01:00 AM EST on Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Phil Seymore shouldn't have to worry about his parking space at Alumni Hall being plowed and sanded this winter. His Providence College women's basketball team already has doubled the number of games the 2005 team won.

Okay, the 2005 team won only one game, so doubling that total wasn't difficult. And the current team has lost seven games, so we're not discussing a playoff contender here, at least not yet.

The good news is that Seymore has the PC women playing hard and playing together. They have suffered only one blowout, a 20-point loss at Northeastern. They have lost in the second half and have lost in overtime. Last Saturday at the University of Rhode Island, they held on at the end and edged the Rams, 69-66.

"The URI game was big for us. . . . My reaction was like we won the national championship. The players' reaction was the same. You might have thought we were going to the tournament," Seymore said.

Their excitement is understandable because nine months ago women's basketball at Providence College was about as low as it can go. The Friars were 1-27, the worst record of the 325 schools in Division I, and were so non-competitive that a 20-point loss was like a moral victory. They lost 12 games by 30 or more points, and fell to Connecticut, 71-24, on television at the Dunkin' Donuts Center. Coach Susan Yow resigned at the end of the season with a year remaining on her contract. Jill Furstenburg , the best player on the team, decided to transfer.

Bob Driscoll , the director of athletics, persuaded Seymore, an assistant with the PC men's team, to revive the women. Even that decision was suspect because Seymore had no experience coaching women. He started by instilling the concept of "team" in his players. He implored them to give 100 percent in practice and to set goals, such as reducing their turnovers or taking better shots in games. He signed them up for a weekend program called Championship Team Building, eight hours a day on Saturday and Sunday, breaking down misperceptions and building up clear, honest and open channels of communication. He and the rest of the athletics department went through the program when Driscoll became director.

"It helped them tremendously in the goals they set for themselves in terms of playing hard and not giving up. It was all about straight talk and getting it out. There were tears and all kinds of stuff," he said.

Now this team is so close and open that when a player has a "complaint," there is a meeting and the matter is resolved. Seymore is amazed at what comes up in these sessions. One example: A player thinks another could be much better if she worked harder, and tells her so.

"If a player doesn't complain or doesn't respond to a complaint . . . you can't hold it in for two weeks," Seymore said. "We're a team. We have no real divisions. If there's a problem, the problem is addressed."

Fifth-year senior Gayle Nwafli is back in the lineup after missing 2005 while recovering from knee surgery. She and the injured Shauna Snyder share the team scoring lead, each with a 13-point average. Freshman Chelsea Marandola (Johnston) is next at 12.6.

Snyder broke her left wrist in the second half of the Yale game, a 74-53 PC victory that snapped an 18-game losing streak, and should return after the holiday break. Seymore also has been without freshman guard Catherine Bove , who had a stress fracture in her shin and began practicing two days before the URI game, and freshman forward Shantee Darrian , who just returned to the lineup after a severe ankle sprain. Sophomore forward Danielle Howard is nursing a knee (meniscus) injury, and junior guard Kris Baugh is bothered by a hyperextended elbow.

"I'm interested in seeing what happens when we have a full team," the coach said.

Marandola, the former Johnston High School scoring machine (2,631 points, the state record), already is making an impact. She is the Big East freshman of the week after averaging 16 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4 assists and 1.5 steals in two games last week. She scored 14 points in her Big East debut against sixth-ranked Rutgers and led the Friars to a six-point lead at the half. The Scarlet Knights rallied in the final eight minutes for a 58-45 victory. She scored 18 in the URI game.

"Chelsea is a winner. She is starting to step up more and get more vocal," Seymore said.

"She has the potential to take over a game. She is so athletic and tough. She rebounds, shoots, drives. She is so tough out there," he said.

Marandola doesn't hesitate to yell at her teammates to make a stop or go to the hoop. And they do not resent a freshman taking that leadership role.

"We can all be leaders," Seymore said. "We're like a family. There are not a lot of egos on this team. Whatever Chelsea brings to the table, whatever press we get, they know we're a better program for it."

Seymore doesn't know what will happen when his team gets into the heart of the Big East schedule after the holidays. Providence has lost 40 consecutive Big East games, and last won a conference game on Feb. 8, 2003.

"My goal is to start with a win in the league, something we haven't done in three years. After the Rutgers game I told them that my expectation is not winning or losing but to go out and work hard and execute and play tough, and everything else will take care of itself."

PC returns to action Dec. 21 at Harvard.

Roundup URI (3-5) is off until Dec. 28. Coach Tom Garrick will take his Rams to Gainesville for games against the University of Florida on Dec. 28 and Liberty on Dec. 30. They will begin a three-game homestand at the Ryan Center Jan. 3 against Atlantic 10 rival La Salle. Illinois of the Big Ten will be in town Jan. 5 and Xavier of the A-10 Jan. 8. Justine Boisvert (Glocester) is averaging 18.6 minutes and 3.6 points for the Rams. She has appeared in every game. . . . Johnson & Wales, another team on the upswing under a new coach, Bethany Ellis, will play UMass-Dartmouth today at 5:30 at the Harborside Recreation Center as the opener of a doubleheader. Both men's teams will play at 7:30. The J&W women are 4-4. Freshman Maria Valletta (Greenville) has played in every game and is averaging 7 points in 16.4 minutes. . . . Roger Williams (2-5, 1-0) is off until Jan. 2, when Eastern Connecticut visits Bristol. . . . Joanna Skiba (Providence) leads Bryant (2-5, 0-5) in scoring with her 14.3 average. The Bulldogs will play host to Saginaw Valley State in a Toys for Tots game Sunday at 1:30. . . . CCRI, ranked 15th nationally, routed Navy Prep, 86-37, and improved to 6-2. Six of the eight players who dressed scored in double figures. Lasheena Boyd and Tamara Shaw each scored 15 points. The Knights will play in the Mercer Invitational at Trenton, N.J., this weekend. . . . Salve Regina freshman Allegra Lovoy is the Commonwealth Coast rookie of the week for averaging 12 points, 5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2 steals in two victories. The Seahawks are 5-3, 2-0 and first in the CCC South.

Contact Mike Szostak at mszostak@projo.com