<\/p>\n
By Sam Weiderhaft<\/p>\n
Another Big East game, another heartbreaker for Butler. This time, the victor was the Providence Friars, edging out the Bulldogs in overtime 73-67, the second overtime loss during conference play.<\/p>\n
Butler started off slow, at one point down 14 points in the first half. Kamar Baldwin closed the gap to 5 at the end of the half with a jumper as time expired, making it a 32-27 game.<\/p>\n
The Bulldogs took their first lead halfway through the second half, courtesy of a free throw from Joey Brunk. With the game tied at 49 with six minutes remaining, the Friars went on a 9-2 run, milking the clock down to 1:50, and most of the Hinkle faithful heading for the exits.<\/p>\n
What happened next was the last bit of Hinkle magic this team could use this season. An 8-0 run, capped off with Nate Fowler\u2019s second three-pointer of the game made it a 60-59 game in favor of the Friars with 22 seconds left. Providence\u2019s Isaiah Jackson would then be fouled, and make both free throws. Heading down the other way, Baldwin hit a clutch three to tie the game at 62 with 10 seconds left, and the Friar\u2019s buzzer beater attempt would fall short.<\/p>\n
The only overtime lead the Bulldogs would see was a 66-65 advantage after another Baldwin layup. An 8-1 run for Providence would seal the deal on the game, and possibly Butler\u2019s hopes for the tournament.<\/p>\n
Nate Watson would lead the scoring effort for the Friars, with 21 points, going 8 of 10 from the field. Alpha Diallo and Isaiah Jackson would also add 14 of their own.<\/p>\n
Baldwin was yet again the leading scorer for the Bulldogs, with 27, going 8 of 20 from the field and 3 steals. Jordan Tucker would add 15 and Nate Fowler would put up 10. As a team, Butler shot 31.7% from the field through the game.<\/p>\n
Butler takes on Villanova in Philadelphia on Saturday, which has shaped up to be a must-win game for any hopes of appearing in the NCAA tournament for a fifth straight season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Sam Weiderhaft Another Big East game, another heartbreaker for Butler. This time, the victor was the Providence Friars, edging out the Bulldogs in overtime 73-67, the second overtime loss during conference play. Butler started off slow, at one point down 14 points in the first half. Kamar Baldwin closed the gap to 5 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9195628,"featured_media":2932,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[380324,11891],"tags":[380326],"class_list":["post-2925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mens-bb","category-sports","tag-mens-basketball"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t