Jayden Pierre and Bensley Joseph each scored 18 points to help Providence snap a four-game losing streak with an 84-65 win over visiting Butler on Wednesday night.
Joseph netted 13 of his points in the second half to help the Friars (8-8, 2-3 Big East) in a complete effort, which included 48.6 percent shooting from the floor — including 41.7 percent (10 of 24) on 3-point attempts — and a dominant 43-26 rebounding advantage.
Wesley Cardet Jr. was the third Friar to knock down three 3-pointers, finishing with 17 points.
True freshman Ryan Mela also made a huge impact for Providence, logging 10 points and 15 rebounds for his first double-double. He also posted four assists and two steals.
The Friars had a 37-29 halftime lead and increased it to 22, thanks to Joseph banging down two late threes in 24 seconds. Cardet added one of his own during that span.
Pierre Brooks and Jahmyl Telfort scored 17 points apiece to lead the way for Butler (7-9, 0-5), which is on an eight-game skid. Telfort played through a back injury.
The duo combined for 12 of the Bulldogs’ 23 made field goals. Brooks was 7-of-13 from the floor.
Patrick McCaffery added 12 points.
Providence never looked back after holding Butler scoreless for the final 3 ½ minutes of the first half, with a Corey Floyd Jr. hammer dunk off Mela’s feed and a Pierre last-minute putback highlighting the late stretch.
Brooks scored Butler’s first two buckets of the second half, but Pierre hit a pair of treys and Mela finished with a layup to make it 48-35 with 15:04 left. McCaffery and Finley Bizjack both hit from deep during an 8-2 Butler run that trimmed the deficit to 50-43.
The Providence lead increased to 15, though, after Cardet and Joseph logged individual 5-0 runs by the 10:10 mark.
After Telfort and Brooks knocked down a pair to help the Bulldogs get within 11, the hosts went on a clinching 9-2 run that forced a timeout with 4:01 to go.
In the first half, Pierre’s corner 3-pointer turned into a four-point play, giving the Friars the lead back after a 10-2 response halfway through the period. Telfort’s consecutive jumpers thereafter gave the Bulldogs their final lead at 20-19.
An Andre Screen dunk with 5:35 left before halftime brought Butler back into a 25-25 game. A Brooks layup to cut the Providence lead to one with 5:05 left marked the team’s final field goal of the half.
–Field Level Media
