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Big East Brings In New Year

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CINCINNATI – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – UConn led wire-to-wire in a win at Xavier, Villanova used a second half rally to get past DePaul, and St. John’s set a new program standard for 3-point shooting at Georgetown.
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Wednesday, Dec. 31
UConn 90, Xavier 67 – Box Score 
Alex Karaban led all scorers with 19 points as UConn won its ninth straight game.  The Huskies started strong out of the gate and led for the entire game.  Xavier got within 13 points twice in the second half, but the Huskies maintained their advantage by shooting nearly 60 percent from the floor over the final 20 minutes.  Karaban added seven rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block.  Solo Ball and Braylon Mullins each added 17 points, combining to make seven of UConn’s season-high 13 3-pointers on the night.  For Xavier, Malik Messina-Moore scored a team-high 16 points while Filip Borovicanin added a double-double with 14 points and 11 boards.
Of Note
Villanova 71, DePaul 66 – Box Score 
The Wildcats erased a 10-point second half deficit, using outscoring DePaul 31-16 over the final 11 minutes to move to 2-0 in BIG EAST play. A 9-0 run early in the first half for the Blue Demons gave them the lead the rest of the way, including a 32-28 edge at the break.  DePaul would grow its lead to 50-40 with 11 minutes remaining before Villanova run kickstarted its comeback.  A Tyler Perkins 3-pointer would tie it at 56-56 with six minutes and change left before a Devin Askew trifecta gave Nova the lead for good.  Perkins and Bryce Lindsay each had 19 points for Villanova, combining for nine of Nova’s 10 made 3-pointers.  DePaul was led by CJ Gunn’s 15 points and seven rebounds, while Layden Blocker added 13.
Of Note
St. John’s 95, Georgetown 83 – Box Score 
The Red Storm’s long-range shooting set the tone in their win at Georgetown.  The first three field goals for the Johnnies all came from beyond the arc as they took an 11-9 lead less than four minutes in.  But a 9-0 run by the Hoyas allowed them to retake the lead in a back and forth first half that featured four ties and seven lead changes.  SJU held a 52-47 advantage at the break and led the rest of the way.  Zuby Ejiofor posted one of his most complete stat lines of the season, finishing with 25 points, 10 rebounds, a career-best seven assists, and two steals.  Oziyah Sellers added 16 points and Ian Jackson 14 in the win.  The Hoyas’ KJ Lewis led all scorers with 27, while Malik Mack added 18 points and eight assists.
Of Note
There are no BIG EAST games on Jan. 1 and 2

Big East Round-Up: Nov. 27

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LAS VEGAS – (Wire Service Report) – Creighton earned a 76-66 victory over Oregon in its final game of the Players Era Championship in Las Vegas.  Providence and Georgetown dropped their MTE openers on Thanksgiving night.  Friday features seven BIG EAST teams in action throughout the day.
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Creighton 76, Oregon 66 – Box Score 
Blake Harper led three Creighton players in double figures with 18 points and the Bluejays used a 14-3 run down the stretch to pull away from Oregon in the Players Era Championship in Las Vegas.  Harper also grabbed nine rebounds.  CU led by as many as 17 in the second half before the Ducks got within one – 60-59 – with 6:15 to play.  Owen Freeman had 14 points and seven boards and Nik Graves 12 points and five assists in the win.
Wisconsin 104, Providence 83 – Box Score
Jason Edwards scored a team-high 20 points but it was not enough as Providence dropped the opening game to Wisconsin at the Rady Children’s Invitational in San Diego.  Providence fell behind midway through the first half and could not recover, despite making 11 3FG. Stefan Vaaks had 11 while Jamier Jones and Oswin Erhunmwunse each tallied 10 points.
Dayton 84, Georgetown 79 – Box Score
Malik Mack’s 3-point attempt near the end of the overtime period rattled out as the Hoyas dropped their first game of the season to Dayton in the ESPN Events Invitational in Orlando.  Trailing by 14 with just under six minutes left in regulation, GU used a 16-2 push to force an extra frame.  Mack had 24 points while KJ Lewis scored 19 and Julius Halafonua had 16.
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Friday is a busy day with seven BIG EAST teams in action.

