Women’s Basketball Winter Roundup

by Joshua Lopes on February 4, 2021


Friar Sports


PC Eager to Start Back Up After Long Hiatus

By Scott Jarosz ’21

Sports Staff

The Providence College Women’s Basketball Team started its unique and challenging 2020-2021 season on the right foot. Despite falling to a talented Quinnipiac University team on the road in their season opener by a score of 71-65, PC bounced back in the following contest against its in-state rival, the University of Rhode Island.

Although the PC-URI rivalry was much different this year with there being no fans in attendance, PC seemed unaffected. The team arrived in South Kingstown, RI, ready to compete. PC outscored the host by a score of 24-16 in the first quarter and 17-16 in the second quarter, leading 41-32 at halftime.

Mary Baskerville jumps for the opening tip-off against Connecticut.
Photo courtesy of David butler/USA Today

After an impressive first half, PC did not slow down its attack after halftime. The Friars dominated the Rams in the third quarter, outscoring them 22-10. PC then held URI to just eight points in the fourth quarter. This dominant second-half performance sealed a 76-50 blowout win. PC shot 57.6 percent from the field in the game and 50 percent from three-point range. Mary Baskerville ’22 finished with a team-high 16 points and also collected a team-high seven rebounds.

PC carried the momentum from its win over URI into its game the following day, which took place in Alumni Hall against Bryant University, another in-state foe. Both teams battled hard in the first quarter, with PC narrowly coming out on top 12-11. PC began to pull away in the second quarter, as it outscored the visitors 15-7.

Again, after a strong first half, PC showed no signs of slowing down. The Friars opened the third quarter by scoring 13 consecutive points, and continued to play exceptionally well through the rest of the second half, eventually securing a 67-40 victory. Leading PC in scoring was Baskerville, who netted a both game and season-high 18 points. Following close behind Baskerville was Chanell Williams ’21, who logged 15 points, nine of which came from three-point field goals. The win improved PC’s all-time record against Bryant to 7-1.

After a solid 2-1 start to the season, PC struggled to maintain its hot streak, falling to Boston College in its next game by a score of 58-46. PC headed into Big East play with a record of 2-2. Its first Big East game came against a tough Marquette University team. MU was simply too much for PC to handle, going on to defeat the Friars 89-40.

However, PC did not allow back-to-back losses to deter them, as they arrived at Hinkle Fieldhouse ready to take on Butler University. PC controlled the game from the start, outscoring Butler 17-9 in the first quarter and 32-15 in the second quarter. Butler tried to battle back in the second half, but it was too little, too late. Kyra Spiwak ’21 played a fantastic game for the Friars, recording a career-high 28 points in the 73-52 win.

After dropping their next matchup to the University of Maine, the Friars completed an impressive 76-53 win over St. John’s University. Williams led the Friars with 20 points, good enough for her season-high. However, after recording their second consecutive Big East victory, PC failed to find their rhythm. The Friars posted a record of 1-3 in the following four games, which concluded with an 87-50 loss to the University of Connecticut on Jan. 9.

Since then, PC has yet to play another game. After their loss to the Huskies, PC’s next six games were postponed due to COVID-19 issues within the team. Despite hoping to return to the court on Feb. 2, that game has also been postponed due to issues with the virus in the Xavier University organization. When PC does finally start back up, the likes of Baskerville, Williams, and Spiwak will look to lead the Friars to a successful second half of Big East play.