INDIANAPOLIS – Sydney Buck scored a career-high 19 points on Friday afternoon as the Bulldogs defeated the Providence Friars by the final score of 66-61. The victory gives Butler a 5-9 overall record and also goes down in the record book as Kurt Godlevske's first win as a head coach against a BIG EAST opponent.

A five-point halftime lead would stay true for the following 20 minutes as each team posted 32 points in the second half. Butler grabbed the 34-29 halftime edge in part to a 13-0 first half scoring run, sparked by a pair of 3-point field goals from Blaire Langlois.

Langlois and Buck were lethal from 3-point range on Friday hitting nine shots from distance. Buck was 5-for-8 from behind the arc which helped her reach 19 points. Langlois buried four of her eight 3-point field goals to end the game with 14 points.

Butler would once again get great bench play from Lexus Murry and Andriana Moore. Murry ended the game with a season-high 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting. She added three assists, two rebounds and a steal in her 26 minutes of action.

Moore came up with nine points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field. The backup center went 3-of-4 from the free throw line which included a big pair from the charity stripe with just 1:12 left in the second half. The free throws gave Butler a three point advantage at 64-61 and a final pair of free throws from Langlois would ice the game with 29 seconds left.

Additional players to impact the game at a high level included Ijeoma Uchendu with seven rebounds, Belle Obert with six blocked shots and Loryn Goodwin with a game-high five assists.

Providence was led by sophomore point guard Sarah Beal and reserve forward Aliyah Miller. Beal scored 14 points, grabbed four rebounds, dished out four assists and created three steals. Miller tied Beal with 14 points while grabbing seven rebounds.

The Friars ended the game with more made field goals than Butler, but the hot 3-point shooting from the home team would prove to be the difference in this one as Butler held on for the victory.

Halftime adjustments were made by each team at the break with Providence moving to a full court, trapping press and Butler riding the strong play of Murry and Moore. Murry logged 26 minutes of action to help break down the ball pressure and Moore used her size to keep Butler even with Providence in the points in the paint category.

The game featured six ties and 16 lead changes, most of which came in the final 20 minutes of action. Butler outrebounded Providence 33-28 and the Bulldogs also held the upper hand in blocked shots with eight compared to just two from the Friars.

Butler shot 47 percent from the field and 45 percent from long range. Providence hit 42 percent from the floor, but was only 4-of-15 from 3-point land (4-15).

The Bulldogs will enjoy the win for the rest of today, but preparation for Creighton will start first thing tomorrow as Butler prepares to play their third conference game of the week on Sunday as the Bluejays visit Hinkle at 1 p.m.