PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Providence College women’s basketball team defeated St. John’s, 59-52, in overtime on Jan. 1 at Alumni Hall in Providence, R.I. The Friars improved to 8-8 overall (1-2 BIG EAST), while St. John’s dipped to 10-4 overall (0-3 BIG EAST).
1ST QUARTER:
• Marta Morales Romero scored five of the Friars’ first seven points heading into the media timeout to reach a 7-7 tie at the 4:13 mark.
• The Friars claimed their first lead of the game (10-9) on a Grace Efosa triple from the left wing with 3:48 to play.
• Efosa’s bucket sparked a 7-0 run to give the Friars a 14-9 lead with 2:02 to play.
• St. John’s hit a three with 28-seconds remaining and the Friars went into the break with a 14-12 lead.
2ND QUARTER:
• Providence started the second quarter on a 4-0 run to take a 18-12 advantage.
• The Friars extended their lead to 24-16 with 2:17 on the clock.
• St. John’s used a 5-0 spurt to close the half and get within three (24-21).
• Morales Romero paced the Friars with eight points in the first half and Sarah Bandoma recorded a team-best five boards.
3RD QUARTER:
• The Friars opened the third with a 6-2 scoring advantage, forcing a St. John’s timeout with 4:48 on the clock (30-23).
• Providence held the Red Storm scoreless for four and a half minutes before Kylie Lavelle hit a contested three with 3:18 remaining.
• The bucket sparked a 7-0 run which cut St. John’s deficit to one (31-30) with 2:00 left.
• Efosa halted the drought with a pull-up jumper at the right elbow, resulting in a 5-0 spurt for the Friars (35-30).
• Providence took a 35-32 lead into the final frame.
4TH QUARTER:
• Morales Romero hit her third three pointer of the game to put Providence ahead 44-38 with 5:39 to play.
• St. John’s ended a three-minute scoring drought with a three from the top of the key to get within 44-41.
• Morales Romero and Kylee Sheppard scored back-to-back buckets for the Friars to extend their lead to seven with 2:28 on the clock (48-41).
• The Friars committed back-to-back turnovers that yielded consecutive baskets for St. John’s to make it a three-point game with 1:07 remaining (48-45).
• St. John’s hit a three to tie the game, 48-48, with 7.9-seconds left in regulation, marking a 7-0 run during a span of 1:18.
• Providence was unable to get a shot off on its final possession and the game went to overtime.
OVERTIME:
• Providence started the overtime session with a 4-0 run to claim a 52-48 advantage.
• St. John’s got its first bucket of OT with 2:24 on the clock, but the Friars responded with back-to-back buckets to make it a 56-50 game with 51.5-seconds to play.
• Emily Archibald recorded a blocked shot on a St. John’s three-point attempt with 43-seconds left and Olsen hauled in the defensive board.
• Olsen was fouled and converted both of her attempts at the line (58-50).
• The Friars held on for the 59-52 victory.
NOTES / HIGHLIGHTS:
• The Friars improved to 2-1 in overtime this season.
• Morales Romero scored a season-high 17 points on 6-8 shooting, including a 3-4 showing from beyond the arc.
• Efosa netted 13 points and Olivia Olden contributed 11 points and team-high eight rebounds and three blocked shots. Olsen recorded four points and three rebounds during the overtime session.
• Sheppard and Archibald each dished a team-high three assists.
• Bandoma finished the game with six points, six rebounds and one assist.
• The Friars snapped a five-game winless streak against St. John’s. The last time Providence defeated St. John’s dates back to Jan. 14, 2022 (56-49).
WHAT’S NEXT:
• Providence College will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 1 against Creighton. The game will be played at Alumni Hall in Providence, R.I. and is scheduled to tip-off at 2:00 p.m.
