Providence College Athletics

Friday, March 5
Uncasville, Conn. / Mohegan Sun Arena
2:00 P.M.

Providence College

7-13,4-10Big East

63
vs
61

Butler

3-17,3-15Big East

1
2
3
4
F
Butler
16
16
17
12
61
Providence
16
9
22
16
63
Kyra Spiwa - First Round BIG EAST Tournament for Women's Basketball

Friars Advance To BIG EAST Quarterfinal With 63-61 Victory Over Butler

3/5/2021 6:13:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Alyssa Geary paced the Friars with 19 points and nine rebounds.

UNCASVILLE, CONN. – 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.
 
 
- GO FRIARS! -
 
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