Feb. 8, 2000

FRIARS VERSUS
the Scarlet Knights...Providence and Rutgers meet for the 12th time in the all-time series, with the Scarlet Knights holding a 10-1 edge in the first 11 meetings. Rutgers has won the last four meetings, while PC won their only game against the Scarlet Knights on January 9, 1997, with a 72-57 victory in Alumni Hall. At Alumni Hall, the Friars are 1-5. At Rutgers, the Friars are 0-5.

PROVIDENCE - RUTGERS SERIES FACTS

Series Record: 12th meeting - PC trails all-time series, 1-10

At Rutgers: PC trails, 0-5
At Providence: PC trails, 1-5
Neutral Courts: N/A

Last Meeting: 1/24/99 - Rut 99 @ PC 52
Last PC win: 1/9/97 @ PC 72 RU 57
Last Rutgers Win: 1/24/99 - Rut 99 @ PC 52

SERIES NOTES

Streaks:
The Scarlet Knights have won the last four meetings in the series. The Friars won their only game against the Scarlet Knights on January 9, 1997, with a 72-57 victory in Alumni Hall.

Notes:
The Scarlet Knights have won four in a row. The Friars are on the heels of a five-game losing streak. After the Miami game on Saturday, the Friars have a week off before playing at Seton Hall on Saturday, February 19 at 2:00 p.m.

A LOOK AT THE Scarlet Knights
...No. 10 Rutgers comes into tonight's game with an overall record of 15-4 and a 7-2 mark in the BIG EAST. The Scarlet Knights are currently on a four-game winning streak, picking up their last win with a 77-41 victory over Syracuse on February 6. Carlita Washington, a junior college transfer, took over the point guard spot for injured Tasha Pointer and led her squad, scoring 19 points and recording a team-high six rebounds in 34 minutes of action. Senior Shawnetta Stewart, who sparked the Scarlet Knights with 11 of her 15 points in the first half, played just the opening five minutes of the second half. Stewart currently leads Rutgers in scoring, averaging 15.1 points per game. Pointer is second in the squad, contributing 10.8 points an outing for the Scarlet Knights.

STATISTICAL COMPARISON

1999-00 BIG EAST STANDINGS (2/7/00)

BIG EAST Co-PLAYERs OF THE WEEK:

Kelley Siemon - Notre Dame
Katie Smrcka-Duffy - Georgetown

ROOKIEs OF THE WEEK:

Mandy Wittenmyer - Pittsburgh
Alicia Ratay - Notre Dame

Last time out
...Pittsburgh used an 18-5 scoring surge fueled by Mandy Wittenmyer's eight points in the initial minutes of the second half to go on to a 63-41 rout off visiting Providence. Wittenmyer finished the day with a game-high 18 points and career-high 14 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season. After holding a 29-20 lead at intermission, Pittsburgh went on its decisive run sparked by Wittenmyer's eight points and Celeste Barkley's five, to take a 48-27 advantage with 9:02 remaining. The Panthers increased their lead to as much as 23 before providing the final margin. The Panthers opened the game on a 13-0 run and held Providence without a field goal until the 10:22 mark. The Friars brought the score within four (21-17) at 3:02, but Pittsburgh closed the half on an 8-3 run to go into intermission ahead, 29-20. PC's Meghan Hinds led the Friars with her nine points.

Looking for New Start in New Month
...The Friars were looking to change their ways when February approached but to no avail. PC is currently 0-2 in the second month of the year. Coincidently, the Scarlets Knights must like the new month as they are 2-0 so far in February.

JOIN THE CLUB
... Meghan Hinds became the 21st player in Providence history to score 1,000 points in her college career. She has currently scored 1,027 points to join in the exclusive club. She reached the 1,000 point plateau for her career during PC's loss to St. John's on January 29, 2000, with a three-point shot from the left corner just six seconds into the second half of the game.

Home vs. AwaY
...The Friars have different outcomes when they play at Alumni Hall or on the road. Here's a look at how they fare in the two venues:

Numerology:
Here's a look at how the Friars match up with their next opponent in the latest RPI poll, as of February 8, 2000:

Providence 102
Rutgers 12

The Highs
...The Friars allowed a season-high 90 points from the Irish on February 1. PC also allowed their guests season-highs against themselves in field goals made (32), free throws made (25), free throws attempted (36) and blocked shots (11) in their 90-60 loss.

