Providence College Athletics

Sunday, February 20
Indianapolis, Ind.
1:00 PM

Providence College

22-3,12-2Big East

71
at
70

Butler University

13-15,6-11Big East

1
2
OT 1
F
Providence
20
44
7
71
Butler
33
31
6
70
Justin Minaya - MBB

No. 8/9 Men’s Basketball Outlasts Butler, 71-70, In Overtime

2/20/2022 3:57:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box ScoreBox Score vs. Butler (PDF)

A late-game surge lifted the Friars to a comeback victory.


INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The No. 8/9 Providence College men's basketball team defeated the Butler Bulldogs, 71-70, on Sunday, February 20 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. The Friars improved to 22-3 overall and 12-2 in BIG EAST play. Graduate student Nate Watson (Portsmouth, Va.) led the way with a game-high 22 points. Graduate student Noah Horchler (Melbourne Beach, Fla.) recorded a double-double, with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Junior Jared Bynum (Largo, Md.) chipped in with 18 points, all scored in the second half, and a game-high five assists. The Friars overcame a 19-point second half deficit to win the game. 

"At halftime, our guys were very vocal about wanting to win," Head Coach Ed Cooley said. "Our seniors woke up. When you have a senior-laden team like this, they have been in a lot of games and a lot of hostile environments." 

FIRST HALF:

  • Watson scored the first two baskets of the game for the Friars.
  • After Watson's hot start, the Bulldogs went on a 13-0 run and held the Friars scoreless for over seven minutes. The Friars missed eight consecutive shots and had four turnovers during the drought. 
  • At the 11:31 mark, Horchler knocked down a three-pointer to end the drought. PC trailed 13-7.
  • Heading into the 7:20 timeout, the Bulldogs held a commanding 21-8 lead. The Friars had yet to find a spark on offense. 
  • The Friars endured another scoring drought late in the half. With 5:37 remaining, Watson chipped away at the deficit by drawing a foul in the paint and converting the and-one. 
  • Throughout the half, Butler took advantage of miscommunication by the Friars' defense. With less than two minutes left, the Bulldogs held a 17-point lead, their largest of the half. The score was 32-15.
  • Andrew Fonts (Portsmouth, R.I.) had an immediate impact after coming off the bench for the Friars. At the 0:34 mark, Fonts buried a three-ball from the top of the key. 
  • Watson was the only player to notch double figures in the first half, recording 10 points. 
  • Butler held a 13-point advantage at halftime, 33-20.
  • Providence shot 7-30 (23.3%) from the field, 2-12 (16.7%) from three, and 4-6 (66.7%) from the free throw line. 
  • Butler shot 14-27 (51.9%) from the field, 2-7 (28.6%) from three, and 3-6 (50.0%) from the free throw line. 

SECOND HALF:

  • Watson scored twice in the paint at the beginning of the second half.
  • Butler had a strong start to the half, forcing an early timeout by the Friars. Shortly after, the Bulldogs notched their largest lead of the game, 19 points, with a score of 43-24. 
  • The Friars answered with a 15-4 Friars run, spearheaded by Bynum. Justin Minaya (Harrington Park, N.J.) capped off the run with a three-pointer. With less than 11 minutes to play, PC trailed by only eight, 47-39. 
  • Horchler and Bynum each buried a three-pointer on back-to-back possessions. With less than seven minutes to play, Butler's lead had dwindled to only five. 
  • At the 5:57 mark, Horchler added his third three-pointer. Watson finished off the 11-2 run  with a two-handed dunk. The Friars' second half surge cut Butler's lead to two, 56-54.
  • Butler extended their lead back to seven with three minutes remaining. Reeves came alive in the closing minutes, draining back-to-back three-pointers to narrow the gap to one.
  • With 0:23 remaining, Horchler knocked down a mid-range jumper to tie the game at 64.

OVERTIME:

  • Trailing by one, Watson fought to the basket and gave the Friars the lead with a layup. With two minutes left in the overtime period, PC led 69-68.
  • At the 1:01 mark, Butler's Chuck Harris finished a contested basket in the paint. The Bulldogs regained the lead. On the other end, Bynum quickly answered with two made free throws.
  • With 0:20 to play, Butler had possession of the ball as the Friars led by one. Jayden Taylor missed the potential go-ahead three-pointer for the Bulldogs. 

NOTES/HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Providence finished 25-60 (41.7%) from the field, 9-25 (36.0%) from three, and 12-24 (50.0%) from the free throw line. 
  • Butler finished 25-52 (48.1%) from the field, 5-13 (38.5%) from three, and 15-21 (71.4%) from the free throw line. 
  • The Friars controlled the offensive rebound differential by a margin of 12-6. 
  • There were six lead changes and five ties in the game. 
  • The Friars overcame a 19-point second half deficit. The Bulldogs led for 37 minutes of the game. 
  • The Friars' record in overtime games this season improved to 2-0. 
  • The Friars are 10-1 this season in games decided by five points or less. 
  • Providence earned their 12th BIG EAST win for the second time ever (12-6, 2019-20). 
  • Providence reached 22 wins in a season for the first time since 2015-16 (24-11). 
  • Chuck Harris led the way for the Bulldogs, recording 17 points. Bo Hodges had a team-high eight rebounds for Butler. 
  • The Friars have been ranked for nine consecutive weeks after entering the polls on December 20, 2021. 

WHAT'S NEXT:

  • The No. 8/9 Friars head home to take on the Xavier Musketeers on Wednesday, February 23 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, R.I. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. 
  • Xavier holds an 11-10 all-time edge against the Friars. In their most recent matchup, Bynum's game-winner propelled the Friars to a win over the Musketeers, 65-62, on January 26 in Cincinnati, Ohio. 

-GO FRIARS!-

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W, 99-92

Feb 23 (Wed)

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Team Stats

PROV
Butler
FG%
.417
.481
3FG%
.360
.385
FT%
.500
.714
RB
35
34
TO
6
8
STL
5
4

Game Leaders

00

Nate Watson

Pts
22
FGM
10
3FGM
0
FTM
2
04

Jared Bynum

Pts
18
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
6
14

Noah Horchler

Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
2
11

A.J. Reeves

Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
2

Players Mentioned

4

Jared Bynum

G
/ Men's Basketball
24

Andrew Fonts

G
/ Men's Basketball
14

Noah Horchler

F
/ Men's Basketball
15

Justin Minaya

F
/ Men's Basketball
0

Nate Watson

C
/ Men's Basketball

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