Tag: Friar Sports
Editor’s Corner
by The Cowl Editor on May 2, 2019
Sports
Year in Review of Sports
By Jack Belanger ’21
Sports Co-Editor
As the year comes to a close (though not for all spring sport athletes), I wanted to look back on the year for Providence College sports. This year, the sports section of The Cowl covered big moments and special people that deserved recognition from the Friar community. As a section, we made it a point to cover all sports across campus, get the inside scoop from athletes and coaches, and recognize students who competed away from campus.
In the fall, we covered the Providence College Men’s Soccer Team celebrating their 50th season as they made it to the Big East semifinals. Abbey Wheeler ’20 won NCAA Cross Country Division I National Athlete of the Week twice during the cross-country season, it seemed every week she was among the top racers as she won three races during in the fall and came in fourth during the Big East race.
Even though the PC Men’s Basketball Team did not perform to everyone’s expectations, the team still had a fairly successful season and the winter sports season remained the peak for PC athletics. The freshman class proved that the team will stay competitive for years to come. The PC Women’s Basketball Team had their most successful season in recent memory, posting a 19-16 overall record as well as earning their first Big East tournament win since 2001 and earning a spot in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament. Jovana Nogic ’19 broke the College record for three-pointers and Mary Baskerville ’22 had a stellar rookie season as she went on to win Big East Freshman of the Year.
The Women’s Ice Hockey Team brought in Matthew Kelly as their new head coach and found immediate success. The team had an outstanding season that saw them ranked in the top 10 for most of the season. Men’s ice hockey also had a historic season. After losing several stars from last season, the team retooled, filled the missing holes, and made their sixth straight national tournament. In the first round the Friars came back from a 3-0 to Minnesota State University by scoring six unanswered goals. They would ride that momentum all the way to their fifth Frozen Four appearance in College history. While the team fell short of making the finals, this was one of Nate Leaman’s finest seasons as a coach.
The PC Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Teams continued to have success during the indoor season. Millie Paladino ’19RS was named 2019 Northeast Region Female Track Athlete of the Year after she won the Big East title in the 3,000-meter race and came in third at the NCAA championship for the mile run.
This spring, the PC Women’s Softball Team is currently in a breakout season as they are 28-20 after a disappointing season last year. Outfielder Emma Lee ’19 set the school record for most career hits with 215. Former Friar Emily Sisson ’14 finished sixth in the London Marathon with a time of 2:23.08, which was sixth fastest for an American woman in history.
Outside of reporting on the games, The Cowl managed to get exclusive interviews with several athletes and coaches such as Track and Field Coach Ray Treacy, Paladino, Wheeler, and Vincent Desharnais ’19. Next year, we hope to give students, teachers, and alumni an even more in-depth look into what is happening for the Friars.
Mary Baskerville Reflects on Freshman Year
by The Cowl Editor on April 11, 2019
Sports
High School Experience Paying Dividends in Freshman Year
“Take every day to become better as a whole.” That was one of the main goals that Providence College Women’s Basketball Head Coach Jim Crowley preached to his players throughout the 2018-2019 season. This season for the Providence College Women’s Basketball Team has been one filled with exceeding expectations.
Coming into this season, the Friars were tabbed to finish ninth in the Big East preseason poll. “We wanted to prove that we deserved higher than that,” Mary Baskerville ’22 stated. “We knew that this year we wanted to be the start of an era that would begin to do things that have not been done in a while.”
Baskerville was just one of the six players to join Crowley’s squad this year. However, the first sport the 6’3” forward came across was track and field. Baskerville ran for the Hershey Track and Field organization where she competed in the 100 and 200-meter dashes and the long jump event. Baskerville first picked up basketball from her older sister.
“Anything she did, I wanted to do too. Once we were able to play basketball together I would only play if she played with me.”
