Providence made nine of 12 three-point attempts in the second half to post an 81-73 win over #9/10 Butler Thursday afternoon at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Friars, ranked #12/13, opened BIG EAST play with a win to improve to 13-1 on the season. Butler falls to 11-2. A sold-out crowd of 9,100 witnessed just the second match-up in Hinkle Fieldhouse history featuring Top 15 teams.
Providence out-scored the home team, 56-37, in the second half.
After PC's Junior Lombomba scored at the 6:52 mark in the first half to pull the Friars within one at 22-21, Butler went on a 14-2 run to push the lead to 36-23 with 1:09 to play in the first half.