DePaul Beat Penn State in OT in the Gavitt Tipoff Games
MBB Minute -- DePaul Wins in OT; Creighton Falls Late in Gavitt Games
BIG EAST squads split a pair of contests in the Gavitt Tipoff Games on Thursday.
DePaul, after letting a late lead slip away in regulation, held Penn State to 0-for-6 shooting in overtime and recorded a 72-70 win. Max Strus led the Blue Demons with 21 points and nine rebounds. Jaylen Butz was a force inside with 15 points and 10 boards. Devin Gage added 14 points. DePaul is off to a 3-0 start for the first time since 2008-09.
Against visiting Ohio State, Creighton overcame a 12-point halftime deficit to take a four-point lead with 2:57 to go, but couldn’t hold on and lost 69-60. Ty-Shon Alexander hit his team-leading scoring average with 16 points. Davion Mintz added 12 points.
The Friday schedule shows three games, including the final tilt of the 2019 Gavitt Tipoff Games.
St. John’s travels to Rutgers in a battle between two 2-0 teams. BTN will televise at 7 p.m. ET. Shamorie Ponds and Mustapha Heron lead the Johnnies with 20.5 scoring averages. St. John’s is ahead in the all-time series 27-14 and is 7-6 at Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights were BIG EAST members from 1995-96 through 2012-13.
In a battle of 3-0 teams, Georgetown will play Loyola Marymount in the Jamaica Classic at 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. It is a homecoming for Hoya head coach Patrick Ewing, a native of Jamaica. His team is coming off an 88-80 win at Illinois on Tuesday in the Gavitt Games. Freshman guard James Akinjo led five players in double figures with 19 points. The two teams last met in 1979-80, the first year of the BIG EAST’s existence.
Butler hosts Mississippi at Hinkle Fieldhouse at 8 p.m. on FS2. Junior Kamar Baldwin, expected to the Bulldogs’ leader, has not disappointed. He is averaging 23.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists. Reserve center Joey Brunk has enjoyed a strong start, averaging 15.0 points and 5.0 rebounds. The Bulldogs have won 45 straight games at Hinkle against non-conference opponents, the third longest streak in the country.