INDIANAPOLIS – Butler took a tough 66-63 overtime loss at home to Providence on Sunday afternoon to move to 19-6 on the season. The Bulldogs got 45 points out of Whitney Jennings and Kristen Spolyar, but the Friars would steal a road win behind 20 points from Jovana Nogic.
 
The entertaining game was tight from start to finish. There were 11 ties and 11 lead changes. Butler held a lead for 18:28 and Providence was on top for 17:02.
 
Jennings and Spolyar came together for 25 of Butler's 33 points at the half. The Bulldogs enjoyed a three-point lead at the break by winning the second quarter 17-13.
 
Scoring runs made up the third quarter with Butler scoring seven-straight to secure a 42-35 edge. They hit four consecutive shots to pull away from the Friars. That trend would not last as PC went on a 6-0 run just before the media timeout to pull back within one at 42-41.
 
The two evenly matched teams would head into the fourth quarter knotted up at 46-46.
 
Nogic started to make her presence left in the fourth quarter. Her pull-up 3-pointer early in the frame would give PC a 51-46 lead. Life got even more difficult for Butler at the 6:41 mark as Michelle Weaver picked up two quick fouls to reach five for the game.
 
BU continued to fight back and would tie the game at 51-51. The final media timeout of the fourth had BU trailing by one point 56-55.
 
Chanell Williams made a big bucket with less than four to play which resulted in a 58-55 Friar lead. Williams went with a hook shot over a defender with the shot clock at one second and the ball would bang off the glass from straight away and bank in.
 
Butler would counter with a Spolyar 3-pointer that made the score 58-58 with 2:30 left on the game clock. The big shot was matched by Nogic who answered from the top of the key.
 
Neither team was able to score over the next minute of action which took the game into the final stages. Butler would draw up a play for Jennings with just 40 seconds left on the game clock and the decision paid off as the senior hit to tie the game at 61-61.
 
Providence missed their final field goal attempt with three seconds to play and Butler would rebound and immediately call timeout with 2.8 on the clock. They were unable to get a shot to drop at the buzzer which sent the game into overtime.
 
The extra period was significant in that the last three meetings between these two teams has reached overtime. Providence won in triple overtime earlier this season and BU knocked off the Friars in single OT last year in the conference tournament.
 
Providence would once again come out on top this time around as BU shot 0-10 from the field over the five-minute frame. PC outscored Butler 5-2 in OT. Mary Baskerville made the only field goal. Additional points came from Kaela Webb and Andrea Cooper from the free throw line.
 
Butler's final regular season road trip will come up next as the 'Dawgs prep for games at #8 Marquette and DePaul.