MBB Minute: Xavier Wins At Providence, Georgetown Rallies Past Creighton
No. 7/8 Xavier used its balanced attack formula to win at No. 10/10 Providence 75-68 Tuesday in the first PC home game ever between two top 10 teams.
In the other BIG EAST battle on Tuesday, Georgetown closed with a 15-3 run in the final 2:16 to edge Creighton 74-73.
Xavier and Georgetown moved to 6-2 in BIG EAST play, while Providence and Creighton fell to 5-3.
After leading 34-26 at halftime, Xavier extended its advantage to 59-42 before the Friars cut the deficit to three points in the final minute. Jalen Reynolds and Trevon Bluiett each scored 15 points for the Musketeers. Reynolds grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.
The duo of Ben Bentil and Kris Dunn supplied most of the production for the Friars. Bentil had 25 points and six rebounds. Kris Dunn filled the stat sheet with 16 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and seven steals.
After an evenly played first half in the Creighton-Georgetown contest, the Bluejays gained a 65-53 edge with five minutes left. The Hoyas did not take the lead until D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera made two free throws with 6.2 seconds left.
Maurice Watson Jr. led the Bluejays with 16 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Smith-Rivera had a team-high 19 points for the Hoyas.
Wednesday’s slate includes St. John’s at Seton Hall on FS1 and DePaul at Butler on CBS Sports Network. Both games tip at 7 p.m. ET. Seton Hall is looking to get back to .500 in league play. The Pirates have a 3-4 record, while St. John’s is still searching for its first BIG EAST win. Butler, 2-5 in the standings, is one game ahead of the Blue Demons at 1-6.
Marquette completes its non-conference schedule with a home game against Stetson (8-13) on FS1 at 9 p.m.