Xavier's Paul Scruggs scored 15 points in Saturday's win versus Lipscomb.
MBB Minute -- Xavier, St. John's Notch Saturday Wins, Marquette Plays for Orlando Title Sunday
Xavier and St. John’s posted Saturday wins by similar scores while Georgetown took a loss. On Sunday, Marquette plays for a tournament title, Providence finishes its tourney competition and Villanova hosts a local rival.
Xavier, ranked 25th in the AP poll, placed four players in double figures for the third time this season en route to an 87-62 victory over Lipscomb at Cintas Center. Paul Scruggs and freshman Zach Freemantle led with 15 points apiece. Tyrique Jones recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Naji Marshall chipped in 13 points.
St. John’s also put four players in double figures in an 86-63 victory against Wagner at Carnesecca Arena. Mustapha Heron snapped out of a short scoring slump with 18 points in only 16 minutes of playing time. Newcomer Rasheem Dunn added 14 points off the bench. Josh Roberts and freshman Julian Champagnie finished with 12 points. Roberts also had nine rebounds.
Georgetown led UNC Greensboro 58-54 with 3:37 to play, but could not hold on, losing 65-61. James Akinjo had a team-high 12 points and Omer Yurtseven added 10 points and nine rebounds. The Hoyas were hurt by 19 turnovers.
On Sunday, Marquette meets No. 5 Maryland for the championship of the Orlando Invitational at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN. Markus Howard has already set the tournament scoring record with 91 points in two games. He had 40 points against Davidson and 51 against USC in the first two rounds.
Providence will try to leave the Wooden Legacy with a win when it meets Pepperdine at 6 p.m. on ESPNU. The Friars have lost twice, including a 63-55 defeat to College of Charleston on Friday. PC leads the BIG EAST with a +6.5 turnover margin.
Villanova starts its Philadelphia Big 5 series when it hosts La Salle at 6:30 p.m. on FS1. The 22nd-ranked Wildcats have four players averaging in double figures, led by Collin Gillespie, who is scoring at a 15.3 clip.
BIG EAST teams are 56-17 (.771) going into Sunday’s games.