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| Kolby King putting in a layup to give Butler a 28-18 lead in the first half. Photo by Jason Schott. |
The Butler Bulldogs dominated from start to finish as they beat the Providence Friars, 75-69 in the first game of the Big East Tournament on Wednesday afternoon.
That means that top-seeded St. John’s will start their quest for a title against Butler in the quarterfinals on Thursday at high noon.
St. John’s won both of their games in the regular season against Butler, on January 7 at Carnesecca Arena, 82-72, and on February 26 on the road, 76-70.
Butler Head Coach Thad Matta said of meeting St. John’s for a third time, “We just played them a week ago or two weeks, whatever. In the guys’ minds, we’ll refresh them. As a staff, we’re prepared. We will get back and get into it, but the good thing is you knew who you were going to play if you won, so we’re prepared for that…Obviously they’re the best team in the league, so this is a great opportunity for our guys. I’m excited to play this game. Hopefully the players are.”
Butler led this one wire to wire, as they opened with a 7-2 burst that turned into a 17-9 edge at the 12:26 mark of the first half.
The Bulldogs led by as many as 10, and took a 39-31 lead into halftime.
In the second half, Butler maintained a 10-point edge and led by as many as 14, at 71-57, with 3:14 left before Providence trimmed the deficit for some window dressing at the end.
Butler was led by Pierre Brooks, who had 25 points on 11-18 from the field, including 1-6 on three-pointers, with seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Jahmyl Telfot had 16 points (7-12 FG, 1-5 threes), three steals, two rebounds, and two assists. Landon Moore had nine points off the bench (3-4 FG, 2-3 threes), with three rebounds off the bench.
In the late action, DePaul beat Georgetown, 71-67, while Villanova dominated Seton Hall, 67-55.
THURSDAY SCHEDULE:
St. John's vs. Butler, noon
Xavier vs. Marquette, 2:30 p.m.
Creighton vs. DePaul, 7 p.m.
Connecticut vs. Villanova, 9:30 p.m.
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