Shamorie Ponds had 26 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and six steals in the win at Creighton.
MBB Minute -- Villanova, Marquette Keep Rolling; Seton Hall, St. John's Bounce Back
Villanova and Marquette kept their winning streaks going and remained first and second, respectively, in the BIG EAST standings. Seton Hall and St. John’s bounced back with victories on a busy Wednesday in the conference.
Villanova won its ninth game in a row, recording an 86-74 victory at DePaul. The 14th-ranked Wildcats, 17-4 overall and 8-0 in the BIG EAST, outscored the Blue Demons 15-7 from the 3-point line and committed a season-low three turnovers. Eric Paschall led VU with 20 points and Phil Booth added 19 points and eight assists. Freshman Saddiq Bey posted his first double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. DePaul (11-9, 3-6) shot 52.9 percent from the field and was led by Eli Cain’s 17 points.
Three-point shooting also was a factor in Marquette’s 76-58 win at Butler. The 10th-ranked Golden Eagles (19-3, 8-1) shot 8-of-16 from 3-point range while the Bulldogs were 6-of-26. Marquette’s Markus Howard had a game-high 32 points, his 13th career game with 30 points or more. Sam Hauser added 19 points. Kamar Baldwin led Butler (12-10, 3-6) with 16 points. It was the first time in the 10-team BIG EAST that Marquette had won at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Seton Hall got 31 points from its prime scorer Myles Powell in a 65-63 win against visiting Providence that ended a four-game Pirate losing streak. The Hall (13-8, 4-5) overcame a 15-0 run early in the second half by the Friars. The Pirates held a 40-22 scoring edge in the paint. Alpha Diallo shined for Providence (13-8, 3-5) with 21 points and four steals.
St. John’s had lost four of its last five games, but rebounded with an 83-67 win at Creighton. Shamorie Ponds put together one of the most productive stat lines of the season with 26 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and six steals. The Johnnies (16-5, 4-5) shot 57.1 percent from the field. Ty-Shon Alexander led Creighton (12-9, 3-5) with 15 points.
After Wednesday, home teams hold only a 22-20 edge in conference play with 19 of the 42 conference games decided by six points or less.
The Thursday schedule shows just one game, Xavier at Georgetown at 8 p.m. on CBSSN. In the first meeting on Jan. 9, Xavier overcame a 17-point deficit to win 81-75. The Musketeers (11-10, 3-5) have taken the last six games in the series. Jessie Govan leads the Hoyas (13-7, 3-4) and ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in scoring (19.8) and second in rebounding (8.3).