Trevon Bluiett Scored 28 Points in Win over Cincinnati
MBB Minute -- No. 21 Xavier Beats No. 11 Cincinnati in Crosstown Shootout
For the second time this week, Xavier knocked off a ranked opponent, beating city rival Cincinnati 89-76 in the Crosstown Shootout. On Monday, the Musketeers beat No. 15 Baylor 76-63. BIG EAST teams were a combined 5-2 on Saturday.
In the Cincinnati win, Trevon Bluiett poured in 28 points on 7-of-14 shooting. He shot 5-of-10 from 3-point range. Karem Kanter added 17 points. Kaiser Gates posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. The Musketeers started quickly with a 15-5 lead and led 43-30 at halftime. Xavier won the rebounding battle 44-27.
No. 4 Villanova set a school record with 19 3-pointers in a 94-53 win at Saint Joseph’s. Mikal Bridges (18 points), Phil Booth (17) and Omari Spellman (16) each connected on four beyond-the-arc baskets. Spellman added 11 rebounds. The Wildcats (8-0) made 10 3-pointers in a row.
Butler got out of the gate quickly against Saint Louis and cruised to a 75-45 win at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Kelan Martin led the way with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Kamar Baldwin added 14 points. The Bulldogs (6-2) held the Billikens to 28.6 percent shooting from the field.
St. John’s (7-1) led by only two points at halftime against Sacred Heart, but would lead by as many as 42 in the second half of a 90-55 victory at Carnesecca Arena. Shamorie Ponds led five players in double figures with 22 points. He also had seven assists, four rebounds and four steals. Tariq Owens started for Marcus LoVett, who was out with a knee injury, and finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots.
DePaul handled visiting Youngstown State 89-73 at Wintrust Arena. Max Strus paced five players in double figures with 20 points. Tre’Darius McCallum and Marin Maric each added 17 points. The Blue Demons (3-4) shot 57.6 percent from the field.
Providence’s seven-game winning streak against Rhode Island ended with a 75-68 road loss. Alpha Diallo posted team-highs of 17 points and seven rebounds. PC (6-2) shot 55.1 percent from the floor, but committed 21 turnovers.
Marquette’s Markus Howard was in early foul trouble against Georgia, but would score 29 points in 20 minutes. Andrew Rowsey added 15 points, but the Golden Eagles (5-3) lost 73-66 at home.
BIG EAST teams are a combined 53-16 (.791) this season going into Sunday.
Sunday’s schedule has two contests. Seton Hall plays at No. 17 Louisville at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The Pirates will be aiming for their second straight win over a ranked opponent after beating No. 22 Texas Tech on Tuesday. Georgetown tries to stay unbeaten when it hosts Coppin State at 6:30 p.m. on FS1. Jessie Govan leads the BIG EAST in rebounding with an 11.4 average.