The Baskerville sisters would team up at Enfield High School where winning was not always a tradition. In 2010 and 2011, Enfield High School girls basketball did not win a game. In 2012, they picked up three wins. In the final three seasons of Baskerville’s high school career, they made the state tournament semifinals.
Throughout her high school career, Baskerville would go on to earn four All-Conference selections, two All-State selections, and holds the record for the most career points between both the boy’s and girl’s program with 1,870 points.
Baskerville was proud to leave such a significant footprint on the program and hopes that “somebody as passionate about this sport like I am will look at that as a challenge to one day want to try and beat my scoring record. For me to be able to leave such a tremendous impact on my high school basketball organization is something that I will never forget.”
In November 2017, Baskerville signed her letter of intent to play collegiate basketball at PC.
Baskerville’s impact was immediately felt when she pulled down 13 rebounds against Yale University in her fifth game of the season. Baskerville and the Friars enjoyed success from all over. The Friars finished their season 19-16 with an 8-10 record in Big East play. The Friars picked up their most Big East wins since the 1996-97 season and their first Big East tournament win since 2001. To top off the season, the Friars made their first postseason appearance since 2010 and advanced all way to the 16th round of the WNIT before falling to fellow Big East team, the University of Georgetown Hoyas.
Baskerville was grateful to play in the postseason during her freshman year and reminisced to her high school basketball days. “I feel that playing postseason in high school kind of set a standard for me as a player…Not only that I wanted to play as much as I could, but to also take every game as an opportunity to better myself and my teammates.”
Baskerville also enjoyed success throughout her first season in a Friars uniform. She led the Friars with six double-doubles including four during Big East play. Baskerville now holds the program record for blocks by a freshman and recorded the second highest field goal percentage in program history. Baskerville finished her freshman season with 9.5 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per game.
After her rookie season success, she became the second Friar ever to win the Big East Freshman of the Year award and was a unanimous selection to the Big East All-Freshman Team. Baskerville was joined by fellow Friar Kaela Webb ’22 on the All-Freshman Team.
Baskerville and the rest of the Friars squad have bigger aspirations over the next few seasons; “Getting the women’s basketball team more recognition for all of the hard work that we put in every day on and off the court… Another goal that my teammates and I hope to achieve is to be known as a team that works hard, sticks together through tough times, can bounce back from just about anything…a team that will never give up and fights to the very end.”
With the talent that this Friars team boasts, this program under control by Coach Crowley is sure to be on the rise and one that will be fun to watch in the future. “We want to take this program as far as we can every season,” Baskerville concluded. With the taste of postseason experience this year, the Friars can build off of this season and work to compete for a Big East Championship and a NCAA tournament bid next season.
Sports Business Organization’s First Semester Shows Promise
by The Cowl Editor on April 11, 2019
Sports
By Christian Rada ’22
Sports Staff
At the start of this semester, the Sports Business Organization Club was formed for students interested in entering the sports industry. The club has already brought in five key sports leaders as guests to talk to students about their stories and how they entered the industry. When asking Graham Collopy ’21 about the goals and expectations for the club, he responded, “We want to be able to have a close-knit community of around 40 members who are actively trying to join the sports industry.”
As of right now, Providence College does not have many programs or majors dedicated to the sports industry. Many people believe that in order for someone to join the sports industry they must only take business courses; however, there are many other classes that are a part of the industry such as sports psychology and sports media. The club is open to anybody and welcomes all potential members. PC students have had some opportunities at the Career Expo but many want to take the next step to get more involved in the industry.
In the next few years, the club wants to start hosting special guests to come give speeches to the PC community. The club is deciding on which path to take; it is currently based more on professionals lecturing on their careers.
So far, the club has brought in four speakers to share their experiences in their respective fields.
The first speaker was Sean Holley ’84. After graduating from PC, Holley recieved a law degree from the Catholic University of America. He then went on to become a sports agent for several NBA players and worked for the Big East Conference. He is now a professor at PC, where he teaches the History of Sports Colloquium for the Development of Western Civilization Program.
