February 25, 1999

Villanova, Pa.--- The Villanova University women's basketball team seeded sixth in the Big East Conference Tournament pairings released on Tuesday, Feb. 24, will play the No. 11 seed Providence College Friars on Saturday, Feb. 27 at 8:30 p.m., at the Louis Brown Athletic Center in Piscataway, N.Y. The Wildcats enter the conference tournament with a 13-13 overall record and a 9-9 Big East mark, while the Friars hold a 5-21 overall record and a 4-14 conference mark.

During the 1998-99 regular season, Villanova split the season series with Providence. In the first meetings between the two schools on Jan. 2, at the Pavilion on the campus of Villanova University, the Wildcats defeated the Friars 62-42. Just over two weeks later in Providence, R.I., Providence defeated the Villanova in overtime 81-73. The all-time series between the Wildcats and Friars is currently tied at 18-18.

The Wildcats are led by junior forward Jenea Skeeters who averages a team-high 10.7 points per game. Skeeters in coming off a career-high 29 points in a season-ending loss to Georgetown 64-61. A presence in the paint in her first season on the Main Line after transferring from the University of Maryland, sophomore center Brandi Barnes is first on the team in rebounding with 6.0 boards per game and second in scoring with 10.2 points per contest. Wrapping up her final season as the point guard for the Wildcats, Shanette Lee (6.5 ppg, 4.6 apg) is only four assists shy of the Villanova school record held by 1987 graduate Lynn Tighe.