Big East Update: UConn Edges BYU

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BOSTON – BIG EAST teams were 4-2 on Saturday, highlighted by No. 3/3 UConn’s win over No. 7/7 BYU in Boston in one of the top games of the 2025-26 season.  Georgetown moved to 4-0 with a win over Clemson, while St. John’s and Villanova used their high-powered offenses to earn victories at home.

UConn 86, BYU 84 – Box Score

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In one of the best games of the non-conference slate so far, No. 3/3 UConn held off a late surge from No. 7/7 BYU at TD Garden in Boston.  UConn connected on nearly 57% from the floor – including 8-of-18 from the perimeter.  A trio of Huskies tallied 21 points apiece – Silas Demary Jr., Alex Karaban, and Tarris Reed Jr.

Georgetown 79, Clemson 74 – Box Score

Four Hoyas reached double figures, led by a career-high 26 from KJ Lewis, as Georgetown moved to 4-0.  Lewis also tallied four boards, two assists, and five steals.  In a game that saw nine ties and two lead changes, a Malik Mack 3-pointer with 14:33 remaining started a 12-3 run, putting Georgetown ahead for good.  Mack finished with 16 points and seven rebounds.

St. John’s 93, William & Mary 60 – Box Score 

A 27-2 run to start the second half put the game out of reach for No. 13/13 St. John’s.  Five Red Storm players reached double digits – and 10 different players scored – in the win.  Bryce Hopkins and Joson Sanon each had 15 points for St. John’s, which has scored more than 90 points in each of its first three games for the first time since the 1971-72 season.

Villanova 87, Duquesne 77 – Box Score 

Villanova trailed by as many as six early, but used a 30-13 surge to close out the first half and never looked back.  Acaden Lewis led a trio of Wildcats in double figures, with a season-high 19 points to go along with six rebounds.  Bryce Lindsay had 18 points and Matt Hodge 15 in the win.  Duke Brennan corralled 13 boards.

SMU 87, Butler 85 – Box Score

Trailing by seven with 1:41 to play, Butler’s furious finish came up two points short on the road.  Finley Bizjack had 18 points on the night, connecting on 5-of-9 from the outside, while Michael Ajayi added 14 points. His 3-ball with 37 ticks remaining tied it at 85-85.  Butler made 13 3-pointers in the game.

Maryland 89, Marquette 82 – Box Score

A game of runs saw Marquette come up short at home.  The Golden Eagles got within five late but could not get any closer at home against Maryland.  Chase Ross scored a career-high 31 points on 10-of-18 shooting.  Ben Gold added 18 points and Zaide Lowery 14 in the loss.  Former BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year and All-American Jerel McNeal had his jersey retired in a halftime ceremony.

St. John’s Wins Big East Title

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – It was 25 years in the making and it came in the same year legendary St. John’s coach Lou Carnesecca passed away just before his 100th birthday.

Big East Player of the Year RJ Luis Jr scored 27 of his 29 points in the second half, and the top-seeded St. John’s Red Storm pulled away to secure an 82-66 victory over second-seeded Creighton. With the victory, which surely had the late Coach Carnesecca smiling down with blessings upon his team on Saturday night, the Red Storm secured its first Big East conference tournament championship since 2000. With it comes an automatic bid to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and a likely No. 2 seed.

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The Red Storm (30-4), ranked No. 6 in the nation, won their ninth straight game by overcoming an early eight-point deficit a day after rallying from a 15-point deficit to beat Marquette Friday night in the semifinals.

The tournament’s most valuable player, Luis was 1 of 5 in the first half before making 10 of 13 shots as St. John’s dominated the second half. The Red Storm made 14 straight shots to turn a 41-38 deficit with 12:53 left into a 70-55 bulge with 5:16 remaining.

Luis scored 12 points during the decisive barrage, which started when Zuby Ejiofor hit a jumper and completed a 3-point play to forge a 41-41 tie. The Red Storm never trailed after Deivon Smith’s tough jumper in the lane countered a Steven Ashworth 3 and put the Red Storm up 45-44 with 11:07 left.

Luis took over from there, hitting two 3s and three layups in the Red Storm’s dominating 25-11 blitz.

Ejiofor followed up his career-high 33-point showing against Marquette by contributing 13 of his 20 in the second half. Kadary Richmond contributed 12 points and 12 rebounds as the Red Storm shot 71.9 percent in a 57-point second half and 52.3 percent overall.

