PC Gets the Win It Needed, Beats Butler, Mela Shines

PC Gets the Win It Needed, Beats Butler, Mela Shines

The Providence College men’s basketball team defeated Butler on Wednesday night 84 to 65 at home.

It was a much-needed Big East conference win for the Friars. PC had lost three conference games in a row.

The Friars move to 8-8 and 2-3 in the Big East. Butler falls to 7-9 and 0-5 in the Big East.

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Mela Stands Out

PC led at the half 37-29

But the story was Friar freshman Ryan Mela led the Friars with 8 points and 7 rebounds in the opening 20 minutes.

The Mela show continued in the second half — he dominated on the boards.

The 6-6 Mela finished with 10 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.

Jayden Pierre led the Friars with 18 points on 7-16 shooting.

Wesley Cardet, Jr. scored 17 points on 7-11 from the field, and he scored 3-5 from behind the 3-point line.

 

FIRST HALF: 

After a Butler basket, Mela collected his own missed shot and converted on the follow-up to get the Friars on the board. 
Butler pulled ahead early - 14-9 - with a 9-0 scoring run. 
At the 10:06 mark, Pierre drew contact and drained a three-pointer, converting a four-point play. The Friars regained the lead, 19-16.
Three straight buckets had the Friars up 25-20 with 6:25 remaining in the half.
The Friars forced three turnovers and Butler scoreless in the final 3:36 of the half, pushing the lead to 37-29 before halftime. Butler missed its final five shots. 
Mela led the way for the Friars at halftime with eight points and seven rebounds. 
Providence shot 16-36 (44.4%) from the field, 3-10 (30.0%) from three, and 2-4 (50.0%) from the free throw line. 
Butler shot 11-27 (40.7%) from the field, 2-7 (28.6%) from three, 5-6 (83.3%) from the free throw line. 

 

SECOND HALF:  

At the 17:11 mark, Pierre buried his second three-pointer to open the half for the Friars. Pierre scored eight of the team's first 10 second half points. 
Cardet Jr. brought a spark in the second half, knocking down his second three-ball of the night with 12:03 remaining. The Friars gained a 55-43 lead. 
Cardet, Joseph, and Pierre spearheaded the Friars' offensive attack in the second half. Heading into the final seven minutes of action, the Friars led 64-49. 
With 4:32 remaining, Cardet stole the ball away and Pierre finished the one-handed slam in transition. The Friars led by 16 points, 71-55. 
Joseph nailed back-to-back threes as part of his 13 second half points, sealing the game for PC. 
The Friars' largest lead was 22 points, when the score was 82-60 in the final two minutes. 

 

HIGHLIGHTS: 

Providence outscored Butler 23-6 in second-chance points. 
The Friars out-rebounded the Bulldogs by a margin of 17 (43-26). 
Four Friars finished in double figures: Joseph (18), Pierre (18), Cardet (17), and Mela (10). 
Mela - in his first career start - recorded 15 rebounds. It marked a career-high and team season-high, topping Oswin Erhunmwunse's 11 rebounds versus Davidson on Nov. 28. 
Cardet recorded his fifth consecutive game with double-digit points and ninth this season. 
Erhunmwunse blocked three shots for the fourth time this season. He also hauled in five rebounds. 
Providence shot 34-70 (48.6%) from the field, 10-24 (41.7%) from three, and 6-9 (66.7%) from the free throw line. 
Butler shot 23-57 (40.4%) from the field, 4-16 (25.0%) from three, 15-19 (78.9%) from the free throw line. 

 

NOTES:

Mela became the first Friar to record 15 rebounds since Devin Carter accomplished the feat last season vs. No. 2/2 UConn on Mar. 10, 2024. 
Mela is the first freshman Friar to haul in 15 rebounds in a game since LaDontae Henton on Feb. 25, 2012 at DePaul. 
Tonight's game marked the team's first-ever game on Peacock.  
The Friars snapped a four-game losing streak with tonight's victory. 
The Friars improved to a 20-6 mark all-time versus Butler, including a 10-2 record at the AMP.  
In the most recent meeting between the two teams, Butler defeated the Friars - 75-72 - at Hinkle Fieldhouse last season on Feb. 10, 2024. 
The last time the two teams played at PC, the Friars earned an 85-75 win in overtime on December 23, 2023 at Amica Mutual Pavilion. 
The Friars moved to 4-4 when leading at halftime this season, which includes wins over Stonehill, Delaware State, and BYU. 

 

NEXT:

Providence will play again at home on Saturday, January 11, versus Seton Hall (6-9, 1-3 BIG EAST), with tip-off scheduled for 5:00 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.