Women's Basketball Game Notes vs. Xavier - Providence College Athletics

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FRIARS HIT THE ROAD TO FACE XAVIER... Providence will travel to Cincinnati, Ohio to face Xavier at the Cintas Center on Saturday, Feb. 28. The match-up is the second game of the season between the two teams and tip-off is slated for 2:00 p.m.

FRIARS FINISH NON-CONFERENCE PLAY 9-2... The Friars finished their non-conference slate with a 9-2 record. It marks the most victories in regular-season non-conference play since 2019-20 (9-3).

PROVIDENCE VS. XAVIER ALL-TIME... The Friars and Musketeers have met 19 times during the history of the two women's basketball programs. Xavier leads the all-time series, 11-8. 

FRIARS AND MUSKETEERS AT THE CINTAS CENTER... The Friars and Musketeers have met nine times at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Xavier leads the series on its home court, 7-2. The Musketeers won the first five meetings between the two teams at the facility, but the teams have gone 2-2 in the last four games played on Xavier's home court. 

LAST MEETING AT THE CINTAS CENTER... Providence claimed a 54-49 victory in the last meeting between the two teams at the Cintas Center on Jan. 11, 2022. Cincinnati-native Kylee Sheppard scored a team-best 13 points and added four rebounds, three assists and three steals for the Friars. Mackayla Scarlett netted a game-high 17 points for Xavier.

HOMECOMING... Providence College sophomore guard Kylee Sheppard will be playing in front of a hometown crowd when the Friars face Xavier on Jan. 28 at the Cintas Center. The Cincinnati-native attended Roger Bacon High School, where she averaged 13.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game as a senior. In three seasons, she recorded 938 career points and ranks sixth all-time in scoring at Roger Bacon. She was a two time All-District and All-City selection and earned All-State honors as a senior. Sheppard also played her AAU ball with the Cincinnati Angels.

FRIARS SUFFER BACK-TO-BACK LOSSES FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE EARLY DECEMBER... Providence suffered losses in each of its last two games, marking the first back-to-back losses since early December. On Jan. 21, Providence fell to Georgetown, 61-51, followed by a 64-46 loss to Creighton on Jan. 24. The last time Providence dropped back-to-back games was BIG EAST opening weekend vs. Connecticut (Dec. 2) and Villanova (Dec. 4). 

TRAILING AT HALFTIME... The Friars are 1-9 this season when trailing at halftime. Providence earned its first victory of the season when trailing at halftime on Jan. 4 vs. No. 25/24 Creighton. Providence trailed 46-39 at the break and went on to claim a 79-75 victory. 

IMPORTANCE OF A STRONG START... The Friars are 11-1 this season when leading at halftime.  Providence's only loss when holding a halftime lead came against URI on Nov. 14. The Friars held a 50-40 advantage at the break and fell to the Rams, 74-72.

DEFENSE WINS GAMES... The Friars have held 13 of their 22 opponents below 40-percent shooting from the field this season and are 11-2 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. In its most recent game, Providence held Creighton to 39.7-percent shooting in a 64-46 loss.

BOARD IT... The Friars have out-rebounded 16 of their 22 opponents this season and have posted an 12-4 record in those games. Providence is 0-5 on the season when it secures fewer rebounds than its opponent.

HOME-SWEET-HOME... The Friars own an 12-10 record this season, including an 8-4 mark on their home court (Alumni Hall).  Providence's four home losses came at the hands of No. 25 Villanova (79-54) on Dec. 4, Seton Hall (76-60) on Jan. 8, Georgetown (61-51) on Jan. 21 and Creighton (64-46) on Jan. 24. The Friars are 4-6 on the road.

FRIARS EARN FIRST ROAD WIN OVER A TEAM RANKED IN THE AP POLL SINCE 1989... Providence earned its fourth road victory over a team ranked in the Associated Press Poll program history when it upset No. 25 Creighton in Omaha, Neb. (Jan. 4). It marked the first road win vs. a team ranked in the AP Poll since Dec. 29, 1989. On that day, the Friars defeated No. 25 DePaul, 106-92, during a neutral site game in Palo Alto, Calif. The Friars have two true road wins over teams ranked in the AP Poll vs. No. 17 Houston in Houston, Texas (W, 65-59 on 12/28/85) and vs. No. 15 St. John's in Queens, N.Y. (W, 66-61 on 1/28/84). In addition to the program's four road victories vs. teams ranked in the AP Poll, the Friars have posted 11 wins over teams ranked in the AP Poll at home.

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER IN FRIARTOWN... On Jan. 4, the Providence men's and women's basketball teams knocked off nationally-ranked opponents on the same night. The men took down No. 4/5 Connecticut, 73-61, at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, R.I. The women defeated No. 25/24 Creighton at D.J. Sokol Arena in Omaha, Neb.

FRIARS VS. RANKED OPPONENTS IN 2022-23... The Friars are 1-2 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.

THREE FRIARS AVERAGING DOUBLE-FIGURES IN BIG EAST PLAY... Through the midway point of the BIG EAST schedule, three players on the Friars' roster are averaging double figures in the scoring column. Grace Efosa leads the way with 11.0 points per game, followed by Olivia Olsen (10.0 ppg), Kylee Sheppard (10.0 ppg). Preseason All-BIG EAST selection Janai Crooms checks in just shy of double-digits (9.5 ppg), but has been all over the stat sheet, also contributing 6.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.