Two of the more well-known speakers from around campus were Nick Rojas, who works with Providence College Athletic Director Bob Driscoll and friars.com. While Rojas talked about his career in media and his work with covering the athletic teams, he also had dialogue with students with aspirations in other sport fields such as marketing, event planning, or even those exploring their options.
There are plans to make the club receive college credit since it is similar to a lecture-based class environment. When asking about future goals for the club Collopy stated, “Next year, we are trying to contact the President of the Celtics, Rich Gotham ’86, in order for a group of students to visit his office for him to give a speech then plan to see a Celtics game.” The club is heading in the right direction, as it wants to expand students’ horizons and give them opportunities for the future. “The club wants to help students out and give them meaningful experiences before leaving for college,” said Collopy. Next year, the club will be a part of the Involvement Fair that happens every semester.
Softball Player Sets New School Record for All-Time Hits
by The Cowl Editor on April 11, 2019
Sports
Emma Lee ’19 solidified her name in Providence College history this past weekend in an away series against Big East rivals Villanova University. The right fielder for the PC Softball Team broke the program’s all-time hit record with her 215th career hit.
During the first of two games that would take place on April 6, Lee notched a team-high three hits in the 2-1 win over the Wildcats. The team was unable to continue that momentum going into the second game of the day as they fell 4-0 and into the next day as they would lose the series against Villanova in a 6-0 loss.
Despite the unfavorable outcome, Lee had a very successful series. She concluded the weekend with a .556 batting average and 1.000 slugging percentage. Lee also hit two impressive doubles and a triple. Due to her success over the weekend, Lee was named to the Big East Weekly Honor Roll.
Heading into her final games as a Friar, Lee said that her personal goal for the season is to “just have fun playing the game I love with all of my teammates besides me. These four years have gone by so fast and I would like to take advantage of every second.”
Men’s Hockey Still Dancing
by The Cowl Editor on April 4, 2019
Sports
Team Heads to the Frozen Four for the Fifth Time in Program History
By Scott Jarosz ’21
Sports Staff
The Providence College Men’s Hockey Team entered the NCAA Hockey Tournament as the fourth and lowest seed in the East Regional. The Friars were quite fortunate to be selected into the East Regional, which was hosted by Brown University within the friendly confines of the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. The region also consisted of Minnesota State, Northeastern University, and Cornell University. For its first matchup of the tournament, PC was paired up with #1-seed Minnesota State, who entered the regional semifinal having never won an NCAA tournament game in school history. Despite lacking a win at any point in its team’s history, Minnesota State entered its semifinal game against PC looking like a team that could make a deep run in this year’s NCAA hockey tournament.
On Saturday, March 30, PC men’s hockey took the ice at the Dunk to play Minnesota State in the first round of the East Regional. Although PC was technically the underdog, the team had the privilege of playing at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, just a few minutes away from its regular home at Schneider Arena. Despite practically playing a home game, the Friars had a poor start to the game. In just under 12 minutes of game play in the first period, PC conceded three consecutive goals to Minnesota State. Down 3-0 to the Mavericks, it looked as though PC had dug itself a hole which could not be escaped. However, after Josh Wilkins ’20 scored a power play goal towards the end of the first period to cut Minnesota State’s lead to 3-1, the Dunkin Donuts’ Center came back to life and the game felt brand new.
Entering the second period down 3-1 instead of 3-0, PC showed absolutely no signs of distress or panic. At 4:37 in the second period, Vimal Sukumaran ’20 scored on an assist from Ryan Tait ’19 to cut Minnesota State’s lead to 3-2 and excite the crowd at the Dunk even more. After this, the Friars scored another power play goal, this time by Kasper Björkqvist ’20. From that point on, the Friars continued its scoring run, adding three more goals by Tyce Thompson ’22, Wilkins, and an empty-net goal by Jason O’Neill ’21. PC beat Minnesota State by a final score of 6-3, and would go on to play Cornell University on Sunday in the East Regional final.
