Friars Rally To Beat Butler in BIG EAST Tournament Opener

The No. 7 seed Providence College women’s basketball team defeated No. 10 seed Butler, 63-61, in the First Round of the BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Tournament on March 5 at Mohegan Sun Arena. The Friars advance to the Quarterfinal where they will face No. 2 seed Marquette at 6:00 p.m. on FS2.

FIRST QUARTER:
• Providence led by five (11-6) before Okako Adika answered with a three on the other end at with 5:13 showing on the game clock.
• Alyssa Geary (Elmhurst, Ill.) scored the Friars’ first five points of the game­ and led the team with seven in the scoring column heading into the media timeout (4:16).
• Mary Baskerville (Enfield, Conn.) was sent to the bench with her second foul of the game with 3:56 left in the first quarter.
• The Bulldogs tied the game, 11-11, but Geary ended a three-minute scoring drought for the Friars on a baby hook in the paint.
• Butler took a 16-13 lead in the game, but Lauren Sampson (Waltham, Mass.) had the answer for Providence with a three from the right win.
• The game was tied, 16-16, at the break.­

SECOND QUARTER:
• Butler opened the second quarter on an 8-0 run to take a 24-16 advantage.
• The Friars finally got on the board at the 7:17 mark on a pair of free throws from Geary (24-18).
• After a three by Geary at the 5:40 mark, the Friars called a timeout, trailing 27-21.
• Geary’s three sparked a 7-0 run over a three-minute span to help Providence close the gap to 27-25.
• The Bulldogs answered with a 5-0 spurt to extend its lead to 32-25 and would hold onto its seven-point lead at halftime.

THIRD QUARTER:
• Baskerville announced herself with five-straight points in the third quarter after sitting most of the first half in foul trouble.
• The Friars cut the deficit to four on two occasions before Butler went on a 5-0 spurt to match its largest lead of the game (41-32).
• A 6-0 run by the Friars on a spurred by a Geary triple and three free throws from Kyra Spiwak (Arlington Heights, Ill.) made it a 41-38 game with 4:46 on the clock.
• Another 6-0 run for the Friars tied the game, 46-46, capped by a Sampson triple from the right wing with 1:21 left on the clock.
• The Friars trailed 49-47 heading into the final 10 minutes.

FOURTH QUARTER:
• Providence outscored Butler 5-2 to begin the fourth quarter, forcing a Butler timeout with 7:58 on the clock after Sampson cashed in on her third three-pointer of the game to give the Friars a 52-51 lead.
• It marked the Friars’ first lead since 1:25 of the first quarter (13-11).
• Providence led 58-56 with 4:26 remaining in the game before Butler rallied to take a 61-58 lead.
• Baskerville followed with back-to-back buckets to put Providence back on top with 1:18 to play (62-62).
• Butler called timeout, but the Friars got a stop on the defensive end as Baskerville hauled in an errant shot off the glass.
• Baskerville was fouled underneath after attempting to put back her own miss. She went to the line to make one of two free throws, giving Providence a 63-61 lead with 28-seconds remaining.
• Butler called a timeout and proceeded to fire off three-consecutive three-pointers, but Baskerville finally snagged a defensive board to end the game.

NOTES / HIGHLIGHTS:
• Geary finished the day with a game-high 19 points and added nine boards, two assists and one blocked shot.
• Spiwak added 11 points, finishing the game 6-6 from the free throw line.
• Baskerville scored all 10 of her points in the second half, including five in the final two minutes of the game.
• Sampson tallied nine points, which is one shy of her career high.
• Andrea Cooper (Edmond, Okla.) contributed eight rebounds, five points and two blocked shots.
• Olivia Orlando (Georgetown, Mass.) joined Geary with a team-high nine rebounds.
• Providence has won a game in the BIG EAST Tournament in each of the last three years.
• Prior the current three-year span (2019, 2020, 2021), Providence 16-straight years without a BIG EAST Tournament victory.
• The Friars earned their first win of the season when trailing at halftime. Providence was 0-12 on the year when trailing at the half during the regular season.
• Providence held a 49-40 advantage in rebounding and improved to 6-1 this season when it records more rebounds than its opponent.
• It marked the Friars’ highest rebounding total of the season, and the first time they hauled in 40+ rebounds on the year.
• Today’s result against Butler marked just the second game this season decided by five points or less. The Friars are 1-1 in those games.

WHAT’S NEXT:
• Providence advances to the Quarterfinal Round to face No. 2 seed Marquette. The game will tip-off at 6:00 p.m. and will be nationally-televised on FS2.