Providence basketball's comeback falls short at Butler in Big East showdown

INDIANAPOLIS — Playing without starters Josh Oduro (birth of child) and Bryce Hopkins (injury), the visiting Providence Friars did their best to slow down Butler's offense, grinding the game into a half-court matchup.

Providence's plan worked early, with both teams playing sloppy offense, filled with turnovers and empty possessions. Both offenses came alive in the second half. Providence caught fire from deep, and Butler's offense made crucial plays down the stretch, pulling out a 75-72 win.

Providence had a chance to take the lead in the final seconds, but Butler's defensive replacement, freshman forward Augusto Cassia, blocked Corey Floyd's drive to the hoop with three seconds left, sealing the victory for the Bulldogs.

"It was a tough game for us being undermanned, but we still expected to win," Friars coach Kim English said after the loss. "And it was a game we should have won. We didn’t make the necessary plays down the stretch to finish it off. We have to have a short memory.

"I’m really proud of our effort. We had to play some different ways. We haven’t practiced much with five guards."

Butler led by 11 points with 17:20 left in the game, but the Friars would not go away quietly. The Bulldogs' offense became stagnant and Providence generated whatever it wanted, attacking the basket and knocking down 3-pointers. The Friars shot 2-for-13 from beyond the arc in the first. They shot 8-for-13 in the second half.

Jayden Pierre's triple put the Friars up by seven with 4:01 left. But that's when Butler buckled down. The strength of Pierre Brooks and Jahmyl Telfort allowed the big-bodied forwards to power their way into the paint. Telfort's layup cut Butler's deficit to one with 56 seconds left. After Providence missed a 3, Brooks backed his way into the paint for the winning turnaround jumper.

"It’s tough but it’s a good opportunity for us to improve," English said on playing without Oduro. "We came up short at Connecticut a little bit over a week ago and we did not respond well the next night out against Villanova. It’s a great opportunity on shorter time off — days in between — to respond to this right now."

Providence will welcome St. John's on Tuesday night.

DJ Davis led Butler with 20 points. Floyd led Providence with 20 points. Brooks finished with 12 points. Telfort added 11 points.

English was asked about Providence's last play, and whether he thought a foul should have been called on Floyd's drive. "I don’t have any critique of Corey on his last drive. Looking at it on film, it looked like there was some contact. But it’s a bang-bang game. You could argue calls both ways."

With strong wings Telfort and Brooks driving to the basket, and 7-foot-1-inch center Andre Screen occupying the paint, Butler had a noted size advantage inside. The undersized Friars did a good job defending the paint early but Butler's willingness to pound the ball inside opened up shots on the perimeter.

Posh Alexander and Finley Bizjack made Providence pay for sagging off, combining for three first-half 3-pointers. Telfort did a good job creating off the dribble, finishing with eight assists. Davis showed off his range with a deep 3-pointer, ending a first-half scoring drought for Butler.

Providence Journal sportswriter Bill Koch contributed to this report.

PROVIDENCE (72): Castro 2-4 0-2 4, Barron 3-9 1-2 8, Carter 6-16 4-4 18, Dual 3-5 0-0 7, Gaines 3-8 0-0 8, Floyd 6-15 5-8 20, Pierre 3-5 0-0 7. Totals: 26-62 10-16 72.

BUTLER (75): Telfort 5-9 1-3 11, Thomas 4-5 1-1 9, Alexander 3-12 3-4 10, Davis 6-9 4-4 20, Brooks 5-12 2-2 12, Bizjack 2-3 0-0 6, Screen 2-2 1-2 5, Moore 1-2 0-0 2, Kapke 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 28-54 12-16 75.

Halftime — Butler 34-25. 3-point goals — Providence 10-26 (Floyd 3-6, Gaines 2-5, Carter 2-7, Dual 1-2, Pierre 1-2, Barron 1-4), Butler 7-19 (Davis 4-7, Bizjack 2-3, Alexander 1-4, Moore 0-1, Telfort 0-1, Brooks 0-3). Rebounds — Providence 25 (Carter, Gaines 5), Butler 37 (Alexander, Davis 8). Assists — Providence 13 (Pierre 5), Butler 18 (Telfort, Alexander 8). Total fouls — Providence 13, Butler 13. A — 8,934 (9,100).

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Butler basketball beats Providence in Big East matchup