PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Providence College women's basketball team led wire-to-wire in a 62-50 victory over BIG EAST foe Butler on Jan. 7. The Friars improved to 5-6 overall and evened their record in conference play. The Bulldogs dropped to 0-5 (0-4 BIG EAST).
FIRST QUARTER:
• Providence got off to an 8-0 start before Butler got on the board with 4:00 left in the quarter (8-2).
• The Bulldogs' bucket didn't slow down the Friars, as they went on a 9-0 run to mount a 17-2 advantage.
• The Friars took a 17-4 lead into the break between quarters.
SECOND QUARTER:
• Butler showed early signs of life in the second quarter, hitting each of its first two shot attempts.
• The Bulldogs managed to cut the deficit to as little as three (24-21) with 3:44 on the clock as Upe Atosu knocked down a triple.
• The Friars responded with a 7-0 run with a pair of lay-ups from
Chanell Williams (Bronx, N.Y.) and a three-point bucket from
Kyra Spiwak (Arlington Heights, Ill.).
• Providence took a 34-23 lead into the locker room at halftime.
THIRD QUARTER:
• The Friars opened the quarter on an 8-3 run to push their lead to 16 (42-26).
• Providence maintained its double-digit cushion throughout the quarter and outscored Butler.
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Andrea Cooper (Edmond, Okla.) led the Friars with five points and a steal on the quarter.
• Williams pulled down four rebounds in the quarter to go along with three points and a steal.
• Providence shot 6-11 (54.5-percent) from the field, including 3-5 (60-percent) from the line.
• The Friars defense continued to bother the Bulldogs as they shot 4-14 (28.6-percent) from the field. Three of their four field goals were from deep.
• Providence scored 12 of its 15 points from the paint.
• The Friars held a 49-34 lead going into the final frame.
FOURTH QUARTER:
• Butler cut the Providence lead to single digits with a layup at the 3:42 mark of the quarter (55-46).
• Williams pushed the lead back to double figures with 2:17 remaining with a jumper (57-46), sparking a 7-0 run that pushed Providence's lead back to 16 (62-46).
• Providence had six different Friars score in the quarter, with no Friar converting more than one bucket.
NOTES / HIGHLIGHTS:
• Providence has swept the regular-season series with Butler, having defeated the Bulldogs earlier this season, 73-52, on Dec. 5 in Indianapolis.
• The Friars outscored the Bulldogs, 40-16, in the paint and also held a 34-33 edge on the glass.
• Williams paced four Friars in double figures with 16 points on 7-12 shooting from the field.
• Williams also added a career-high eight rebounds to go along with three assists and two steals.
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Mary Baskerville (Enfield, Conn.) recorded 13 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots.
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Alyssa Geary (Elmhurst, Ill.) and Spiwak also reached double figures with 10 points each.
• Spiwak is the only Friar to record double digits in the scoring column during each BIG EAST game this season.
• The Friars shot 47.3-percent from the field for the game (26-55), and improve to 5-1 on the season when shooting 45-percent or better.
• For Butler, Okako Adika recorded a team-high 14 points and six rebounds.
• Genesis Parker played her first game of the season and completed the day with nine points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal.
WHAT'S NEXT:
• Providence will travel to No. 3/5 Connecticut for BIG EAST action on Saturday, Jan. 9. The game will be played at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Conn. and is scheduled to tip-off at 1:00 p.m. on SNY. The match-up is the first between the two teams since Feb. 12, 2013, as the Huskies have returned to the BIG EAST Conference after seven seasons as members of the American (AAC).