INDIANAPOLIS – Kelan Martin scored 19 points, and Butler held Providence to 16 percent shooting in the second half en route to a 69-54 victory in Big East basketball before a Hinkle Fieldhouse sellout of 9,184 Saturday.
The victory ended a three-game losing streak by the Bulldogs (18-10, 8-7) and took them a step closer to securing a bid to the NCAA tournament. Providence, coming off a 76-71 upset of No. 2 Villanova, fell to 17-10, 8-6.
The Bulldogs opened the second half on a 14-2 run to turn a two-point deficit into a 47-37 lead. They never led by fewer than eight points thereafter.