And the Lows
...Providence shot a season-low 30.2 field goal percentage against the Irish. The Friars only connected on 19 of 63 attempts from the field in Alumni Hall, including just two shots from three-point range.

Stepping up
...Junior Dani Trippany has come back strong since her stress fracture, averaging 5.8 points and 3.0 rebounds over the last six games. She most recently netted 13 points in PC's 79-67 loss to St. John's on January 29 and grabbed a team-high six rebounds in the Friars' 90-60 loss to Notre Dame on February 1.

BOMBS AWAY!
...Senior Meghan Hinds netted five three-point attempts en route to her career-high of 28 points at St. John's on January 19. The 5-10 guard shot 64 percent from the field (9-of-14), 83 percent from behind the arc and 100 percent from the charity stripe (5-5). Hinds also recorded seven rebounds, two assists and one steal in 39 minutes of action.

Beat the Clock
...Junior Monika Roberts netted the game-winning shot with one second remaining to give the Friars a 77-76 win over the visiting Panthers on January 12.

Trippany for the block
... Junior Dani Trippany proved that a stress fracture won't keep her down for long. The 6-5 center recorded a career-high five blocks at Holy Cross, her third game back since her injury sidelined her for eight contests. Her total, combined with her teammates, led to the team's season-high 12 blocks against the Crusaders.

TO Catch a Thief
...Sophomore Chrissy Vozab handled a career-high five steals in Providence's 77-76 win over Pittsburgh on January 12. The 5-7 guard also posted 13 points, including three treys, four assists and three rebounds in the Friars' come-from-behind win.

CLUTCH FROM THE Arc
...The Friars made nine of 12 attempts from three-point range against St. John's on January 19 to earn the 72-67 victory over the Red Storm. Providence shot 75% behind the arc for a season-best. Meghan Hinds made five of six and Jen Gombotz connected on three of her attempts in the win over St. John's.

OUT OF ACTION
...The injury bug has plagued the Friars all season long. Here's the injured list heading into today's game versus Rutgers:

Brooke Freeburg (Fr., G) is out for the season after tearing the ACL in her right knee on November 30th at Michigan.

Abby Charbonneau (Jr., G) is out for the season after having knee surgery on January 3rd.

Dee Cummings (Fr., G) is out with a knee injury pending test results.

M*A*S*H UNIT
...Going into the Rutgers game, the Friars have lost 69 man-games to injury so far this season. Here's the list:

Catrina Hawley-Stewart: Nine games with high ankle sprain suffered November 11th. Has returned.

Meghan Hinds: Two games with broken nose suffered in season opener with George Mason.

Abby Charbonneau: 19games with season ending knee surgery.

Brooke Freeburg: 16 games after season ending knee surgery.

Dani Trippany: Eight games with stress fracture in right foot. Has returned.

Amy Drechsler: Eight games with stress fracture in right leg. Has returned

Dee Cummings: Seven games with knee injury.

FRIAR SIGNINGS
...PC head coach Jim Jabir has announced that three players have signed national letters-of-intent to attend Providence College for the 2000-2001 school year. They are:

Jenese Wilcox 6-2 F/C Port Chester, N.Y./The Ursuline School

Ryann Kilgore 6-1 F Belleville, Mich./Belleville

Andrea Horvath 6-0 G/F Sopran, Hungary/Pratt CC

Calling all reserves:
Senior Farrah Thomas led the PC reserves against Boston College on January 22, posting 13 points, five rebounds, four assists and one steal for the Friars.

CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK
...Junior center Monika Roberts was chosen as the BIG EAST Co-Player of the Week for the week ending January 2nd. In four games the previous week, the 6-2 center was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Tulane/Doubletree Classic as she scored 47 points (23.5), pulled down 18 rebounds (9.0 rpg) and had 8 blocks (4.0 bpg). She continued with a double-double (21 points/15 rebounds) in the win over Fairfield and then led PC with 13 points and six rebounds in the win over Princeton. In four games, Roberts scored 81 points (20.3 ppg) had 39 rebounds (9.3 rpg) and had 11 blocks (2.8 bpg).

ALL-TOURNAMENT PART II
...For the second time this season, PC junior forward Monika Roberts has been named to a tournament's All-Tourney team. Roberts scored 26 points with seven rebounds and four blocked shots in PC's 81-57 loss to Tulane. She helped the Friars bounce back in their 82-62 win over Lehigh as she scored 21 points and added 11 rebounds and four more blocks. For the two games, Roberts scored 47 points (23.5), had 18 rebounds (9.0) and eight blocks (4.0). Earlier this season, Roberts was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Lady Tiger Classic in Memphis, Tennessee.

