Feb. 21, 2000

PROVIDENCE COLLEGE (9-14, 4-9) at
Georgetown University (14-10, 7-6)
Wednesday, February 23, 2000
McDonough Arena (3,000)
Washington, D.C.

FRIARS VERSUS the Hoyas
Providence and Georgetown meet for the 37th time in the all-time series, with the Friars holding a 25-11 edge in the first 36 meetings. The Hoyas, however, won both meetings last season with a 81-43 victory at home on January 5, 1999, and a 64-61 win at Alumni Hall on February 10. At Alumni Hall, the Friars are 12-5. At Georgetown, the Friars lead, 10-6. PC is 3-0 on neutral courts versus the Hoyas.

A LOOK AT THE HOYAS
Georgetown comes into tonight's game with an overall record of 14-10 and a 7-6 mark in the BIG EAST. The Hoyas picked up their last win on February 19, when they defeated the Miami Hurricanes, 66-61, at McDonough Arena. Katie Smrcka-Duffy scored 17 points en route to her 1,000th career points, and added eight rebounds and four assists to her account to lead the Hoyas to victory. Nathalie Bourdereau registered 12 points, five rebounds and four assists before fouling out of the game. Smrcka-Duffy is currently leading the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 17.8 points and 5.5 boards per game for Georgetown.

SERIES NOTES

Streaks:
Georgetown has won seven of their last 10 games. Providence is on the heels of a eight-game losing streak.

PROBABLE STARTERS

OFF THE BENCH

PROVIDENCE - GEORGETOWN SERIES FACTS
Series Record: 37th meeting - Providence leads, 25-11
BIG EAST Series: PC leads, 20-10
At Georgetown: PC leads, 10-6
At Providence: PC leads, 12-5
Neutral Courts: PC leads, 3-0
Last Meeting: 2/10/99 - GT 64 @ PC 61
Last PC win: 1/18/98 - @ PC 83 GT 71
Last Georgetown win: 2/10/99
Current Streak: Georgetown has the last two meetings between the two schools.

STATISTICAL COMPARISON

Last time out
Providence fell to 9-14 overall and 4-9 in the BIG EAST with a 68-62 loss at Seton Hall at Walsh Gym. The Friars were slow getting out of the gate, shooting just 20 percent from the field in the first half. But PC was down by just 10 at the half (33-23), hitting 12 out of 14 attempts from the free throw line in the first stanza to stay in the game. Providence then fought back and tied the game at 36 at the 14:43 mark as senior Meghan Hinds hit a three-pointer from the right side of the key. Sophomore Chrissy Vozab followed with her own trey 30 seconds later to give the Friars the lead again since the first basket of the game. PC would lead by as much as eight points with 9:40 remaining in the game, thanks to a 12-4 run over a five-minute span. But the Pirates were not down for long, as they regained the lead for good as SHU's Arminda Moreno netted a three-pointer from the right corner with just 3:10 left in the contest to put Seton Hall up, 58-87. The Pirates then closed out the game, outscoring their guest, 10-5, in the final three minutes of the night. PC had four players in double figures, with junior Jen Gombotz netting a team-high 13 points, while Hinds and Vozab chipped in 11 points apiece. Junior Monika Roberts rounded out the Friars' top scorers with 10 points.

Turn over a new leaf
The Friars are looking to get back on track towards the end of the regular-season. PC committed a season-low 10 turnovers against Rutgers University on February 9.

Not Their Month
The Friars were looking to change their ways when February approached but to no avail. PC is currently 0-5 in the second month of the year.

Quite a pair
For the second time this season, juniors Jen Gombotz and Monika Roberts posted double-doubles in the same game. Gombotz recorded 13 points and 12 rebounds against Miami on February 12, while Roberts registered 12 points and 11 boards for the Friars. The first time was on December 31, 1999, as Roberts netted a game-high 21 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in PC's 76-69 win at Fairfield, while Gombotz contributed 16 points and 10 caroms for the win.

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 1,059 points to join in the exclusive club. She reached the 1,000 point plateau for her career during PCÕs 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 21, 2000:

Providence  119
Georgetown  65

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 7.6 points and 3.7 rebounds over the last eight games. She most recently netted a game-high 17 points in PC's 71-66 loss to Seton Hall on February 12 and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds in the Friars' 68-62 loss at Seton Hall on February 18.

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 Georgetown:
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 for the season with a knee injury.

M*A*S*H UNIT
Going into the Georgetown game, the Friars have lost 78 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: 22 games with season ending knee surgery.
Brooke Freeburg: 19 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: 10 games with a season-ending 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 13 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 13 of the 20 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 20 games back, Hinds has averaged 12.1 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 fourth double-double of the season against Miami. The junior forward posted 13 points and 12 rebounds for PC. Previously, scored 12 points and had a career-high 16 rebounds at Syracuse. She also 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.

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 2.2 per game to be third in the BIG EAST while being ranked 14th in the nation in that category.

25th ANNIVERSARY
The Friars are now in their 25th season of Division I competition and have an all-time mark of 449-286 for a .611 winning percentage in 735 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 Villanova University on Saturday, February 26 at Alumni Hall. Tip-off is slated for 2:00 p.m. PC will then host the Huskies of the University of Connecticut on Tuesday, February 29 at the Providence Civic Center for a 7:00 p.m. game.

• 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 13.4 points per game. She is followed by Meghan Hinds with 11.8 ppg and Jen Gombotz with 10.5 ppg. Roberts leads the team with 8.4 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.

A QUICK LOOK AT HEAD COACH JIM JABIR

Season By Season

FRIARS BY THE NUMBERS (1999-00)

INDIVIDUAL GAME LEADERS
Scoring: Roberts (9), Hinds (7), Gombotz (4), Trippany (2), Vozab (1)
Rebounding: Roberts (8.5), Gombotz (7), Hinds (3), Trippany (1.5), Shoop (1), Vozab (1), Hawley-Stewart (1), Williams (.5)
Scoring and Rebounding: Roberts (4), Gombotz (3), Hinds (2)
Double-Doubles: Roberts (5), Gombotz (4), Hinds (2), Vozab (2)
20 Point Games: Roberts (4), Gombotz (3), Hinds (2), Trippany (1), Vozab (1)
30 Point Games: N/A

THIS WEEK IN THE BIG EAST

Tuesday, February 22
Miami at notre Dame
St. John's at Old Dominion

Wednesday, February 23
Connecticut at West Virginia
Seton Hall at Syracuse
Boston College at Rutgers
Pittsburgh at Villanova
Providence at Georgetown

Saturday, February 26
Notre Dame at Connecticut
West Virginia at Boston College
Syracuse at Miami
Villanova at Providence
Rutgers at St. John's

Season and Career Highs