Women's Basketball Game Notes vs. St. John's

GAME INFORMATION VS. ST. JOHN'S | WEDNESDAY, JAN. 29 | CARNESECCA ARENA | 7:00 PM
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FRIARS HEAD TO QUEENS, N.Y. TO FACE ST. JOHN'S... Providence College travel to Queens, N.Y. to face St. John's in BIG EAST action at Carnesecca Arena on Wednesday, Jan. 29. Tip-off is slated for 7:00 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on the BIG EAST Digital Network via FloCollege.

FRIARS VS. RED STORM ALL-TIME... Providence and St. John's have met 81 times during the history of the two women's basketball programs. The Red Storm lead the all-time series, 48-33. On Jan. 1, the Friars defeated St. John's, 59-52, in overtime at Alumni Hall in Providence, R.I. The victory snapped a five-game winless streak to St. John's.

THE LAST MEETING.... The Friars and Red Storm met earlier this season on Jan. 1 at Alumni Hall in Providence, R.I. PC earned a 59-52 overtime victory. St. John's used a 7-0 run late in the fourth quarter to tie the game, 48-48, and force overtime. The Friars started the extra session with a 4-0 spurt and outscored St. John's 11-4 overall in the overtime to take the win. Marta Morales Romero scored a team-high 17 points for Providence on 6-8 shooting, including a 3-4 performance beyond the arc. Grace Efosa chipped in 13 points, while Olivia Olsen added 11 points and a team-best eight rebounds and three blocked shots. Lashae Dwyer recorded a double-double for St. John's on 15 points and 10 boards. Seven of her 10 boards came off the offensive glass. Phoenix Gedeon added 12 points and seven rebounds. The Friars shot a season-best 62.2-percent from the field (23-37), while St. John's shot just 29.4-percent from the floor (20-68).

GRACE EFOSA NEARING 1,000-POINT MARK... Grace Efosa has recorded 988 points in her career (113 games) and needs just 12 to eclipse the 1,000-point milestone. Efosa would become the 39th player in program history to achieve the feat, and the second player this season, joining Olivia Olsen.

LEADING AT THE HALF... The Friars have held the lead or have been tied with their opponent at halftime in 15 of their 22 games and have posted a 7-8 record in those contests. The Friars are 2-5 when trailing at the half. The Friars' two victories when trailing at halftime came against URI on Dec. 4 and Xavier on Jan. 15.

DOWN TO THE WIRE... Thirteen of the Friars' 22 games have been decided by single digits. The Friars have compiled a 7-6 record in those games.

FRIARS IN OVERTIME... Providence has posted a 2-1 record in overtime games this season, including a 1-0 mark during BIG EAST play. The Friars lost to Columbia, 77-69, in overtime on Nov. 8. Providence has earned OT victories against Brown (87-81) on Dec. 7 and St. John's (59-52) on Jan. 1. In two seasons as head coach at Providence College, Erin Batth has compiled a 3-1 record in overtime games (2-0 in BIG EAST).

20 POINT GAMES... Grace Efosa has eclipsed the 20-point mark this season a team-best five times. Efosa is one of 11 players in the BIG EAST to record five-or-more 20-point games this season. Brynn Farrell and Olivia Olsen are the only other Friars to scored 20+ points this season.

Grace Efosa's 20-Point Games (has nine in her career)

20 - at Vermont (11/12/24)

22 - at Dayton (11/21/24)

21 - vs. Wisconsin (11/29/24)

27 - vs. Brown (12/7/24)

20 - at Seton Hall (12/21/24)

Brynn Farrell's 20-Point Games (has four in her career)

27 - vs. Brown (12/7/24)

Olivia Olsen's 20-Point Games (has three in her career)

21 - vs. Xavier (1/15/25)

DOUBLE-TROUBLE... Two Friars have recorded double-doubles this season. Olivia Olsen leads the Friars and is tied for third in the BIG EAST, with five: Mercy (12 pts/10 rebs), Boston College (10 pts / 18 rebs), Wisconsin (10 pts/11 rebs), Merrimack (16 pts/11 rebs) and Xavier (21pts/10rebs). Emily Archibald recorded the first double-double of her career on Nov. 30 in the Friars' game against San Diego State (10 pts/11 rebs).

NINE DIFFERENT FRIARS CRACK THE STARTING LINE-UP... Nine different Friars have cracked the starting line-up this season. Graduate student Grace Efosa is the only player on the roster to start all 22 games. Olivia Olsen has started 21 games.

GRACE EFOSA PACES THE FRIARS' OFFENSE... Grace Efosa is the only Friar on the roster averaging double figures in the scoring column this season through 22 games (13.8 ppg), and ranks 12th in the BIG EAST in scoring. Efosa has reached double digits in the scoring column during 16 of 22 games, including a career-best streak of 11-straight games. Efosa is shooting 42.4-percent from the field (117-276), which ranks 10th in the BIG EAST, and leads the team in 20-point games (five).

OLIVIA OLSEN SCORES 1,000th POINT... Olivia Olsen scored her 1,000th career point on Nov. 17 in the Friars' game at Boston College. She achieved the feat with 7:17 remaining in the fourth quarter. She is the 38th-player in program history to reach the milestone. Through 116 career games, Olsen owns 1,165 career points and ranks 24th on the Friars' all-time scoring list.

