MBB Minute – Marquette Rallies to Top Purdue; Providence, Villanova Fall on the Road
All three contests involving BIG EAST teams Wednesday were part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games. Marquette used a big second-half rally to beat Purdue. Providence put together a big comeback, but fell short at Northwestern, and Villanova never got untracked at Ohio State.
After trailing by 17 points in the first half and down 38-25 at the break, Marquette stormed back to defeat Purdue 65-55 at Fiserv Forum. The Golden Eagles (2-0) outscored the Boilermakers 40-17 in the second half. With Purdue playing effective defense on Markus Howard, newcomer Koby McEwen stepped up to score 18 of his game-high 23 points in the second half. Howard finished with 18 points.
Providence and Villanova, coincidentally, each shot 30.6 percent from the field in their respective defeats.
The Friars (2-1) fell behind by 20 points and cut the deficit to three before losing 72-63 at Northwestern. Alpha Diallo posted his third double-double of the season with 15 points and 14 rebounds. David Duke added 14 points.
Villanova (1-1) fell behind early 19-3 and never threatened Ohio State in a 76-51 loss. The Buckeyes shot 60 percent from the floor. Jermaine Samuels scored a team-high 14 points for the Wildcats.
The Gavitt Tipoff Games conclude on Thursday with a doubleheader on FS1. Georgetown hosts Penn State at 6:30 p.m. ET. Hoya newcomer Omer Yurtseven leads the team in scoring (18.5) and rebounding (13.5). In the second game, No. 12 Seton Hall hosts No. 3 Michigan State. The Spartans will be the first of seven 2019 NCAA Tournament teams on the Pirates’ schedule, which is tied for the most in the nation.
BIG EAST teams are a combined 23-3 for the year.