Behind 56-percent shooting, Providence pulled away for an 80-57 win over Butler in the opening round of the BIG EAST Tournament Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Maliek White (19 points) and Alpha Diallo (18) led the Friars, who improve to 18-14 on the season and advance to play top-seeded Villanova in Thursday's BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinals.

Butler took an early 17-7 lead before Providence began to heat up. Providence made their final eight attempts from the field in the first half to take a 38-27 halftime advantage.

Butler trimmed the margin to just six early in the second half, but once again the Friars would answer.

A 23-4 Providence run extended the lead to 66-41, which was the Friars' largest of the game, as PC hit 12 of their first 18 attempts of the second half.

Jordan Tucker led the Bulldogs with 14 points. He hit four three-pointers. Aaron Thompson went 5-for-5 from the field, netting 12 points and six assists.

Providence's 56-percent shooting from the field included an 11-of-23 clip from three-point range. The Friars also had a 31-23 advantage in rebounding.

Butler shot 43 percent and attempted only seven free throws.

Butler is now 16-16.