Al Durham hits clutch 3 to send No. 11 Providence past Butler

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Al Durham drained a go-ahead 3-pointer with 41 seconds left for his first basket of the game, and No. 11 Providence barely got past pesky Butler 65-61 in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals Thursday.

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Nate Watson scored a season-high 26 points for the top-seeded Friars (25-4), who avoided an early exit at Madison Square Garden after winning the first regular-season conference championship in school history.

Providence's Jared Bynum (4) and Nate Watson (0) celebrate after an NCAA college basketball game against Butler at the Big East conference basketball tournament on Thursday, March 10, 2022, in New York. Providence won 65-61. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Jared Bynum, the league’s sixth man of the year, added 16 points off the bench as Providence advanced to the Big East semifinals for the first time since 2018.

The gritty Friars, who improved to 11-2 in games decided by five points or fewer, will play No. 4 seed Creighton or fifth-seeded Marquette in the opener of Friday night's doubleheader.

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Chuck Harris had 14 points and Bryce Golden scored all 13 of his points in the second half for the ninth-seeded Bulldogs (14-19), who rallied late to beat No. 8 seed Xavier in overtime in the first round Wednesday.