After what was a sluggish start to Saturday’s semifinal matchup against Minnesota State, the Friars made sure not to do the same against Cornell, who had beaten Northeastern 5-1 the previous day. In Sunday’s East Regional final, PC scored early and often, and combined an outstanding offensive effort with excellent defense and a great performance by goaltender Hayden Hawkey ’19. PC beat Cornell 4-0 with goals by Greg Printz ’21, Wilkins, Scott Conway ’19, and Brandon Duhaime ’20. With the win, PC advanced to the Frozen Four in Buffalo, New York. This year’s Frozen Four consists of PC, Hockey East foe University of Massachusetts Amherst, the University of Minnesota Duluth, and the University of Denver. The first-round matchups are set to take place on Thursday, April 11 with PC playing Minnesota Duluth at 5 p.m. and UMass playing Denver at 8:30 p.m.
PC has a tough matchup ahead, as Minnesota Duluth is ranked the #2 overall team in the NCAA. However, PC has won in similar situations before. In 2015, PC advanced to the Frozen Four as a 4-seed and beat Boston University in the title game to win the National Championship. The other matchup features UMass and #4 Denver. PC and UMass are quite familiar with each other, as the two teams have met three times this season, and PC has a 1-2 record against the Minutemen. If both UMass and PC advance to the National Championship, there is no telling who would prevail in the Hockey East battle for the national title.
Men’s Basketball Roster Features a New Face
by The Cowl Editor on April 4, 2019
Sports
Friars Welcome UMass Player Luwane Pipkins After Two PC Players Decide to Transfer
By Sullivan Burgess ’20
Sports Staff
After a season of ups and downs for the Providence College Men’s Basketball program, it is time to recruit and make big decisions for the program. Ed Cooley knows first hand that the team needs to be reevaluated to see what can be done for the future of the Friars.
After the National Invitational Tournament first round loss to the University of Arkansas, Cooley stated to press “We didn’t have it this year—not a year that I’m happy about. To me, it’s unacceptable. I have to do a much better job with the group. We have to look at our program and evaluate it as to what we need going forward…Along the way, we have to change some things. We’re looking for players who can help the Friars, period.”
The changes began with the announcement of redshirt forward Drew Edwards ’19 transferring from PC to another school as a graduate transfer. The school at which he will be playing has yet to be announced, but the entire student body will miss his hard work on the court and dedication to the game.
Late in March, the news spread around Providence like wildfire that University of Massachusetts of Amherst Guard Luwane Pipkins would transfer to PC. He will come to the school as a fifth-year graduate transfer, which will make him immediately eligible for the upcoming 2019-2020 basketball season.
Pipkins took to Twitter to announce the news, tweeting “I just want to say thanks to all the coaches that contacted me during this time, but after careful consideration, I have decided to use my last year of eligibility to play for coach Ed Cooley and the Providence Friars.” When asked about why he was joining PC, he stated “Basically, I felt a connection with Coach Cooley and his staff…They kept it real from the start and were very honest with me.”
Some websites even have Pipkins as a projected starter for next season alongside Providence guard David Duke ’22. Last season at UMass, Pipkins averaged 16 points per game, alongside 4.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists. These stats, along with veteran leadership will be of great use to the team.
Twenty-four hours after the announcement of Pipkins, rumors began swirling that sophomore point guard Makai Ashton-Langford ’21 was looking to transfer from Providence. Soon after, Ashton-Langford took to his social media thanking the staff and school for the last two years as well as his supporters from the student body, and officially announcing his transfer.
Originally committed to play at the University of Connecticut after high school, Ashton-Langford had then de-committed from the program to join the Friars. After a tough freshman season, this season offered Ashton-Langford more opportunities to show his playmaking skills that he displayed in high school. However he was still only able to average 3.7 points. 1.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists this season.
The Friars will now head into next season with their depth chart at point guard looking like Pipkens, Duke, and Maliek White ’20 as players who will be trusted to bring the ball up the court.
