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NCAA

Seton Hall Takes St. John’s at MSG

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Seton Hall, Villanova and Creighton all used strong second-half performances en route to Saturday victories.

Georgetown, in search of its first BIG EAST win, led No. 11 Villanova 47-39 early in the second half before the Wildcats recovered to take an 85-74 victory at Capital One Arena. The Wildcats (14-5, 7-2 BIG EAST) got 55 points from the trio of Collin Gillespie (28 points), Justin Moore (19) and Jermaine Samuels (18). Gilliespie made 6-of-9 from 3-point range. The Hoyas (6-10, 0-5) were led by Collin Holloway’s career-high 27 points. He made 9-of-10 from the field.

Seton Hall put the defensive clamps on St. John’s and nailed down a 66-60 victory at Madison Square Garden. The Pirates (12-5, 3-4 BE) held the Johnnies (10-7, 2-4 BE) to a season-low 29.3 shooting from the floor. Pirate Myles Cale, who led the defensive effort, also shined offensively with a game-high 21 points and nine rebounds. Alexis Yetna contributed 16 points and 15 rebounds. Aaron Wheeler led St. John’s with 13 points and seven rebounds. Seton Hall earned a 60-43 edge on the glass.

DePaul led Creighton by 11 in the first minute of the second half before the Bluejays went on a tear that ended with a 60-47 victory at CHI Health Center. The Bluejays (12-5, 4-2 BE) outscored the Blue Demons (10-8, 1-7 BE) 37-15 after the break. CU’s Ryan Kalkbrenner notched 18 points, 10 rebounds and six blocked shots. Freshman Trey Alexander added 12 points, seven boards and three steals. DePaul’s Jalen Terry had 12 rebounds and six rebounds. Creighton has defeated DePaul 15 straight times.

Sunday’s schedule shows two games, both on FS1. Butler visits Providence at noon ET. Eight of Butler’s nine losses (9-9 overall) have been against teams ranked in the top 30 of the NCAA NET metric. The first-place Friars (5-1 in the league standings) have never started 6-1. At 2 p.m., Marquette hosts No. 20 Xavier. The Musketeers won the first meeting between the two teams 80-71 on Dec. 18. The Golden Eagles are on a five-game winning streak.

Big East in the Top 25

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NEW YORK – Providence and Connecticut, ranked 21st and 25th, respectively, in this week’s Associated Press poll, registered Thursday wins.

The Friars began their game against Georgetown with a 13-0 start, then stopped a Hoya comeback attempt in an 83-75 victory at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. Ed Croswell and Al Durham each scored 15 points. Croswell shot 7-of-7 from the floor. Coach Ed Cooley registered his 209th win at Providence (15-2, 5-1 BIG EAST), tying him with former coach and BIG EAST founder Dave Gavitt. Georgetown (6-9, 0-4 BE) trimmed a 16-point deficit in the second half to four, but the Hoyas could not complete the comeback. Donald Curry scored a game-high 21 points and Kaiden Rice added 19. The duo shot a combined 10-of-16 from 3-point range.

UConn and Butler met for the second time in three days. The end result was the same with the Huskies (13-4, 4-2 BE) pulling away in the final minutes for a 75-56 win at Hinkle Fieldhouse. UConn wing Tyrese Martin scored 25 of his 27 points in the second half. Adama Sanogo added 15 points and nine rebounds. UConn won the rebounding battle 39-25. The Bulldogs (9-9, 2-5 BE), who led 28-24 at halftime, were led by Chuck Harris’ 16 points.

BIG EAST play continues Saturday with a pair of noon ET tipoffs. No. 11 Villanova will try to bounce back from Wednesday’s loss to Marquette when it plays at Georgetown on FOX. St. John’s hosts Seton Hall at Madison Square Garden on FS1. DePaul visits Creighton on CBS Sports Network at 5:30 p.m.

Big East: UConn Defeats Butler

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HARTFORD – In the only game Tuesday, No. 25 Connecticut used balanced scoring to defeat Butler 76-59 at XL Center in Connecticut. The Huskies (12-4, 3-2 BIG EAST) built a 39-24 lead by halftime and maintained a double-digit advantage throughout the second half. R.J. Cole led UConn with 17 points. Adama Sanogo and Andre Jackson produced double-doubles. Sanogo had 13 points and 15 rebounds while Jackson finished with 12 points and 10 boards.

 The Bulldogs (9-8, 2-4 BE) got 36 points from the freshman duo of Jayden Taylor (19 points) and Simas Lukosius (17). The game was a reschedule of a Jan. 1 contest. The two teams turn around quickly to meet at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Thursday.

