Providence College Athletics

Wednesday, March 12
New York, N.Y.
4:00 PM

Providence College

69
vs
75

Butler

Men's basketball player Bensley Joseph driving in the lane with the ball versus Butler in the BIG EAST Tournament at Madison Square Garden.

No.8-Seed Men’s Basketball Defeated By No.9-Seed Butler, 75-69, In First Round Of BIG EAST Tournament

3/12/2025 6:46:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Oswin Erhunmwunse recorded his second double-double of the season and Bensley Joseph tallied his 1,000th career-point as he has a team-high 20 points.


 


NEW YORK, N.Y.- The Providence College men's basketball team was defeated by the Butler Bulldogs (14-18), 75-69, on Wednesday, March 12 at the Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y. The Friars finished the 2024-25 season with a 12-20 overall record.  Bensley Joseph (Arlington, Mass.) powered the Providence offense with 20 points, 17 of which came in the second half. The senior also reached a career milestone, recording his 1,000th career point (1,005 career points). Freshman Oswin Erhunmwunse (Benin City, Nigeria) tallied a career-high 16 points and added 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. 

FIRST HALF: 

• Erhunmwunse kicked off PC's scoring with an alley-oop dunk off the hands of Corey Floyd Jr. (Franklin, N.J.). The Friars trailed 9-7 through the first four minutes of action (15:59). 

• The two teams went back-and-forth with the Bulldogs maintaining a slight edge over the Friars. 

• Providence mounted a late push, outscoring the Bulldogs 11-2 to narrow the gap to 32-29. Ryan Mela (Natick, Mass.) played a key role, scoring six of those 11 points. 

• Butler extended its lead back to 39-31 entering halftime.  

• Mela led the Friars at half with 12 points. 

SECOND HALF: 

• Joseph opened the half's scoring with a layup. Joseph accounted for all seven Friar points through the first six minutes (14:24). The Friars trailed, 45-38.  

• The Bulldogs began to pull away. PC trailed, 68-57, entering the final media timeout (3:58).  

• Despite a late-game push, the Friars fell, 75-69. 

• Joseph finished with 17 points in just the second half.  

HIGHLIGHTS: 

• Three Friars finished in double figures: Joseph (20), Erhunmwunse (16) and Mela (14). 

• Butler's Brooks Pierre II led the Bulldogs with 25 points and seven rebounds.  

• Joseph recorded his 1,000th career point tonight.  

Oswin Erhunmwunse finished with his second double-double of the season on a career-high 16 points and 11 rebounds. 

• The Friars outrebounded the Bulldogs by a margin of 53-29 including a 25-27 mark in offense boards. 

• It marked the first time the Friars had 50 or more rebounds versus a BIG EAST opponent since Jan. 31, 2013 versus UConn. 

NOTES: 

• The Friars have now registered a 20-8 mark all-time versus Butler, including a 3-1 record in the BE Tourney. 

• PC has now posted a 27-42 mark all-time in the BIG EAST Tournament. 

-GO FRIARS!-