Men’s Lacrosse Enters the Second Half of Their Season
by The Cowl Editor on April 4, 2019
Sports
Team Already Matches Win Total from 2018
By Liza Sisk ’19
Sports Staff
The Providence College Men’s Lacrosse Team is heading into the second half of the 2019 season with a 5-5 record. The second half of the season ushers in a focus on conference play. Four of the next five games for the Friars are against Big East competitors.
The Friars defeated their first in-conference competitor, St. John’s University, on March 30. The team traveled to Queens, New York and took on the Red Storm in a nail biting game. The Friars secured an impressive 8-7 overtime victory, advancing their record to 5-5 and 1-0 in league play.
St. John’s was first to score, however, Kevin McCordic ’20 quickly answered, tying the game with his third goal of the season. The second quarter showcased the offensive prowess of the Friars with Tim Hinrichs ’20, of Amherst, New Hampshire, scoring back-to-back goals giving the Friars a 3-1 lead.
The third and fourth quarters brought a fury of goals for both the Friars and the Red Storm ending regulation play with a 7-7 score. With 1:12 left in overtime, Hinrichs netted yet another goal, assisted by Matt Grillo ’22 of Setauket, New York.
Goalie Tate Boyce ’19 faced 24 shots on goal, tallying up 17 saves. Boyce was also named as a finalist for the Senior Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School Award. Ten NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse student-athletes are distinguished as candidates for the award. To be qualified for nomination, a player must have notable achievements in community, classroom, character, and competition. Head Coach Chris Gabrielli describes Boyce as “a true game and program changer.” The award is determined by nationwide fan voting, and the winner is announced during the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse National Championship in May. Boyce is a three-time captain for the program, pursuing a degree in marketing. When asked about his goals for the team and for himself this season, Boyce said, “I am hoping to do something we have never done in my previous three seasons, and that’s win a Big East Championship.”
The Friars are looking to maintain this momentum as they delve deeper into conference play. The team will be facing Georgetown University on April 6, at home, to kick off this portion of their season. April also brings competition against Marquette University, cross-city rival Brown University, University of Denver, and Villanova University. Other than a trip to Denver on April 20, the Friars will be competing in Providence for the duration of the regular season.
Duncan McGinnis ’19, of Menlo Park, California, said, “The team’s goal this season is to win a Big East Championship and continue playing into the NCAA tournament in May.” He is particularly looking forward to the game against Brown University on April 16.
The road to the Big East Championship will be a tough one for the Friars. The rest of their Big East schedule consists of teams with winning records, which includes Georgetown, who is the first team to seven wins.
Friars Come Up Short at Madison Square Garden
by The Cowl Editor on March 21, 2019
Sports
Providence College Misses NCAA Tournament for First Time in Six Years
By Sullivan Burgess
Sports Staff
The last week has been quite eventful for the Providence College Men’s Basketball Team. From the Big East Tournament in Madison Square Garden to the National Invitational Tournament at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, the team experienced ups and downs that ultimately closed the season, which had also been a rollercoaster.
On Wednesday, March 13, the team, ranked as the eighth seed for the Big East Tournament, faced conference rivals Butler University. After a close first half, the Friars began to pull away and defeat Butler 80-57. Shooting 55.8 percent from the field and 47.8 percent from the three point line. The last time the team shot this well was in 1993 against the University of Connecticut.
Four players achieved double digits in points during this game. The leader was guard Maliek White ’20. White had a consistent and career-high 19 points providing a spark throughout the entire game, being the team’s go-to player. Alpha Diallo ’20 also scored 18 points with two threes, David Duke ’22 recorded 16 points shooting 6-8 from the field and 2-3 from the three. Lastly, Isaiah Jackson ’19RS, came off the bench with another performance of clutch shooting for 13 points.