FS1 has two of the three Wednesday contests. At 7 p.m. ET, St. John’s visits Creighton. The Johnnies will be aiming for their first win this season outside of New York City. Julian Champagnie leads the BIG EAST in scoring with a 21.4 average. Creighton has played only three games in the last 33 days – all on the road. At 9 p.m., DePaul hosts Xavier. The Blue Demons are coming off a 96-92 win over Seton Hall last Thursday. The Musketeers have four players averaging double figures in scoring from 11.2 points per game to 12.3.

No. 11 Villanova hosts Marquette at 8 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. The Wildcats are riding a six-game winning streak and have held two of their last four opponents to less than 43 points. The Golden Eagles have won four straight games while averaging 85.0 points in the wins.

Big East: Weekly Honors to Sanogo

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NEW YORK – Connecticut forward Adama Sanogo has been named BIG EAST Player of the Week and Creighton guard Ryan Nembhard has been selected BIG EAST Freshman of the Week. Sanogo helped push the Huskies past St. John’s in overtime and Nembhard had a strong all-around performance in a defeat at Xavier.

BIG EAST Player of the Week

Adama Sanogo, UConn, F, So. – Sanogo powered the Huskies to an 86-78 overtime win against St. John’s with 26 points, 18 rebounds and six blocked shots. The rebound total was the highest recorded by any BIG EAST player this season. Sanogo also made 10-of-17 shots from the field. He is averaging 15.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks for the season. It was UConn’s only game of the week.

BIG EAST Freshman of the Week

Ryan Nembhard, Creighton, G, Fr. – Nembhard posted 18 points, six assists and three steals in an 80-73 loss at Xavier in the Bluejays’ only game of the week. Nembhard has earned Freshman of the Week honors five times this season. For the year, he is averaging 12.5 points and 4.5 assists.

BIG EAST Honor Roll

David Jones, DePaul, F, So. – In a 1-1 week, averaged 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 steals. In a win against Seton Hall (96-92), had 24 points, eight rebounds and five steals.

Darryl Morsell, Marquette, G, Gr. – Averaged 21.0 points in a 2-0 week. Registered 26 points and five rebounds in a win over Seton Hall (73-72).

Julian Champagnie, St. John’s, F, Jr. – Averaged 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals in a 1-1 week. Had 25 points, six boards and three steals in a win over Georgetown (88-69).

Collin Gillespie, Villanova, G, Gr. – Averaged 19.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in a 2-0 week. Had 21 points in a win at Xavier (64-60) and 17 points in a victory against Butler (82-42).

Colby Jones, G, So. – Averaged 11.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in a 1-1 week. Posted 16 points and nine rebounds in a win against Creighton (80-73).

 

Xavier, Marquette Win at Home

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NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Xavier rallied in the second half to beat Creighton and Marquette slipped past Seton Hall in a back-and-forth affair in Saturday afternoon BIG EAST action.

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The 17th-ranked Musketeers (13-3, 3-2 BIG EAST) recovered from a 34-29 halftime deficit to beat the Bluejays (10-5, 2-2 BE) 80-73. The usual balanced Xavier scoring attack had six players reach double figures. Colby Jones scored a team-high 16 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Alex O’Connell was tops for the Bluejays with 22 points, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range. Ryan Hawkins contributed 13 points and 13 rebounds.

A free throw by Greg Elliott with 1.8 seconds left gave Marquette a 73-72 win against No. 20 Seton Hall in a game where neither team led by more than five points in the second half. Darryl Morsell scored a career-high 26 points for the Golden Eagles (12-6, 4-3 BE). Justin Lewis added 18 points. Bryce Aiken scored 28 points for the Pirates (11-5, 2-4 BE). Alexis Yetna posted 15 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. Ike Obiagu grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked seven shots.

Sunday’s slate shows two games. At noon ET on FS1, No. 14 Villanova hosts Butler at Wells Fargo Center. The first-place Wildcats (12-4, 5-1) are on a five-game winning streak. They will be playing only their sixth home game of the season. The Bulldogs (9-6, 2-2 BE), who are coming off Thursday’s 72-58 win at Georgetown, are the only team to have five wins against Villanova since the beginning of the 2016-17 season.

Today, St. John’s hosts Georgetown at Madison Square Garden at 4:30 p.m. on FOX. The Johnnies (9-5, 1-2 BE) lead the BIG EAST in scoring with an 82.1 average. The Hoyas are averaging 74.5. Both teams are giving up 74.4. St. John’s Julian Champagnie leads the league with a 21.2 scoring mark. Georgetown’s Aminu Mohammed is the BIG EAST’s top freshman scorer (13.8) and rebounder (8.3).

Big East: DePaul Defeats Seton Hall

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CHICAGO – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – DePaul recorded its first BIG EAST win of the season on Thursday, while Butler nailed a win at Georgetown to start a three-game road trip.

