Olivia Olsen recorded her 17th career double-double on 12 points and 10 rebounds. Brynn Farrell chipped in 11 points on 5-6 shooting and dished a team-best three assists. Providence improved to 31-20 all-time in season openers and 35-16 all-time in home openers. Second-year Head Coach Erin Batth is 2-0 in season opening games during her tenure at Providence.

DOUBLE-TROUBLE... Olivia Olsen recorded her 17th career double-double in the Friars' season opener vs. Mercy on Nov. 4 with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Last season, Olsen finished second in the BIG EAST with 12 double-doubles, including seven in BIG EAST regular-season play.

CLIMBING THE LADDER... Olivia Olsen currently ranks 20th all-time in career rebounding at Providence with 643 boards. She opened the season with 10 rebounds against Mercy on Nov. 4 to pass Alexis Harris '15 (635) and Monika Roberts '01 (636). Chelsea Marandola '10 currently sits in 19th place on the all-time list with 651 boards.

MILESTONE ALERT... Olivia Olsen enters Friday's game with 978 career points and is 22 points shy of becoming the 38th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point milestone. Graduate transfer MacKayla Scarlett, who played the previous four seasons at Xavier, also is within striking distance of 1,000 points. She currently owns 829 career points.

ROAD WARRIORS... After opening the 2024-25 season with back-to-back home games at Alumni Hall vs. Mercy and Columbia, the Friars will play seven of their next eight games on the road. Three of the seven road games will be played in Cancun, Mexico over Thanksgiving as part of the 2024 Cancun Challenge against VCU, Wisconsin and San Diego State. Providence's lone home game during the stretch is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 24 against Delaware.

OLIVIA OLSEN AND GRACE EFOSA NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST TEAM... Olivia Olsen and Grace Efosa were featured on the 2024-25 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team, which was released at the league's annual media day on Oct. 23 at Madison Square Garden. Olivia Olsen, who earned All-BIG EAST Second Team honors last season, led the team in scoring (13.7 ppg), rebounding (8.5 rpg), blocked shots (1.7 bpg), field-goal percentage (.526) and double-doubles (12). Efosa finished second on the team in scoring (12.7 ppg) and rebounding (5.5 rpg) and added 1.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game. The Friars are one of three teams with multiple Preseason All-BIG EAST selections, joining UConn and Creighton.

FRIARS PICKED TO FINISH THIRD IN BIG EAST PRESEASON COACHES POLL... The Providence College women's basketball team was picked to finish third in the 2024-25 BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll, released at the league's annual media day in New York City on Oct. 23. The Friars feature a veteran roster heading into the season and will be led by three grad students and seven seniors.

VETERAN SQUAD TAKES THE FLOOR IN 2024-25... Providence returns 11 players from last year's roster, including six players who have seen extensive time in the starting line-up. The veteran roster is comprised of three graduate students, seven seniors, two sophomores and two freshmen.

POINT GUARD KYLEE SHEPPARD RETURNS TO COURT IN 2024-25... Senior point guard Kylee Sheppard will return to the court in 2024-25 after playing just six games a season ago [injury]. In her six appearances, Sheppard averaged 7.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and a team-best 4.0 assists and 2.3 steals per game.

GRADUATE TRANSFER MACKAYLA SCARLETT JOINS FRIARS AFTER FOUR-YEAR CAREER AT BIG EAST FOE XAVIER... Guard MacKayla Scarlett has joined the Friars' roster as a graduate student after an impressive four-year career at BIG EAST foe Xavier (2020-24). She led Xavier in scoring in back-to-back seasons, averaging 10.9 points in 2022-23 and 13.9 points per game in 2023-24. As a senior, Scarlett played 22 games and appeared in the starting line-up 19 times, while averaging a team-high 32.9 minutes per game. In addition to her 13.9 points per game, she also contributed 1.8 steals and 1.6 assists per game. In her first game as a Friar, she scored eight points in nine minutes off the bench against Mercy (Nov. 4).

FRESH FACES... Orlagh Gormley and Audrey Shields are the lone freshmen on the Friars roster in 2024-25. Gormley most recently attended Dexter Southfield School (2022-24). As a senior captain in 2023-24, she averaged 22.1 points, 9.2 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game. She averaged 20+ points in three of her four seasons in high school and was a two-time AA NEPSAC All-Star selection. Shields was a four-time Team MVP at Emma Willard School, where she finished her career as the program's all-time leading scorer (1,243 points). As a senior, she averaged 30.7 points, 15.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game en-route to earning Wasaren League MVP honors.

PROVIDENCE DEFEATS SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT IN EXHIBITION GAME... The Friars defeated Southern Connecticut State University, 66-39, in an exhibition game on Tuesday, Oct. 29 in Providence, R.I. Emily Archibald led three Friars in double digits with 14 points and also paced the team in rebounds, with eight. Grace Efosa netted 13 points and freshman Orlagh Gormley recorded 11 points and seven rebounds.

OLIVIA OLSEN NAMED TO ALL-BIG EAST SECOND TEAM... Olivia Olsen was named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season. It marked the first post-season honor of Olsen's career and she is one of 23 Friars to have claimed All-BIG EAST honors a total of 36 times during the program's 50-year history. Olsen led the Friars in scoring (13.7 ppg), rebounding (8.5 rpg), blocked shots (1.7 bpg), field-goal percentage (.526) and double-doubles (12). She played 32 of the Friars' 34 games and paced the team in scoring 18 times and rebounding on 19 occasions. Olsen currently ranks 22nd all-time at Providence in career rebounding, with 633 boards (94 career games). She also has accumulated 966 career points as a Friar and is 34 points shy becoming the 38th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point milestone.

GRACE EFOSA BECOMES FIRST FRIAR SINCE 1993 TO CLAIM BIG EAST ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM HONORS... Grace Efosa was named to the BIG EAST All-Tournament Team at the conclusion of the league's 2024 Championship Game, held at Mohegan Sun Arena last March. Efosa became the first Friar to earn All-Tournament Team accolades since 1993, when Lucie Fontanella and Sonya Lewis were recognized. In two tournament games, Efosa averaged 18.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals per contest. She shot 52-percent from the field (13-25), including 50-percent from three-point territory (2-4). Efosa also converted 8-10 attempts from the charity stripe. Efosa recorded 13 points, five boards, two assists and two steals in the Friars' victory over Butler in the First Round on March 8. She followed with 23 points, eight rebounds, one assist and one steal in the Quarterfinals vs. top-seeded and ninth-ranked UConn on March 9. Efosa shot 57.1-percent from the field versus the Huskies and connected on 7-9 free-throw attempts.

10-POINTS OR LESS... Eighteen (18) of the Friars' 34 games last season were decided by 10 points or less. Providence compiled an 8-10 record in those games, including a 5-7 mark in BIG EAST regular-season play.

DOUBLE-DIGITS... Ten different Friars reached double digits in the scoring column in at least one game during the 2023-24 season. Olivia Olsen led the way with 27 double-digit games. Brynn Farrell was second on the team in double-digit scoring games (20). The duo of Olsen and Farrell opened the 2024-25 campaign with double-digit scoring performances. Olsen led all scorers with 12 points and Farrell added 11.

BLOCK BUSTER... Olivia Olsen has recorded 53 blocked shots, in each of the last two seasons. Her 53 blocks is tied for the third-highest single-season total in program history. The single-season record for blocks at Providence was set by Mary Ann McCoy in 1977-78, with 68. Olsen matched her career high in blocked shots on two occasions vs. Sacred Heart and Georgetown (six). Olsen recorded one blocked shot in the season opener vs. Mercy on Nov. 4.

Providence College Single-Season Blocks Leaders (50+)

69 - Mary Ann McCoy (1977-78)

57 – Monika Roberts (1999-00)

53 – Olivia Olsen (2023-24)

53 – Olivia Olsen (2022-23)

53 – Mary Baskerville (2018-19)

52 – Andrea Mangum (1990-91)

51 – Mary Baskerville (2019-20)

OLIVIA OLSEN IS ONE OF TWO PLAYERS TO RECORD 50+ BLOCKS IN MULTIPLE SEASONS... Olivia Olsen became the second player in program history to record 50-or-more blocked shots in multiple seasons, joining Mary Baskerville '22. Olsen recorded 53 blocked shots during each of the last two seasons. Baskerville recorded 53 blocks during the 2018-19 campaign and 51 in 2019-20.

FRIARS IN THE POSTSEASON... The Friars last appeared in the postseason during the 2023-24 campaign. Providence's 2024 WNIT selection marked the program's 16th post-season appearance overall and first since 2019. Complete post-season breakdown follows (records in parentheses):

2023-24 WNIT Round 2 (0-1)

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)

ERIN BATTH ERA... Erin Batth was hired as the 11th women's basketball coach in program history at Providence College on March 20, 2023. Batth arrived in Friartown with 17 years of NCAA Division I coaching experience, with her most recent stops coming at NC State (2018-22) and Michigan (2022-23). She has been part of five conference championships, eight NCAA Elite Eight appearances and three trips to the NCAA Sweet 16. She also served as an assistant coach at Liberty (2017-18), Georgia State (2014-17), Tennessee Tech (2012-14) and Towson (2010-12). Batth earned her first career win as a head coach on Nov. 7 vs. Hampton (76-46). She helped the Friars earn an bid to the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) in her first year at Providence in 2023-24.

FORMER FRIAR JOVANA NOGIC '19 HEADLINED SERBIA'S ROSTER FOR 2024 OLYMPIC GAMES IN PARIS... Former Friar Jovana (Yoyo) Nogic '19 played for her native Serbia at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris last summer. She guided Serbia to a sixth place finish at the Olympics. The team finished first in its group and advanced to the Quarterfinals, before all to Australia. Nogic averaged a team-best 12.3 points in the Olympics and added 4.5 assists, 2.3 steals and 2.8 rebounds per game. Nogic was a two-time All-BIG EAST selection for the Friars and finished her career ranked fourth all-time in scoring (1,724 points). She is the program's most prolific shooters, setting records for career three-point field goals (323), single-season three-point field goals (93), career free-throw percentage (.909) and single-season free-throw percentage (.945). Nogic also finished her career ranked third all-time in the BIG EAST Conference in three-point field goals during regular-season league play (167).

WHAT'S NEXT... Providence College returns to action on Tuesday, Nov. 12 against Vermont. The game will tip at 6:00 p.m. in Burlington, Vt.

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Players Mentioned

Emily Archibald

Grace Efosa

Brynn Farrell

Orlagh Gormley

Olivia Olsen

MacKayla Scarlett

Kylee Sheppard

Audrey Shields

Providence College Athletics