Ryan Kalkbrenner scored 15 on 7-of-10 shooting for the Bluejays (24-10), who lost their fifth title game in five tries since joining the Big East from the Missouri Valley in the 2013-14 season. Jackson McAndrew added 14 while Ashworth and Jamiya Neal contributed 13 apiece as Creighton shot 43.3 percent and misfired on 20 of 26 3-point attempts.

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The Blue Jays made seven of their first eight shots and opened a 17-9 lead on a basket by McAndrew with 13:22 remaining. Creighton made four of its final 22 shots and St. John’s sliced the deficit to 28-25 by halftime.

Luis hit a corner 3 to forge a 38-38 tie with 14:26 left, and Ejiofor completed a 3-point play nearly two minutes later for a 41-41 deadlock. After St. John’s took its first lead, Ashworth hit a 3 over Vincent Iwuchukwu with 11 1/2 minutes left. St. John’s Smith hit a jumper in the lane, and Richmond made a strong move to the rim for a 47-44 lead a little over a minute later.

After Neal dunked to get Creighton within 49-48, Luis converted a crafty layup off a bounce pass from Smith for a 58-50 lead with about 7 1/2 minutes left.

– Field Level Media

Green Carries Creighton Over UConn

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Creighton’s Jasen Green scored a career-high 19 points and second-seeded Blue Jays withstood a comeback try by third-seeded UConn and earned a 71-62 victory Friday night in the semifinals of the Big East tournament.

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The Creighton Bluejays (24-9) advanced to the championship game for the fifth time since joining the Big East, but they have yet to win the title. Creighton will face top-seeded St. John’s, which pulled away to beat Marquette 79-63 in the first semifinal.

Green made all seven of his shots in the first half, and the Bluejays led by 11 at halftime. He got his only second-half basket with 2:43 left when he sank a turnaround jumper at the left side of the paint over Alex Karaban, who was playing with four fouls.

Green, who entered averaging 4.3 points, eclipsed his previous career high of 14 against Georgetown set Feb. 23. He scored one point in 21 minutes during Creighton’s double-overtime comeback win over 10th-seeded DePaul on Thursday.

The biggest night of Green’s career occurred when UConn keyed on Ryan Kalkbrenner and held the star center to 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting.

Kalkbrenner had help from others besides Green. Jamiya Neal also scored 19, including a dunk in the final seconds that infuriated the Huskies and resulted in double technical fouls. Steven Ashworth contributed 12 a night after hitting the tying 3 with 21 seconds left in regulation.

The Bluejays shot 75 percent in the opening half and 52 percent overall.

Solo Ball and Liam McNeeley scored 13 apiece as the Huskies (23-10) had their five-game winning streak halted. Hassan Diarra added 11, but Karaban was held to six on 3-of-10 shooting and picked up his fourth foul with about 15 1/2 minutes left.

McNeeley made 6 of 20 shots for the Huskies, who hit 42.6 percent from the floor and were 8 of 21 (38.1 percent) from 3-point range.

Karaban’s drive to the rim forged a 28-28 tie with 6:44 remaining in the first half, but Creighton got others besides Kalkbrenner involved in an 18-7 run to end the half. Green scored 10 first-half points, including a basket on a drive to the hoop with 29 seconds left before the break to help the Bluejays hold a 46-35 edge at halftime.

Kalkbrenner hit a difficult jumper in the lane for a 55-38 lead with 16:27 left. The Huskies answered with 12 straight points, getting within 55-50 when Aidan Mahaney sank a 3-pointer from the right side with 12:11 left.

The Huskies were within 59-56 following consecutive hoops from Tarris Reed Jr. Neal sank a trey with 5:24 to go for a six-point edge after UConn coach Dan Hurley berated the officials for an out-of-bounds call against his team. Creighton hiked its lead to 66-58 when Green made his final shot.

–Field Level Media

St. John’s Comes Back vs. Marquette

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NEW YORK – St. John’s University center Zuby Ejiofor scored 23 of his career-high 33 points in the second half as top-seeded Johnnies pulled away for a 79-63 victory over fifth-seeded Marquette on Friday night in the Big East tournament semifinals.

