Markus Howard scored 29 points in Saturday's win over Villanova.
MBB Minute -- Butler, Providence Move to 2-0, Marquette Knocks Off Villanova
In Saturday’s BIG EAST action, Butler and Providence gained wins to improve to 2-0 in league play, while Marquette took down Villanova.
Butler, ranked 11th in this week’s Associated Press poll, ended Creighton’s eight-game winning streak with a 71-57 victory at a sold-out Hinkle Fieldhouse. Kamar Baldwin scored all 20 of his points in the second half and Sean McDermott posted his second straight double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. After committing a season-high 24 turnovers in Tuesday’s win at St. John’s, Butler (14-1) had only seven against the Bluejays (12-3, 1-1). Marcus Zegarowski led Creighton (12-3, 1-1) with 15 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Providence is 2-0 in the BIG EAST for the first time since 2015-16 after a 66-65 win at DePaul. Nate Watson made the second of two free throws with 1.2 seconds left to give the Friars (9-6) the win. Luwane Pipkins and Maliek White had 16 points for PC. DePaul’s Paul Reed recorded his 11th double-double with 24 points and 15 rebounds. Jalen Coleman-Landis, who tied the game with three free throws with 16 seconds left, finished with 15 points for the Blue Demons (12-3).
Markus Howard dropped in a game-high 29 points and grabbed eight rebounds to propel Marquette to a 71-60 win over No. 10 Villanova at a sold-out Fiserv Forum. Howard also was 12-of-12 from the foul line. Koby McEwen added 22 points. Marquette built a 20-point lead in the first half and led 46-29 at the break. Villanova (10-3, 1-1) had its six-game winning streak end. Cole Swider and Justin Moore each had 14 points.
On Sunday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. ET on FOX, Xavier hosts St. John’s. