Providence College Athletics

No. 9 Seed Friars Defeat No. 8 Seed Butler In BIG EAST Tournament First Round, 75-60
3/8/2024 1:54:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Providence advances to the Quarterfinal Round to face top-seeded and ninth-ranked UConn at Noon on March 9.
UNCASVILLE, CONN. – The No. 9 seed Providence College women's basketball team defeated No. 8 seed Butler in the First Round of the BIG EAST Tournament on Friday, March 8 at Mohegan Sun Arena. The Friars improved to 13-19 overall, while the Bulldogs dropped to 14-16. Providence advances to the Quarterfinal Round on Saturday, March 9 to face top-seeded and ninth-ranked Connecticut at Noon.
POST-GAME PRESS CONFERENCE (PDF) | Head Coach Erin Batth and Olivia Olsen
1ST QUARTER:
• Butler held an 11-9 lead at the first quarter media timeout (4:39).
• Providence took its first lead of the game (16-13) on an Emily Archibald triple from the left wing at the 1:55 mark.
• Her bucket was part of a 10-0 run during a two-minute span to give the Friars a 21-13 advantage.
• Caroline Strande scored five-points for Butler in the closing 25-seconds, including a three from the logo as time expired.
• Providence held a 23-18 lead at the break.
• Grace Efosa paced the Friars with 10 points on 4-5 shooting.
• Nariah Scott extended the run to 7-0 with a three from the right wing (30-18).
2ND QUARTER:
• Providence started the quarter with a 4-0 spurt to take a 27-18 lead, forcing a Butler timeout (7:13).
• The Friars extended their lead to 13, but Butler finished the final 3:29 of the quarter with nine unanswered points.
• Providence held a 37-33 lead at halftime.
3RD QUARTER:
• The Friars went on an 8-0 run during a span of 1:57 to regain a double-digit lead (45-35) and force a Butler timeout (7:06).
• Providence extended its run to 10-0 (47-35) before Butler got back on the scoreboard with 6:15 on the clock.
• Providence outscored Butler 21-10 in the quarter to take a 58-43 lead into the fourth.
• Olivia Olsen recorded six points and six boards in the frame.
4TH QUARTER:
• The Friars started the fourth with an 8-0 spurt to go ahead by 23 with 8:04 to play (66-43).
• Providence maintained lead of at least 15 points for the duration of the fourth en route to the 75-60 win.
NOTES:
• Four Friars scored in double figures for the seventh time this season and improved to 5-2 on the season when doing so.
• Emily Archibald scored a team-best 17 points on 7-9 shooting from the field, including a 2-2 showing beyond the three-point arc. She also added seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. Twelve of Archibald's 17 points came in the second half.
• Olsen notched her 12th double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds. She also recorded three assists, two steals and one blocked shot.
• Efosa finished with 13 points, five boards, two assist and two steals.
• Brynn Farrell rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points and dished a career-high six assists.
• Providence outrebounded Butler, 35-24.
• The Friars dished 17 assists on 29 made field goals. Their 17 assists are the second-highest total of the season.
• Providence shot 53.7-percent from the field for the game (29-54) and hit a season-best 10 three-pointers (10-32, 0.313).
• The Friars improved to 2-4 all-time as the No. 9 seed and 2-1 all-time vs. Butler in the BIG EAST Tournament.
• The last time Providence won a game in the BIG EAST Tournament dates back to the 2021 campaign. That year, the No. 7 seed Friars outlasted No. 10 seed Butler, 63-61.
WHAT'S NEXT:
• The Friars advance to the Quarterfinals to face No. 1 seed and ninth-ranked UConn. The game will tip-off at Noon and will be televised on FS1.
- GO FRIARS! -
POST-GAME PRESS CONFERENCE (PDF) | Head Coach Erin Batth and Olivia Olsen
1ST QUARTER:
• Butler held an 11-9 lead at the first quarter media timeout (4:39).
• Providence took its first lead of the game (16-13) on an Emily Archibald triple from the left wing at the 1:55 mark.
• Her bucket was part of a 10-0 run during a two-minute span to give the Friars a 21-13 advantage.
• Caroline Strande scored five-points for Butler in the closing 25-seconds, including a three from the logo as time expired.
• Providence held a 23-18 lead at the break.
• Grace Efosa paced the Friars with 10 points on 4-5 shooting.
• Nariah Scott extended the run to 7-0 with a three from the right wing (30-18).
2ND QUARTER:
• Providence started the quarter with a 4-0 spurt to take a 27-18 lead, forcing a Butler timeout (7:13).
• The Friars extended their lead to 13, but Butler finished the final 3:29 of the quarter with nine unanswered points.
• Providence held a 37-33 lead at halftime.
3RD QUARTER:
• The Friars went on an 8-0 run during a span of 1:57 to regain a double-digit lead (45-35) and force a Butler timeout (7:06).
• Providence extended its run to 10-0 (47-35) before Butler got back on the scoreboard with 6:15 on the clock.
• Providence outscored Butler 21-10 in the quarter to take a 58-43 lead into the fourth.
• Olivia Olsen recorded six points and six boards in the frame.
4TH QUARTER:
• The Friars started the fourth with an 8-0 spurt to go ahead by 23 with 8:04 to play (66-43).
• Providence maintained lead of at least 15 points for the duration of the fourth en route to the 75-60 win.
NOTES:
• Four Friars scored in double figures for the seventh time this season and improved to 5-2 on the season when doing so.
• Emily Archibald scored a team-best 17 points on 7-9 shooting from the field, including a 2-2 showing beyond the three-point arc. She also added seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. Twelve of Archibald's 17 points came in the second half.
• Olsen notched her 12th double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds. She also recorded three assists, two steals and one blocked shot.
• Efosa finished with 13 points, five boards, two assist and two steals.
• Brynn Farrell rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points and dished a career-high six assists.
• Providence outrebounded Butler, 35-24.
• The Friars dished 17 assists on 29 made field goals. Their 17 assists are the second-highest total of the season.
• Providence shot 53.7-percent from the field for the game (29-54) and hit a season-best 10 three-pointers (10-32, 0.313).
• The Friars improved to 2-4 all-time as the No. 9 seed and 2-1 all-time vs. Butler in the BIG EAST Tournament.
• The last time Providence won a game in the BIG EAST Tournament dates back to the 2021 campaign. That year, the No. 7 seed Friars outlasted No. 10 seed Butler, 63-61.
WHAT'S NEXT:
• The Friars advance to the Quarterfinals to face No. 1 seed and ninth-ranked UConn. The game will tip-off at Noon and will be televised on FS1.
- GO FRIARS! -
Team Stats
PROV
Butler
FG%
.537
.421
3FG%
.667
.313
FT%
.778
1.000
RB
35
24
TO
15
13
STL
8
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Players Mentioned
Women's Basketball vs. Bryant
Sunday, November 29
Women's Basketball vs. UMass Lowell
Sunday, November 24
Women's Basketball vs. Boston College
Sunday, November 17
Providence vs. University of Pennsylvania WNIT Round 2
Sunday, March 24