CAREER NIGHT
...Junior forward Zahra Williams came off the bench versus Princeton to score a career high 11 points (5-11 FG, 1-3 FT), grab a carer high six rebounds and block a career high eight shots in the 74-59 win over the Tigers. She turned in that performance in just 18 minutes of action. Williams' eight blocks is the most by a BIG EAST player this season.

DEE-LIGHTFUL
...Freshman guard Dee Cummings has shown a penchant for passing this season as she has dished out 5.8 assists per game through the first 13 games this season. Versus Princeton, Cummings found the scoring touch with a career-high 12-point game (4-5 FT, 2-2 3PT, 2-2 FT), while still managing to dish out nine assists in 35 minutes played. At Syracuse, Cummings followed that with a seven-point, five-rebound, two assist game. On the year, the Huntsville, Alabama native is averaging 2.8 ppg, 3.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game.

ROOKIE TO THE RESCUE
...Freshman forward Steffanie Shoop scored a career high 12 points (4-4 FG, 4-6 FT) in 14 minutes off the bench in the Friars' 76-65 win over Syracuse on January 4th. Shoop jumper with 12:57 left in the second half tied the game at 49-49 and her free throw 20 seconds later gave PC a 50-49 lead that they never gave up.

PC DOUBLE-DOUBLES
...As a team, the Friars have recorded 11 double-doubles this season. Here's the list:

Charity Work
...The Friars shot a season-high 82.1 percent from the free throw line at Syracuse on January 4, connecting on 23 of 28 attempts from the charity stripe.

BACK IN ACTION
...Steady senior guard Meghan Hinds has scored in double figures in 11 of the 17 games she's played since returning to the lineup after missing two games (Memphis and Samford) with a broken nose suffered in the Friars' season opener. In her 16 games back, Hinds has averaged 12.6 points per game, including a career-high 28 at St. John's. Hinds has had a career-high 11 rebounds twice this season (vs. Lehigh and PRINCETON), including her first double-double ever with 11 points and 11 rebounds versus Princeton.

PASSING FANCY
...Freshman guard Dee Cummings has had two games with ten or more assists this season. Cummings opened her PC career with a 15-assist game versus George Mason on November 20th which set the record for a PC freshman. On December 7th versus Rhode Island, the 5-6 guard dished out 10 assists versus the Rams. Through 13 games, Cummings has 76 assists (5.8 per game).

ALL-TOURNAMENT FRIAR
...Junior forward Monika Roberts (Pittsburg, Calif) was named to the All-Tournament Team at the University of Memphis Lady Tiger Classic November 26 and 27. Roberts scored 22 points with eight rebounds in the first game versus Memphis. Game two saw her record 16 points and a career high 18 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. In the two games, Roberts had 38 points (19.0 ppg) and 26 rebounds (13.0 rpg).

DOUBLE GOMBOTZ
...The Friars' Jen Gombotz picked up her third double-double of the season in PC's win at Syracuse. The junior forward scored 12 points and had a career high 16 rebounds in that game. Previously, she had recorded a double-double versus Fairfield with 16 points and ten rebounds. Her first came in the Friars' opening win versus George Mason when she had 28 points and 11 rebounds versus the Patriots on November 21st. For that game, Gombotz was selected as the BIG EAST Player of the Week.

OFF THE BENCH
...Junior forward Amy Drechsler came off the bench to score a career high 11 points (5-8 FG, 1-1 3PT) in PC's 82-62 win over Lehigh. Versus Tulane, Drechsler made her first start of the season scoring two points in eight minutes.

POUNDING THE BOARDS
...Providence recorded a school record 65 rebounds in the overtime loss to Samford on November 27th. The previous high was 63 versus Long Island University on December 28, 1980.

DOUBLE THE FUN
...Who says you have to be tall to get rebounds??? PC sophomore guard Chrissy Vozab turned in her second double-double of the season at West Virginia scoring ten points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Earlier in the season, the 5-7 Vozab had 14 points and ten rebounds versus Samford University. The talented guard scored a season high 22 points in the Friars win versus Lehigh. At the Tulane Tournament, Vozab had 25 points and 11 rebounds versus Lehigh. For the season, she is fourth in scoring with 9.5 per game and third in rebounding with 5.0 boards per game.

