Providence women's basketball can't score enough vs. Butler in 4th straight Big East loss
PROVIDENCE — Olivia Olsen went to the Providence bench early in the second quarter. It took the Friars until the end of the third to pry their team scoring lead away from her on this Wednesday night.
That’s how difficult it was for the hosts at Alumni Hall. Valentine’s Day didn’t translate into much love for Providence’s offense and Butler capitalized to record just a third Big East win of the season.
Caroline Strande did the heavy lifting as the Bulldogs built the cushion they needed. Butler closed out a 55-48 triumph and sent the Friars to a fourth straight defeat in league play.
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“I told them it’s very hard to beat anybody twice,” Providence coach Erin Batth said. “People scout you. I was hoping they would cling onto some of the things we talked about defensively and offensively, and we did not.”
Providence battled to a road win against the Bulldogs in January, but the Friars never enjoyed the lead after the opening quarter in the rematch. Olsen picked up a third personal foul with 7:40 left in the second and didn’t return until the 7:57 mark of the fourth. The Bulldogs were already well on their way to building a 50-36 advantage, as Strande’s layup accounted for their last field goal with 5:17 left.
“I just remind them of where they’ve come from,” Batth said. “We have done better, but never be satisfied — that kind of mentality.”
Olsen took six points to the bench with her in a 14-13 game in the second. Ugne Sirtautaite matched that number on a layup with 4:43 left in the third. Marta Morales Romero exceeded it on a backdoor cut just before the horn, a field goal that gave her seven points and made it a 43-34 game.
“I could have put her in earlier, but I was afraid that fourth one would have taken her out the whole time,” Batth said. “I was hoping Ugne and Sarah [Bandoma] could fill some of that void, and Ugne did a good job.”
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Olsen closed with a team-high 11 points in this one — she totaled 16 and 13 rebounds in that previous 63-53 win in Indianapolis. Grace Efosa and Brynn Farrell both hit for 12 points in that first meeting, but Providence couldn’t manage another double-figure scorer here. Strande matched the 22 points she scored at Hinkle Fieldhouse, closing 7-for-17 from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 at the foul line.
“The biggest thing is she moves without the ball,” Batth said. “A lot of players don’t know how to defend someone who doesn’t stop moving.
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“You jump to the ball and there’s a backscreen. She’ll curl if you overplay her. And she’s a great shooter, too.”
The Friars (11-15, 5-8 Big East) have already exceeded their conference win total from last season and are two victories shy of the 13 overall they put up in 2022-23. Bettering both marks would be nice progress in Batth’s debut season, but she wants more for her players and program. Suffering a defeat here against Butler (11-13, 3-10) wasn’t part of the plan and served as a good reminder of just how frustratingly inconsistent rebuilding can be.
“Mentally it’s hard,” Batth said. “I keep trying to remind them of that. To do better than what we did last year is just one step.
“Don’t take anybody for granted — we may have done that this evening.”
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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence women fall to Butler for 4th straight Big East loss