CLEANING THE GLASS... Olivia Olsen is the top-returning rebounder in the BIG EAST from a season ago. During the 2023-24 season, Olsen averaged 8.5 rebounds per game. Through 22 games this season, Olsen is averaging 7.8 rebounds per contest and ranks fourth in the BIG EAST. Olsen owns seven double-digit rebounding games this season, which ranks third in the BIG EAST.

LOOKING TO CRACK TOP-FIVE IN CAREER REBOUNDS... Olivia Olsen ranks sixth all-time in career rebounding at Providence with 805 boards. Olsen needs just 17 rebounds to take sole possession of fifth place on the list.

TRIPLE THREAT... Marta Morales Romero leads the Friars from three-point territory this season, shooting a team-best 41.9-percent (32-79). During BIG EAST Conference regular-season play, Morales Romero has hit 14-34 attempts from the arc (.412). She recently scored a season-high 18 points against DePaul and converted 5-8 attempts from three-point territory (Jan. 12). Her five made threes mark a career high.

OLIVIA OLSEN HAULS IN CAREER-HIGH 18 BOARDS AT BOSTON COLLEGE... On Nov. 17, Olivia Olsen hauled in a career-high 18 rebounds vs. Boston College. Her 18 boards marks the highest single-game rebounding total by a BIG EAST player this season. Additionally, Olsen's 18 boards were four shy of the Providence College single-game record (22), set by Britt King '86 on Jan. 2, 1985 against Pittsburgh.

DOUBLE DIGITS... Nine of the 14 active players on the Friars' roster have scored in double figures at least once this season through 22 games. Grace Efosa has reached double figures a team-best 16 times. Olivia Olsen ranks second on the team double-digit scoring games, with 10.

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 at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Oct. 23.

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

POINT GUARD KYLEE SHEPPARD RETURNS... Senior point guard Kylee Sheppard has returned 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. She has played 14 games in 2024-25, and is averaging 4.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

GRADUATE TRANSFER MACKAYLA SCARLETT JOINS FRIARS AFTER FOUR-YEAR CAREER AT BIG EAST FOE XAVIER... Guard MacKayla Scarlett 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.

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.

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.

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). Through 22 games in 2024-25, Olsen has recorded a team-best 32 blocked shots (1.5 bpg), which ranks third in the BIG EAST.

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.

GRACE EFOSA NAMED TO BIG EAST WEEKLY HONOR ROLL... Grace Efosa was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday, Dec. 9, marking her second appearance of the season. Efosa averaged 22.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.0 steal in a 2-0 week for the Friars. She combined to shoot 58-percent (18-31) from the field against URI (6-12) and Brown (12-19). Efosa recorded 18 points, six rebounds and one assist against in a 48-45 win over Rhode Island on Dec. 4. She hit a pair of free throws with 6.8-seconds left in regulation to seal the victory. On Dec. 7, Efosa scored a season-high 27 points in an 87-81 OT victory against Brown. She added six rebounds, one assist and two steals.

GRACE EFOSA NAMED TO CANCUN CHALLENGE ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM... Grace Efosa was named to the Cancun Challenge All-Tournament Team. She averaged 15.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Her top scoring effort in the Cancun Challenge came against Big Ten foe Wisconsin (21 points).

GRACE EFOSA NAMED TO BIG EAST WEEKLY HONOR ROLL... Graduate student guard Grace Efosa was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday, Nov. 25. The Preseason All-BIG EAST selection averaged 18.0 points per game on 14-19 shooting (.737) in two games last week. She also averaged 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steal per game for the Friars. At the charity stripe, Efosa shot a perfect 7-7 over the two-game span. Efosa scored a season-high 22 points on 8-10 shooting at Dayton on Nov. 21 to start the week. It marked her second 20+ point game of the season and sixth of her career. She followed with 14 points on 6-9 shooting against Delaware on Nov. 24.

OLIVIA OLSEN NAMED TO BIG EAST WEEKLY HONOR ROLL... Olivia Olsen was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Nov. 18, marking the sixth appearance of her career. The 2024-25 Preseason All-BIG EAST selection averaged 9.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.5 blocked shots last week. She also shot 53-percent from the floor overall (9-17). Olsen opened the week with eight points on 4-5 shooting at Vermont on Nov. 12 and added six boards, two blocked shots and one steal. On Nov. 17 at Boston College, Olsen recorded her second double-double of the season with 10 points and a career-high 18 rebounds. She also tallied two assists and one blocked shot. Nine of Olsen's 18 boards came off the offensive glass. Additionally, her 18 rebounds are the highest single-game total by a BIG EAST player this season.

WHAT'S NEXT... The Friars will return to action on Sunday, Feb. 2 against Creighton at D.J. Sokol Arena in Omaha, Neb. The game will be nationally-televised on FS1 and serve as the BIG EAST's annual Female Forward Broadcast. Tip-off is slated for 2:00 p.m. (ET).

Providence College Athletics

Players Mentioned

Emily Archibald

Grace Efosa

Brynn Farrell

Marta Morales Romero

Olivia Olsen

MacKayla Scarlett

Kylee Sheppard

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