Box Score
Providence Quotes | Xavier Quotes
CHICAGO – Olivia Orlando scored 18 points while Maddie Jolin added 15 as Providence claimed its first BIG EAST Tournament victory since 2001 with Saturday’s 70-62 win over Xavier in first-round play.
The No. 7 seed Friars (17-14) snapped a 12-game post-season tournament losing streak while holding off a late Musketeer charge that saw a 15-point second half lead briefly dwindle to six.
That is as close as Xavier got as Orlando hit two field goals and Jolin added four free throws to help Providence push the lead to13 points with 53 seconds to play in the First Round game at Wintrust Arena.
The Friars face DePaul, tournament host and No. 2 seed, in Sunday’s quarterfinals.
A’riana Gray had a game-high 23 points and 15 rebounds while Na’Teshia Owens added 10 as No. 10 seed Xavier closed at 11-19.
Providence trailed early, but used a 13-3 run over the final 5:56 of the opening quarter for a 18-10 lead. The Friars extended the lead to 12 by the 4:52 mark of the second, on the way to a 37-25 halftime advantage.
Jolin had a team-high nine first half points, all on three pointers, as the Friars shot 50 percent (7-of-14) from the field. Xavier was 28.6 percent from the field and 1-of-5 on three point tries.
Xavier shooting improved in the third quarter— the Musketeers hit 7-of-14 shots — but they got no closer than 10 points at 51-41 entering final 10 minutes.
Xavier started the season with a promising 9-2 record but struggled the rest of the way, going 2-16 mark through BIG EAST play. Providence earned its highest tournament seed and best regular season record (8-10) since 1996.
BIG EAST Tournament play continues with Monday’s semifinals followed by Tuesday’s title game.