Myles Powell scored 30 points to help Seton Hall defeat Georgetown.
MBB Minute -- Home Teams Take All Three Wednesday Contests
In a league season when home teams have struggled to win more than usual, all three home squads picked up victories on Wednesday.
Villanova pulled away in the last 10 minutes to beat Providence 85-67. Seton Hall used a strong first half to defeat Georgetown 90-75 and Xavier needed an extra period to edge Creighton 64-61.
Wednesday’s results improved the records of home teams to 34-26 (.567). Twenty-seven of the 60 conference games (.450) have been decided by six points or less or gone into overtime.
Villanova’s win gave the Wildcats their seventh straight 20-win season. Villanova, 20-5 overall and atop the league standings at 11-1, used a 15-2 spurt later in the second half to pull away from the Friars. The Wildcats were led by the dynamic duo of Eric Paschall (25 points) and Phil Booth (22 points). Nate Watson led PC (14-11, 4-8) with 18 points and six rebounds.
Seton Hall moved into a tie for third place with St. John’s at 6-6 in the league standings with the win over Georgetown. Myles Powell scored a game-high 30 points. The Pirates, 15-9 overall, built a 48-35 lead by halftime and maintained a double-digit edge throughout the second half. Michael Nzei added 18 points and nine rebounds. Jessie Govan had 20 points and Greg Malinowski added 16 points for the Hoyas (15-9, 5-6).
Xavier’s win ended the Musketeers’ six-game losing streak. Naji Marshall led the winners with 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists. He also made two crucial baskets in overtime. Xavier 12-13, 4-8) held Creighton to 35.9 percent shooting from the field. The reliable Martin Krampelj led the Bluejays (13-12, 4-8) with 18 points and nine rebounds.
No BIG EAST action on Valentine’s Day or Friday. On Saturday, the two games on the schedule will pit teams that are tied with each other in the league standings. FOX will telecast Xavier at Providence at 2 p.m. ET. The Friars won the first meeting 64-62 on Jan. 23. Both teams are 4-8 in league play. DePaul visits Butler on FS1 at 8 p.m. Both squads are 5-7. The Bulldogs defeated the Blue Demons 87-69 on Jan. 16.