The next day for the first game of the quarterfinals, the Friars had to face the top-seed team of the tournament and #23-ranked team Villanova University. While the Friars kept the pace for most of the game, they ultimately failed and lost the game, 62-73.
The team was led in scoring by Nate Watson ’21 with 15 points, and more double digit scoring from Diallo and Jackson. After the game, Coach Cooley said to the press, “Our youth and mistakes on the floor came back to bite us all day…We play hard as hell and are right in these games and then you can’t score enough. It’s a microcosm of our season.”
Villanova would go on to win the Big East Tournament, earning the title of back to back champions of the tournament and guaranteeing their place in the 2019 March Madness NCAA Tournament. Meanwhile, back in Providence, the Friars had to wait and watch for their placement in either the March Madness Tournament or the NIT.
Cooley was open to the media about the possibility of being selected for the NIT, stating, “We earned exactly what we got this year. If we get into the NIT, I’ll be excited about it because I still want to play with this young group. If we don’t, we’ve got to look ourselves in the mirror. We deserved to be in that 8-9 (Big East) game. That was our body of work.”
Four Big East schools were selected for the March Madness tournament, including Villanova, Seton Hall University, Marquette University, and St. John’s University. Later that night, the Friars were selected to host the University of Arkansas as the fourth seed for the NIT hosted at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.
The day came on Tuesday night, and sadly the Friars’ struggle throughout the season came back to haunt them as they fell to Arkansas, 72-84. While White put another career high of 19 points, the team shot 38.7 percent from the field goal, and 13 percent from the three point line.
The back and forth season came to a close, leaving the team at a record of 18-16. It was certainly not the season the coach or players had hoped for, but the pieces are in place for the team to be successful next season.
Millie Paladino ’19 Races to Success
by The Cowl Editor on March 21, 2019
Athlete of the Week
Paladino has Highest Finish for PC Since 1994
by Meaghan Cahill ’20
Sports Coeditor
For the first time since 1994, Millie Paladino ’19RS became the highest mile finisher from Providence College to place at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. Placing third in the nation in an event that only 16 people nationwide qualified for, Paladino ran a 4:38.44 mile, a time that also earned her First Team All-America Honors.
Having been told by Head Coach Ray Treacy that she could finish anywhere from eighth to first, Paladino says that she was “really happy and proud” of her accomplishment.
“It means a lot for me to do it for the school because it’s one of our highest places in the last couple of years so I think it really puts the team and the program on the map in the NCAA, which is always really good to do,” Paladino commented.
Her third place finish concluded a very tactical race in which Paladino reserved her energy by maintaining a solid seventh place position and then pulling ahead to third in the final 100 meters. To Paladino, the race was more mind over matter as she felt she had to prepare for it more mentally than physically.
“For prep…your physical prep is done [during the season]. You have to really work on telling yourself that you’re good enough to do this and that you’re prepared for this. The whole season has led up to this…I just have to tell myself that it’s not worth it to step on the line if you’re not confident in what you can do. Otherwise, why do it at all?” said Paladino.
Having transferred to PC from West Virginia University after her sophomore year because she felt that she would not get to be the best runner that she could be if she remained there, Paladino primarily chose to join the Friar family due to the success of Coach Treacy.
“He’s the best in the biz!” praised Paladino when talking about Treacy’s influence to come to PC. “I never looked back.”
In her time with the Friars, Paladino has a number of top-three regular season finishes and has consistently been recognized by earning NCAA First Team All-America Honors. At the Big East level, Paladino recently won her third career Big East title when she was crowned 3,000-meter champion—the first Friar to win the event since 2015. She also set a school record for the 1,000-meter race this season with a time that is also the 12th fastest mark in collegiate history.
Paladino’s continued success, especially within this current season, in what she describes as a “day-to-day” sport, has all added up to the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association naming Paladino the 2019 Northeast Region Female Track Athlete of the Year.
And while Paladino recognizes that running is very much an individual sport, she does not believe she could have had any of her success without her team.