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The Red Storm (28-4) advanced to their first conference tournament title game since beating UConn in 2000. St. John’s will face either third-seeded UConn or second-seeded Creighton.

St. John’s won its seventh straight and improved to 11-0 at Madison Square Garden this season by outscoring Marquette 44-26 in the final 20 minutes after facing an early 15-point deficit.

After being held to four points in the quarterfinal win over Butler on Thursday, Ejiofor dominated the second half, hitting seven of eight shots from the field. Ejiofor surpassed his previous career best of 28 set Dec. 7 against Kansas State and shot 11-of-15 overall.

Six days after hitting the game-winner in overtime in Milwaukee, Ejiofor also sank 11 of 12 free throws and pulled down nine rebounds before exiting to a standing ovation in the final seconds.

RJ Luis Jr. added 13 on 4-of-18 shooting for the Red Storm, who shot 41.8 percent overall and scored 44 points in the paint. Kadary Richmond collected 12 points, 10 rebounds and six assists while Aaron Scott contributed 11.

Kam Jones started hot and led the Golden Eagles (23-10) with 24 points. He scored 15 by halftime when Marquette took a two-point lead.

Stevie Mitchell added 11 but David Joplin was held to nine on 3-of-12 shooting and Chase Ross was limited to eight as the Golden Eagles shot 34.5 percent after halftime and 39 percent overall.

Jones scored 10 points, hitting two open 3s along with a crafty reverse layup as the Golden Eagles took a 12-5 lead a little over four minutes in. Jones sank his third 3 for a 20-9 lead with 14:07 left, and the Golden Eagles soon took a 15-point lead on a layup by Joplin.

St. John’s answered with a 22-7 run and forged a 31-all tie with 5:11 left on a corner 3 by Deivon Smith. There were two more deadlocks the rest of the half before Marquette entered the break with a 37-35 lead following two free throws by Mitchell with 30 seconds left.

Scott hit a corner 3 for a 42-all tie with 17:14 left and Ross was assessed a flagrant foul for throwing Ejiofor to the floor. Scott hit a 3 from the right side in front of coach Rick Pitino before Jones could cover as the Red Storm took a 51-45 lead with 15:23 left.

After Scott’s 3, Ejiofor and Luis combined for the next 19 Red Storm points, upping the lead to 70-56 on the center’s powerful two-handed dunk with 5:26 remaining to start finishing it off.

–Field Level Media

Big East: Can St. John’s Step-Up?

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – In two memorable regular-season games, St. John’s went toe-to-toe and outlasted Marquette.

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Whoever makes enough plays to win the third meeting will get a chance to play for the Big East tournament championship.

Top-seeded St. John’s (28-4) will attempt to advance to the title game for the first time since 2000 while fifth-seeded Marquette (23-9) will seek a third straight trip to the final when the two teams meet in the first semifinal on Friday evening.

They are the only two ranked teams in the tournament; St. John’s is No. 6 and Marquette is No. 25.

The winner will face second-seeded Creighton or third-seeded UConn in the Big East final on Saturday.

St. John’s earned a 70-64 victory over Marquette n Feb. 4, one of its 10 wins this season at Madison Square Garden, site of the conference tournament. The Red Storm were ranked No. 12 at the time, and the victory was the ninth in a 10-game winning streak.

Afterward, Marquette coach Shaka Smart described St. John’s defense as playing with “incredible violence” after it held the Golden Eagles to 29 percent shooting from the field in the second half.

When the teams met in the regular-season finale in Milwaukee last Saturday, the Red Storm were ranked sixth and ended an 18-win campaign in the conference by outlasting the Golden Eagles 86-84 in overtime.

“The reality for us, it’s about being the best us for 40 minutes,” Smart said after his team outlasted Xavier in the quarterfinals for an 89-87 win on Thursday. “It’s about watching the tape and learning what are the things we can do better. When you play great teams, they present challenges, but as I tell these guys, we present challenges, too.”

Both of St. John’s top two players keyed the two wins against Marquette. In the first meeting, RJ Luis Jr. totaled 17 points and 11 rebounds and then had 28 points last week when the Red Storm won on Zuby Ejiofor’s second buzzer-beater of the season and survived a 32-point showing from Kam Jones.

“They won the league for a reason,” Smart said. “They got a heck of a team. They’re rolling. They’re playing at a high level.”