DOUBLE PLEASURE
..Junior forward Jen Gombotz got her 1999-2000 season off to a fast start in the Friars' win over George Mason. The Southington, Connecticut native recorded her first double-double of the season with 28 points and 11 rebounds. Gombotz was 13-25 (.520) from the floor, 1-4 3PT and 1-5 FT in the game.

THE PLAYMAKER
...Friars' freshman point guard Dee Cummings (Butler, Ala.) wasted little time in getting her name in the Providence College record books. In the season opener against George Mason, Cummings dished out a Providence College freshman record 15 assists while committing just five turnovers in the 82-70 victory. She also pulled down seven rebounds while scoring three points. PC's all-time record for assists in one game is 17 and is held by Shanya Evans who did it twice in her career.

SHOT BLOCKER
...Junior forward Monika Roberts set a career high with six blocked shots in the PC-Michigan game. For the season, Roberts now has 48 blocked shots or 2.4 per game to be tied for second in the BIG EAST while being ranked 14th in the nation in that category.

INDIVIDUAL GAME LEADERS

Scoring: Roberts (9), Hinds (6), Gombotz (3), Trippany (1), Vozab (1)

Rebounding: Roberts (7.5), Gombotz (6.5), Hinds (3), Shoop (1), Vozab (1), Trippany (.5), Williams (.5)

Scoring and Rebounding: Roberts (4), Gombotz (3), Hinds (2)

Double-Doubles: Roberts (4), Gombotz (3), Hinds (2), Vozab (2)

20 Point Games: Roberts (4), Gombotz (3), Hinds (2), Trippany (1), Vozab (1)

30 Point Games: N/A

25th ANNIVERSARY
...The Friars are now in their 25th season of Division I competition and have an all-time mark of 449-283 for a .613 winning percentage in 732 all-time games. The Friars own three BIG EAST regular season titles (1983, 1986, 1990), one BIG EAST Tournament Championship (1990), one trip to the WNIT (1987) and five NCAA appearances (1986, 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1992).

A Look Ahead
...The Friars will host the University of Miami Hurricane on Saturday, February 12, at 2:00 p.m. in Alumni Hall. PC will then enjoy a week off before travelling to South Orange, N.J., to take on the Seton Hall University Pirates on Saturday, February 19, for a 2:00 p.m. game.

A QUICK LOOK AT HEAD COACH JIM JABIR

Season By Season

FAST FRIAR FACTS FOR 1999-2000

Senior guard Meghan Hinds became the 21st player in school history to reach the 1,000 point mark in her career on January 29 versus St. John's.

The Friars have three players scoring in double figures this season led by Monika Robert's 13.7 points per game. She is followed by Meghan Hinds with 12.0 ppg and Jen Gombotz with 10.4 ppg. Roberts leads the team with 8.5 rebounds and is followed by Gombotz with 7.0 boards per game.

Junior center Monika Roberts (Pittsburg, Calif.) was named to the All-Tournament teams at the Lady Tiger Classic in Memphis, Tenn. and the Tulane/Doubletree Classic in New Orleans.

Friars' freshman forward Steffanie Shoop (Somerville, N.J.) was a three-time Street & Smith honorable mention All-America and a two-time USA Today honorable mention All-America during her high school career.

Freshman guard Brooke Freeburg was a Street & Smith's Honorable Mention All-America as a senior. She finished her high school career as the all-time leading scorer with 2,095 points...She is also the Pennsylvania State Champion in the javelin.

Not to be outdone by her fellow freshmen, rookie point guard Dee Cummings comes to Providence after leading her Butler High School team to consecutive Alabama 6A State titles. In 1997-98 she ran the offense for the #1-ranked high school team in the nation. She was selected by Women's Basketball News Service as a Second Team All-Freshman Team selection.

Individual Career Totals

Providence's Record When...

FRIARS BY THE NUMBERS (1999-00)

FRIAR EXPERIENCE, GAMES PLAYED, AND STARTED

FRIARS IN NCAA RANKINGS (As of 1/31/00)
Blocked Shots - Monika Roberts (14th - 2.4)
3-Point Field Goal Percentage - Chrissy Vozab (8th - 49.1)
Meghan Hinds (35th - 44.6)

PROVIDENCE COLLEGE Season and Career Highs