#BIGEASTwbb Minute: Three-Pointers Will Fly On Sunday
FS1 to feature Villanova-Providence, two of the league’s top long-range shooting teams, at 2 p.m. (ET).
BIG EAST Notes - 1.6.17
Last Night In #BIGEASTwbb
In the lone contest of the night, St. John’s dealt Butler a 62-41 setback at Hinkle Fieldhouse thanks to four Red Storm players scoring in double figures. Aaliyah Lewis led all players with 11 points, adding five dimes and a steal, while Butler was led by Kristen Spolyar’s 10 points, six boards and four steals. The win was St. John’s second in a row and seventh of the season by a margin of 16 or more.
Sunday Showdowns
All 10 teams return to the court at 2 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, including a matchup between Villanova and Providence on FS1. The Friars have suffered back-to-back single-digit losses on the road against two of the top teams in the BIG EAST in No. 23/21 DePaul and RV/- Marquette. The Wildcats are coming off a 71-50 win over Georgetown on Wednesday for their first league victory of the season. The BIG EAST Digital Network will carry the remaining four contests of the day, including St. John’s-Marquette, Georgetown-Creighton, 23/21 DePaul-Seton Hall and Butler-Xavier.
Let ‘Em Fly
The two hottest three-point shooters in the BIG EAST will go head-to-head on Sunday when Providence welcomes Villanova. In conference play, the Wildcats’ Adrianna Hahn leads the BIG EAST with 4.7 made triples per game, while her long-range shooting clip ranks eighth at .452. The Friars’ Yoyo Nogic leads the league with a .531 three-point percentage and lists second to only Hahn with 4.3 made per game. Providence boasts the top three-point field goal percentage defense in BIG EAST play, holding opponents to just .221 shooting from beyond the arc. Villanova owns the top three-point percentage as a team in league play, making 40.8-percent of its attempts and over 10 per game.
Schulte Stepping Up
No. 23/21 DePaul last had junior guard Ashton Millender in the lineup on Dec. 10 against Notre Dame and the Blue Demons took another big hit when BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year Jessica January went down with an injury on Dec. 28 at Georgetown. Senior guard Brooke Schulte has been the savior, however, leading conference unbeaten DePaul (4-0) to six straight wins. Schulte, who entered the Georgetown game averaging 11.2 points per game, has averaged 22.5 per game since, shooting over 50 percent from the field and adding 6.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists. The Germantown, Ill., native is coming off a career-high 30 points as the Blue Demons edged Creighton for sole possession of first place. She enters Sunday’s tilt at Seton Hall (2 p.m. ET, BEDN) as the BIG EAST’s top scorer in conference play.
This Week In The BIG EAST
Monday
Butler 79, Seton Hall 58*#
St. John’s 65, Xavier 48*%
Creighton 83, RV/- Marquette 63*#
23/22 DePaul 61, Providence 56*%
Wednesday
Villanova 71, Georgetown 50*^
Xavier 72, Seton Hall 64*^
RV/- Marquette 79, Providence 74*^
23/21 DePaul 79, Creighton 65*^
Thursday
St. John’s 62, Butler 41*^
Sunday
Villanova at Providence, 2 p.m.*#
Georgetown at Creighton, 2 p.m.*^
23/21 DePaul at Seton Hall, 2 p.m.*^
RV/-Marquette at St. John’s, 2 p.m.*^
Butler at Xavier 2 p.m.*^
All times Eastern
*BIG EAST contest
#FS1
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^BEDN