The Blue Demons got a scare in the final minute, but never trailed in a 96-92 win against the 20th-ranked Pirates. Transfer Jalen Terry, in only his third start, scored a career-high 28 points. David Jones added 24 points and eight rebounds. Javon Freeman-Liberty scored 12 points before leaving with an injury in the second half.

Jared Rhoden led Seton Hall (11-4, 2-3 BE) with 25 points and seven rebounds. Bryce Aiken added 22 points. The Pirates trailed by 11 points with one minute to play before cutting the deficit to two in the final seconds.

Butler used an 18-4 run to start the second half en route to a 72-58 victory at Georgetown. The Bulldogs (9-6, 2-2 BE) were led by Jair Bolden’s 23 points. Bryce Nze helped with 14 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots. Butler plays Villanova at Wells Fargo Center on Sunday.

The Hoyas (6-7, 0-2 BE), who were led by Tyler Beard’s 15 points and five assists, were without regulars Donald Carey and Dante Harris along with coach Patrick Ewing.

Both games on Saturday tip at noon ET. FOX will telecast Creighton at No. 17 Xavier. Both teams lost to Villanova in their last games. The Bluejays (10-4, 2-1 BE) lost 75-41 on the road on Jan. 5. The Musketeers (12-3, 2-2 BE) dropped a 64-60 home decision on Wednesday. Both teams feature balanced scoring attacks with four players averaging in double figures.

Seton Hall will look to bounce back when it plays at Marquette on FS1. The Golden Eagles (11-6, 3-3 BE) have won three in a row after Tuesday’s 87-76 win against DePaul. Seton Hall has taken the last six meetings between the two teams.

Marquette Stays Hot in Big East

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MILWAUKEE – In the BIG EAST’s All-Access Game on FOX Sports, Marquette defeated DePaul 87-76 at Fiserv Forum on Tuesday. The game featured DePaul head coach Tony Stubblefield and Marquette head coach Shaka Smart wearing live microphones throughout the commercial-free telecast.

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The Golden Eagles (11-6, 3-3 BIG EAST) pulled away midway in the second half from the Blue Demons (9-6, 0-5 BE).  Marquette’s Greg Elliott came off the bench to score a career-high 25 points. Darryl Morsell added 16 points. Both players shot 7-of-11 from the field.

DePaul’s Javon Freeman-Liberty, the BIG EAST’s top scorer with a 21.7 average, had 24 points and 10 rebounds. Yor Anei contributed 16 points and 11 boards. Seton Hall is the next opponent for both teams. DePaul hosts the Pirates on Thursday and Marquette plays the Pirates at home on Saturday.

Wednesday’s two games are an FS1 doubleheader. At 6:30 p.m. ET, Villanova plays at Xavier. It will be the fourth contest this season between ranked BIG EAST teams. The Wildcats (11-4, 4-1 BE) are ranked 14th by AP and the Musketeers (12-2, 2-1 BE) are 17th. The two teams met on Dec. 21 at Villanova with the Wildcats recovering from an eight-point halftime deficit to win 71-58.

At 8:30 p.m., UConn hosts St. John’s at Gampel Pavilion. The Johnnies (9-4, 1-1 BE) beat the Huskies (10-4, 1-2 BE) in last season’s only meeting, also at Gampel, 70-64. St. John’s Julian Champagnie ranks second in the BIG EAST in scoring with a 20.7 average and Posh Alexander is first in steals with a 2.4 mark. The Huskies will be playing its first game at Gampel since Dec. 4. R.J. Cole leads the team in scoring and ranks fifth in the BIG EAST with a 16.2 average. The game also will be carried on Westwood One radio.

Big East Weekly Honors | Jan 10

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NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Villanova guard Justin Moore has been named BIG EAST Player of the Week and Marquette guard Kam Jones has been chosen BIG EAST Freshman of the Week. Both players helped their respective teams to 2-0 weeks.

BIG EAST Player of the Week

Justin Moore, Villanova, G, Jr. – Moore averaged 21.5 points in victories against Creighton and at DePaul. In a 75-41 win over the Bluejays, Moore had prime defensive responsibilities in helping to hold Creighton to the lowest scoring total in a league game in seven seasons. He also scored a game-high 22 points. In a 79-64 victory at DePaul, the junior guard posted a team-high 21 points, seven rebounds and three assists. He ranks seventh in the BIG EAST in scoring with a 15.7 average.

BIG EAST Freshman of the Week

Kam Jones, Marquette, G, Fr. – Jones helped the Golden Eagles in an 88-56 win over Providence with a collegiate-high 14 points. In a 2-0 week, which included a 92-64 triumph at Georgetown, the freshman shot 52.8 percent from the field and 54.5 percent from 3-point range.