OLIVIA OLSEN STUFFS THE STAT SHEET... Sophomore forward Olivia Olsen has made her mark as one of the top players players in the BIG EAST Conference. Heading into Saturday's game against Xavier, Olsen ranks 21st in the BIG EAST in scoring (11.5 ppg), 12th in rebounding (6.5 rpg), sixth in field-goal percentage (.518), 15th in free-throw percentage (.622), second in blocked shots (1.7 bpg), 10th in offensive rebounds (2.3 orpg) and 13th in defensive rebounds (4.2 drpg). She leads the team in double-digit scoring games (15), including 10 of the last 12 games. Olsen has recorded two double-doubles this season and has registered at least one blocked shot in 18 games - and nine multi-block games.

PLAYER MAKER ON OFFENSE...  Janai Crooms leads the team in scoring (11.9 ppg) and assists (4.0 apg) through 22 games. As a team, Providence has made 528 field goals this season and Crooms has scored or assisted on 38-percent of Providence's buckets (201). 

JANAI CROOMS STANDS ALONE... Janai Crooms is only active player in the league with more than 1,200 points, 650 rebounds, 425 assists, 150 steals and 100 blocked shots in her career. Through 22 games this season, Crooms ranks 19th in the BIG EAST in scoring (11.9 ppg), ninth in rebounding (7.2 rpg), sixth in defensive rebounds (5.2 drpg), fifth in assists (4.0 apg), ninth in field-goal percentage (.504), 12th in offensive rebounds (2.0 orpg), 11th in blocked shots (0.9 bpg) and eighth in assist/turnover ratio (1.4).

20 SOMETHING... Five different Friars have recorded at least one 20-point game this season. Janai Crooms has scored 20+ points in three of the Friars' 22 games. Olivia Olsen recorded the first 20+ point game of her career against Brown (22) on Dec. 7. On Dec. 28, Brynn Farrell dropped a career-best 21 points and Grace Efosa tallied a career-best 27 points against No. 25/24 Creighton on Jan. 4. Most recently, Kylee Sheppard scored a season-best 20 points against Seton Hall on Jan. 8. Six 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) and Emily Archibald (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 Saturday's game at Xavier ranked 18th all-time in career scoring at Providence with 1,247 points. 

CLIMBING THE LADDER... Janai Crooms ranks sixth on the Friars' all-time career assist list (426). Crooms dished 171 of her 426 assists during her two seasons at Ohio State (2018-20), added 65 at Michigan State (2020-21) and has registered 190 dimes with the Friars (2021-present). Through 134 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 17th on the Friars' all-time list with 662 rebounds. She has recorded double-digit boards in four games this season, including a season-high 17 rebounds against Weber State on Nov. 26. 

SINGLE DIGITS... Nine of the Friars' 22 games have been decided by nine points or less and the team has posted a 5-4 record in those games. Additionally, Providence has posted a 2-1 record in games decided by five points or less. 

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.

LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY SINCE 2018-19 SEASON... The Friars defeated Central Connecticut, 77-45, on Dec. 10. The 32-point win is the largest margin of victory since defeating Bryant by 44 (74-32) on Dec. 7, 2019. The Friars have won two games this season by 30-or-more points. Providence defeated Hartford, 60-30, on Nov. 25.

  

NEWCOMERS... The Friars added two transfers and one freshman to the roster in 2022-23. Graduate student Logan Cook played four seasons at Iowa, during which time the Hawkeyes won two Big Ten titles (2019, 2022) and advanced to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament (2022) and Sweet 16 (2019). She played 53 career games and averaged 1.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. Junior Brynn Farrell played two seasons at Florida, where she played 28 games for the Gators after being slowed by an injury. She averaged 2.9 points and 1.0 rebound per game and connected on 22-28 free throw attempts in two seasons (.786). Kammie Ludwig is the lone true freshman on the squad and attended Geneseo High School prior to arriving on campus. The 3A All-State selection and IBCA All-State honoree averaged 24.6 points per game as a senior and finished her career as Geneseo's all-time leading scorer (1,881 points).

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. 

OLIVIA OLSEN NAMED TO FRIAR THANKSGIVING CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM... Olivia Olsen was named to the Friar Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament Team, following Providence's three victories over Hartford, Weber State and Bryant (Nov. 25-27). Olsen led the Friars in scoring (13.0 ppg) and contributed 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocked shots, 1.0 assist and 1.0 steal per game. She shot 55.6-percent from the field (15-27) and 90-percent from the foul line (9-10). 

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).

2021-22 UNANIMOUS BIG EAST ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM HONOREE KYLEE SHEPPARD RETURNS FOR SOPHOMORE CAMPAIGN... Kylee Sheppard missed a third of her rookie season with injuries, but still found a way to make a significant impact during her time on the court. She appeared in 20 of the Friars' 30 games and averaged 9.6 points, 3.2 rebounds. 2.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Sheppard finished the year ranked third on the team in scoring and second in assists and steals. She shot 40.2-percent from the field (68-169), including 24-68 from three-point territory (.353), and recorded eight double-digit scoring games. Sheppard notched 20+ points in two games as a rookie, and both came during BIG EAST regular-season play, including a career-best 22 points against DePaul (Jan. 7) on 9-12 shooting from the field.

  

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 return to Alumni Hall to host No. 5/4 Connecticut on Wednesday, Feb. 1. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. and the game will be televised on SNY.

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