Last Night In #BIGEASTwbb – 2.23.19
Butler knocks off No. 11/11 Marquette, RV/RV DePaul inches closer with fifth straight win, Georgetown rallies, St. John’s claims rare win at Villanova.
Butler 61, 11/11 Marquette 57
The Bulldogs clinched a BIG EAST Tournament First Round bye for the first time since 2015, guaranteeing a top-five finish following its 10
th league win of the year, 20
th overall. Butler dealt the Golden Eagles just their second BIG EAST loss of the season, as MU still needs just one more win to clinch the No. 1 seed in the league tourney and at least a share of the regular-season title. Butler forced No. 11/11 Marquette into an uncharacteristic low-shooting night (.323) as the Golden Eagles fell to 0-3 on the season when shooting under 35 percent. MU took its largest lead of the game (8) with 8:53 left in the fourth, but Butler responded with an 11-0 run to take the lead with 5:16 to play. Tied with 46 seconds remaining, Tori Schickel scored a layup which gave Butler the lead before Whitney Jennings provided insurance free-throws as Marquette was forced to foul after missing its game-tying attempt. Schickel scored a game-high 19 points while Jennings finished with 13. Allazia Blockton led three Golden Eagles in double figures with 14.
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RV/RV DePaul 81, Xavier 48
The Blue Demons won their fifth straight and closed first-place Marquette’s gap to just two games with three to play. Playing its first of two weekend contests at Wintrust Arena, the site of the BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Tournament presented by Jeep, DePaul used its inside game to defeat Xavier. The Blue Demons outrebounded the Musketeers 47-34, scored 26 second-chance points to XUs three, while 32 of their 81 total points were scored in the paint. Mart’e Grays posted game highs of 17 points and 11 rebounds in the win. Tee Owens had 10 points for Xavier. The Musketeers locked up the No. 10 seed in the conference tourney with the loss as DePaul claimed the season series.
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Georgetown 51, Seton Hall 43
Down 18 with 7:13 remaining in the third, the host Hoyas went on a 19-2 run to get within one in the closing moments of the quarter. GU’s run continued in the fourth, opening the frame with a 10-2 spurt to take its first lead of the contest with 8:21 remaining. Georgetown held onto the advantage the rest of the way thanks to eight fourth-quarter points by Mikayla Venson. GU’s Dionna White scored a game-high 19, adding six boards, four steals and four assists. Seton Hall was led by Desiree Elmore’s 17 points, seven rebounds and three dimes. Elmore has averaged 19.2 points per game over the last five outings. Seton Hall and Georgetown split the season series.
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St. John's 66, Villanova 62
The Red Storm won at Villanova for the first time since 2014, marking their fifth win in their last six outings and evening the season series with the Wildcats. VU’s Adrianna Hahn buried a corner three with 37 seconds left to tie the game at 62-62, one of her five treys on the night, but Alisha Kebbe came up clutch for St. John’s, driving to the hoop for the go-ahead bucket with 25 ticks left before Qadashah Hoppie intercepted a Villanova pass eight seconds later, forcing the Wildcats to foul down the stretch. Kebbe sank a pair of game-sealing free-throws to finish with a team-high 16 points, one of four Red Storm players in double figures. Hahn led a trio of Villanova players in double figures with 19.
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Upcoming Schedule
Saturday - Feb. 23
Creighton at Providence, 4 p.m.*#
Sunday - Feb. 24
Seton Hall at Villanova, 1 p.m.*#
St. John’s at Georgetown, 2 p.m.*+
Xavier at 11/11 Marquette, 3 p.m.*#
Butler at RV/RV DePaul (Wintrust Arena), 3 p.m.*#
+FS2 #BEDN *BIG EAST contest
All times Eastern