BIG EAST Honor Roll

Justin Lewis, Marquette, F, So. – Averaged 16.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in a 2-0 week. Had a career-high 23 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Providence (88-56).

Nate Watson, Providence, C, Gr. – Had 22 points and 11 boards in a win over St. John’s (83-73) and averaged 15.0 points and 9.5 rebounds in a 1-1 week.

Julian Champagnie, St. John’s, F, Jr. – Averaged 22.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in a 1-1 week. Posted 34 points, 16 rebounds and three blocked shots in a win over DePaul (89-84).

Bryce Aiken, Seton Hall, G, Gr. – Averaged 17.0 points and 7.0 assists in a 2-0 week. Posted 22 points, including seven points in overtime, in a win over UConn (90-87). Had 12 points and seven assists in a victory at Butler (71-56).

Adam Kunkel, Xavier G, Sr. – Came off the bench to score a game-high 25 points in a win at Butler (87-72). Shot 8-of-12 from the floor, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range.

Cooley Earns 300th Win for Friars

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PROVIDENCE – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – On a three-game Saturday, Seton Hall won a fierce battle in overtime against Connecticut. Providence gave coach Ed Cooley his 300th career victory with a win against St. John’s. Villanova used a strong second half to win at DePaul.

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At Prudential Center, Seton Hall (11-3, 2-2 BE) and UConn (10-4, 1-2 BE) battled for 45 minutes before the Pirates prevailed 90-87. Pirate guard Kadary Richmond, who had a 6.9 scoring average, tallied a game-high 27 points. He scored 17 straight points in the second half and made the deciding basket with 31 seconds left in the extra stanza. Fellow guard Bryce Aiken had seven of his 22 points in overtime. UConn’s Adama Sanogo was a force with 18 points, 16 rebounds and three blocked shots.

Providence (14-2, 4-1 BE) trailed St. John’s (9-4, 1-1 BE) by seven points early in the second half before recovering to post an 83-73 victory at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. Nate Watson led the Friar surge by scoring 18 of his game-high 22 points after the break. Jared Bynum added 18 points. Justin Minaya had 14 points and helped limit St. John’s Julian Champagnie to 11 points. St. John’s Dylan Addae-Wusu posted his second straight career scoring high with 20 points to go along with seven rebounds and five assists. PC is 10-0 at home this season.

DePaul put together a 37-32 lead by halftime against Villanova before the Wildcats rebounded with a 79-64 victory at Wintrust Arena. Villanova (11-4, 4-1 BE) opened the second half with a 15-2 run to take control of the game. Collin Gillespie led the winners with 28 points. Justin Moore supported the effort with 21 points and seven rebounds. Javon Freeman-Liberty poured in a career-high 34 points for the Blue Demons (9-5, 0-4 BE). David Jones added 12 points.

BIG EAST action picks up again on Tuesday with DePaul at Marquette at 7 p.m. ET followed by Providence at Creighton at 9 p.m. Both games will be televised by FS1. The DePaul-Marquette game will be an All-Access Game with head coaches Tony Stubblefield and Shaka Smart wearing a live microphone throughout the telecast.

Marquette’s Second Straight Big “W”

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WASHINGTON DC – (Staff report from Official News Release) – Marquette pulled away to win at Georgetown and Xavier did the same at Butler in Friday night BIG EAST play. After winning 88-56 against Providence on Tuesday, Marquette beat Georgetown 92-64. No. 22 Xavier, playing its first game in 17 days, defeated Butler 87-72.

The Golden Eagles (10-6, 2-3 BIG EAST) used a 17-0 run early in the second half to break the game open against the Hoyas (6-6, 0-1 BE). Olivier-Maxence Prosper, whose previous career scoring high was 13 points, netted 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field. Tyler Kolek, the BIG EAST’s assist leader, had 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting and seven assists. Marquette outshot Georgetown from the field 59.1 percent to 29.9 percent. Collin Holloway was the Hoya scoring leader with 17 points.

The Musketeers (12-2, 2-1 BE) established a 42-31 halftime lead at Hinkle Fieldhouse, then repelled Bulldog comeback attempts. Xavier’s Adam Kunkel came off the bench to score a game-high 25 points, one short of his career high. He shot 8-of-12 from the floor, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range. Paul Scruggs contributed 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Xavier had a season-low six turnovers. Butler (8-6, 1-2 BE) was led by Aaron Thompson’s 20 points and Bryce Golden’s 19. Thompson went over the 500-assist mark for his career.

Saturday’s league schedule is all in the afternoon. Two games tip at noon ET. St. John’s plays at Providence on FS1. No. 24 Seton Hall hosts Connecticut at noon on FOX. The No. 19 Villanova at DePaul game has moved from FS1 to FOX at 2 p.m.