Both teams advanced after earning different types of victories on Thursday afternoon in the quarterfinals.

Big East: Creighton Faces UConn

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NEW YORK – Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner has spent this week anticipating another chance to play for a Big East championship.

The four-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year is one step closer to achieving his goal, but standing in second-seeded Creighton’s way is a semifinal matchup with third-seeded UConn, which appears to be peaking again.

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Creighton (23-9) has won three straight and the 7-foot-1 Kalkbrenner has scored 79 points in those games. The Bluejays needed 32 from the senior center when they outlasted DePaul for an 85-81 double-overtime win on Thursday in the Big East quarterfinals.

The Bluejays scored the final 11 points of regulation after struggling offensively throughout, and Kalkbrenner hit the go-ahead basket in double overtime after Creighton lost an eight-point lead in the first overtime.

“Like I’ve been saying ever since I decided to come back for another year, I haven’t gotten the Big East Championship yet,” Kalkbrenner said after making 14-of-21 shots in 47 minutes Thursday. “So to come back for another day and get another shot at staying another day and getting a shot at the championship is huge.

“I really, really, really want this championship, and I’m going to play my butt off to get it. Yeah, it means a lot to be able to come back another day.”

Creighton (23-9) has won three straight and the 7-foot-1 Kalkbrenner has scored 79 points in those games. The Bluejays needed 32 from the senior center when they outlasted DePaul for an 85-81 double-overtime win on Thursday in the Big East quarterfinals.

The Bluejays scored the final 11 points of regulation after struggling offensively throughout, and Kalkbrenner hit the go-ahead basket in double overtime after Creighton lost an eight-point lead in the first overtime.

“Like I’ve been saying ever since I decided to come back for another year, I haven’t gotten the Big East Championship yet,” Kalkbrenner said after making 14-of-21 shots in 47 minutes Thursday. “So to come back for another day and get another shot at staying another day and getting a shot at the championship is huge.

“I really, really, really want this championship, and I’m going to play my butt off to get it. Yeah, it means a lot to be able to come back another day.”

The Huskies (23-9) are on a five-game winning streak and seeking their second straight title after beating Marquette for their first Big East crown since 2011 on the way to a dominating second straight national championship.

UConn’s past five wins are by an average of 16 points. The Huskies earned their fourth double-digit victory of this streak when they pulled away down the stretch for a 73-56 victory over sixth-seeded Villanova in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

“It’s March,” UConn forward Alex Karaban said. “We’re desperate for championships here so we want to play our best basketball right now. There’s no better time.”

Karaban fueled the latest win when he scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half. Karaban sank two of his four 3s when the Huskies ended the game on a 22-5 run over the final 7:58.

The teams split a pair of single-digit games during the regular season, and Kalkbrenner was held to 18 points in those games combined as others had career performances for both teams.

The Bluejays earned a 68-63 win at UConn on Jan. 18 when Jamiya Neal scored a career-high 24 points. The Huskies notched a 70-66 victory at Creighton on Feb. 11 when freshman Liam McNeeley scored 38 points.

“Obviously every game is different,” UConn head coach Dan Hurley said about facing Creighton and Kalkbrenner. “Yeah, that defensive scheme is really challenging. There’s opportunities in the paint. They may not be all the way at the rim. There’s opportunities for us to drop, the deep drop that he plays to get to the logo, which are tougher shots but their scheme and what he is as a defensive player is obviously going to be a challenge.”

– Field Level Media

Creighton Double OTs DePaul

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Creighton’s bigman Ryan Kalkbrenner scored 32 points, including the go-ahead hook shot with 2:12 remaining in the second overtime as Creighton survived a major scare from DePaul to earn a wild 85-81 victory on Thursday in the Big East tournament quarterfinals.

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Creighton rallied from an 11-point deficit in the final 2:12 of regulation and blew an eight-point lead in the final 93 seconds of the first overtime.

Fedor Zugic added 13 points, including a pair of 3-pointers in Creighton’s comeback late in regulation. Steven Ashworth was held to 10 on 3-of-16 shooting but hit the tying trey with 21 seconds left in regulation for the second-seeded Bluejays (23-9).

