PROVIDENCE – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – There was quite a one-sided, 5-and-0, Tuesday night for BIG EAST teams including three Gavitt Tipoff Games victories as Providence, Marquette and Creighton picked up victories against their Big Ten opponents.
In the evening’s first game, Providence was in control against Wisconsin from start to finish and recorded a 72-59 victory at the AMP. The Friars (3-0) built a 37-21 lead by halftime and led by as many as 22 points in the second half. Devin Carter finished with 21 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field and a game-high eight rebounds.
No. 4 Marquette won a hard-earned 71-64 decision at No. 23 Illinois. Tyler Kolek, who had been nursing an ankle injury, had 24 points, six rebounds and four assists. His layup with 9:42 left gave the Golden Eagles (3-0) the lead for good 54-52.
No. 8 Creighton (3-0) began the second half with an 18-6 burst en route to a 92-84 victory over Iowa. Trey Alexander came within one assist of being the first Bluejay player to record a triple-double that included assists. He finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.
No. 5 Connecticut (3-0) cruised past Mississippi Valley State 87-53 at Gampel Pavilion. Cam Spencer made 7-of-11 from beyond the arc and finished with 25 points. For the second straight game, all five Husky starters reached double figures. UConn has won 20 straight non-conference games.
DePaul got into the win column for the first time this season (1-2) with a 72-60 win against visiting South Dakota. Jeremiah Oden led four players in double figures with 16 points. DePaul led 36-25 at halftime. The Blue Demons blocked nine shots.
There’s a two-game schedule tonight, including a Gavitt Games matchup of Georgetown at Rutgers. FS1 will telecast at 8:30 p.m. ET. Seton Hall hosts Albany at 6:30 p.m., also on FS1.