“I can only do so much on my own…I owe the whole world to [the team] honestly,” says Paladino. “I think people really underestimate the people you are surrounded by and if I didn’t have my teammates to train with throughout the season…I would never have gotten this far.”
On the topic of her teammates, Paladino admitted that the cross country team’s Big East Championship win her junior year is her favorite memory.
“I still wear my ring,” she proudly admitted.
With the winter track season coming to a close, Paladino and the rest of the track teams are gearing up and heading outdoors with the start of the spring season, a season in which Paladino says the only main difference is that things are done outside.
“Mileages stay the same and your focus has to stay the same so your focus does not look that different even though it might,” she comments on going from one season to the other.
With a goal of finishing out her career at PC with an outdoor track Big East Championship title, Paladino also hopes to make it to Nationals again and just “make the most [of her final season].” And with the end in sight, she hopes to keep running and as she gets more “mature” in her running, she plans to up her distance, hoping to eventually run a marathon.
“But, I think that’s so far in the future,” she concludes.
Paladino will continue her distance running into the spring season, running both the 1,500 meter race as well as the mile as that is where her “strengths” are.
“Never give in,” is how she would encapsulate her running career. “If it’s really what you love and it’s your dream, keep chasing it because you’ll really surprise yourself.”
Women’s Basketball Falls in Big East Semifinals
by The Cowl Editor on March 21, 2019
Sports
Friars Finish Season with Winning Record; Secure Spot in WNIT
By Thomas Zinzarella ’21
After an impressive regular season, the Providence College Women’s Basketball Team headed to Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois to test their fate in the Big East Tournament. The official seeding was not set until the final weekend of Big East play. The Friars earned the #7 seed in the tournament and were faced with the task of the #10 seed, the Xavier University Musketeers.
The Friars were able to down the Musketeers by a final score of 70-62 to advance to the Big East Quarterfinals. The Friars held a 12-point lead at half but, the Musketeers kept pursuing the Friars, cutting the lead within six at one point before the Friars went on a 6-0 run and ultimately won the game. The Friars were led in scoring by Olivia Orlando ’21 who caught fire for a career high 18 points (9-11 FG). Maddie Jolin ’19 poured in another 15 points for the Friars.
The keys to the win were the Friars’ ability to control the glass and also only turn the ball over eight times which was the second lowest total of the season. “We have very little chance tomorrow if we turn it over a bunch like we’ve done the two times we’ve played DePaul,” stated Providence Head Coach Jim Crowley. “Now, they force it, they play at a really high pace, but we have to be better taking care of the ball. We’re fairly efficient offensively when we do take care of it.” The Friars’ win over Xavier was their first victory in the Big East tournament since 2001.
The Friars faced the future Big East Champs, the DePaul University Blue Demons. The Friars once again fell early as they trailed 9-20 after the first quarter. At one point, the Blue Demons were on a 12-0 run before the Friars took a timeout. The Blue Demons continued to roll in the second quarter where the lead was pushed up to 19 points before the Friars used a run of their own to close it within 12. In the second half, the Friars closed the defecit to single digits halfway through the third quarter before the Blue Demons were able to close things out and defeat the Friars 85-60. Mary Baskerville ’21 scooped up 10 of her team high 17 points in the 4th quarter. Each squad finished the game with 19 turnovers but benefited DePaul. “Their shot-making is exemplary, it’s outstanding, and they really put a lot of pressure on you because you make a mistake and they make you pay, and they did so to us,” Crowley commented after the game.
Although this loss ended their regular season and conference play, Coach Crowley alluded to some hope for postseason play. “Having coached in the WNIT a few times, we think that’s an amazing opportunity and we’d be honored to be a part of that.”
On Monday night, the Women’s National Invitation Tournament field was announced, and the Friars were able to secure a bid. This is the Friars’ first postseason appearance since 2010. The Friars will host the University of Hartford Hawks on Thursday at 7 p.m. in Alumni Hall.