Butler seniors Jahmyl Telfort, Pierre Brooks II and Patrick McCaffrey combined for 53 points as the Bulldogs posted a second straight Big East victory, 82-81, over Providence on Saturday in Indianapolis.
Telfort led Butler (11-13, 4-9) with 24 points, connecting on 9 of 17 shots. Brooks added 18 points, while McCaffrey made 3 of 4 3-point attempts and finished with 11 points. Finley Bizjack also drained 3 of 4 long-range attempts on his way to 15 points.
Bensely Joseph netted 26 points to pace Providence (11-13, 5-8), which also got a career-high 23 points from Rich Barron. Corey Floyd, Jr. notched 17 points and six assists, and Jayden Pierre tallied 11 points and eight assists.
The Friars were short-handed Saturday, with Wesley Cardet Jr. (leg) sitting out along with Bryce Hopkins and Jabri Abdur-Rahim after both recently suffered season-ending injuries.
Providence hung around with sharp 3-point shooting, knocking down a season-high 16 treys on 32 attempts. Barron made 7 of 9 and Joseph hit 5 of 9.
With a 13-point Bulldog lead trimmed to 79-78 and 1:59 remaining, Telfort drove to the basket and was bumped and fouled just as Oswin Erhunmwunse skied to catch his shot attempt. A goaltending call on the play was reviewed at length, but ultimately confirmed, and Telfort turned the break into a key three-point play.
The Friars used a Barron 3-pointer to pull within 82-81, and Telfort's missed free throw gave Providence a chance to win, but Joseph's 3-point attempt at the buzzer came up wide of the rim.
Both teams shot 30-of-60 overall. Butler made six fewer 3-pointers than the Friars but hit seven more free throws.
The Bulldogs engineered a 12-3 run out of halftime, getting all the points from Telfort and Brooks, to build a 53-42 lead with 17:26 remaining. Butler built its lead to 13 before Providence rallied to pull even at 76 with 3:47 to go.
The Bulldogs have a light week coming up, as they won't play again until Georgetown visits next Saturday. Providence will host Xavier on Wednesday.
--Field Level Media
Providence | Butler | |
Bensley Joseph 26 | Scoring | Jahmyl Telfort 24 |
Jayden Pierre 8 | Assists | Patrick McCaffery 4 |
Oswin Erhunmwunse 5 | Rebounds | Andre Screen 10 |
Corey Floyd Jr. 4 | Free Throws Made | Finley Bizjack 4 |
Rich Barron 2 | Steals | Jahmyl Telfort 4 |
Anton Bonke 1 | Blocks | Boden Kapke 1 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Providence | 81 | 50.0 | 16-32 | 5-6 | 20 | 20 | 3 | 6 | 10 |
Butler | 82 | 50.0 | 10-19 | 12-21 | 16 | 30 | 1 | 6 | 11 |