Layden Blocker scored 25 for DePaul (14-19), including the Blue Demons’ final nine points of the first overtime. Isaiah Rivera added 17 and CJ Gunn chipped in 14 points and six steals for the 10th-seeded Blue Demons, who were attempting to reach the semifinals for the first time since joining the Big East.

DePaul held a 76-75 lead when Rivera hit a step-back 3-pointer over Zugic with 3:37 remaining in the second extra session. After the Blue Demons’ David Thomas missed a 3-point attempt with 2:26 left, Kalkbrenner put Creighton ahead for good with a hook shot over NJ Benson.

Kalkbrenner hit a layup around a double team with 91 seconds left, and teammate Jamiya Neal dunked 20 seconds later for a 81-76 edge. The Blue Demons were within 83-81 after a trey by Blocker with 12 seconds to go, and Creighton finally secured matters when Ty Davis sank two free throws with nine seconds remaining.

The Bluejays beat DePaul for the 23rd straight time and advanced to a Friday semifinals against third-seeded UConn or sixth-seeded Villanova.

DePaul held a 62-51 lead after a layup by Thomas with 2:12 left in the second half. Zugic started Creighton’s run with two 3-pointers in 20 seconds. Kalkbrenner had a layup with 1:11 left, and Ashworth forged a 62-62 tie with a deep 3-pointer from the right side with 21 seconds left following a Bluejays timeout.

In overtime, Zugic dunked on the first possession and Creighton extended its lead to 72-64 on a basket Davis with 1:33 to go. Blocker forced double overtime by getting by Davis for a short jumper with one second left.

Before Creighton stormed back, the Blue Demons held a 36-21 lead at halftime and a 17-point edge in the opening minutes of the second half.

– Field Level Media

 

Marquette Rallies to Beat Xavier

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NEW YORK – Marquette’s Kam Jones scored 28 points, including the go-ahead basket with 1:16 remaining, as the No. 25 Golden Eagles rallied for an 89-87 victory over Xavier in the Big East quarterfinals on Thursday afternoon.

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Marquette will face St. John’s in the first of a Friday night semifinals doubleheader at Madison Square Garden.

Chase Ross and Stevie Mitchell added 16 apiece for the fifth-seeded Golden Eagles (23-9), who advanced to the semifinals for the third straight season. David Joplin chipped in 14 as Marquette shot 61.3 percent in the second half and 48.5 percent overall.

Ryan Conwell scored a career-high 38 points by hitting 13 of 18 shots and seven 3s, but fourth-seeded Xavier (21-11) saw a seven-game winning streak stopped. Zach Freemantle added 15 and Dailyn Swain 11 as Xavier shot 52.6 percent.

Jones made 11 of 22 shots and hit five 3-pointers to help the Golden Eagles move into a semifinal matchup with top-seeded St. John’s. No shot was bigger than the one that gave Marquette the lead for good at 81-80 after it trailed by 14 in the opening minutes of the second half.

After Conwell hit a 3 over Ben Gold with 1:36 left, Jones got the ball in the paint. He made a move around Conwell and converted the difficult layup.

Marquette followed Jones’ clutch hoop by getting a major defensive stop when Ross stole the ball from Freemantle in the middle of the paint. Jones fell down in the paint but was able to pass to Joplin, who pushed the lead to 84-80 with a 3-pointer from the right side with 26.1 seconds.

Xavier was within 84-82 when Swain hit a layup with 26 seconds left. After Gold split two free throws, Conwell sank two at the line with seven seconds left to make it a one-point game.

After avoiding a five-second violation on the inbounds, Mitchell got two free throws to roll in with six seconds left. Conwell missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with three seconds left and Ross sank two free throws to clinch it.

Late in the first half, Dante Maddox Jr.’s corner 3 gave the Musketeers their first 10-point lead. Conwell’s transition 3 pushed the lead to 46-34 with 89 seconds left and Xavier held a 46-36 edge by halftime.

Conwell racked up 10 points in the opening 4:47 of the second half to help Xavier make it 58-48. Marquette roared back with a 15-4 run to take a 63-62 lead with 10:26 remaining on Jones’ 3-pointer.

Xavier took a 68-65 lead on a difficult hook shot in the lane by Freemantle with 8:26 left. Marquette regained the lead when Jones sank an open 3 from the left side to make it 72-71 with 5:31 left to set up the dramatic finish.

– Field Level Media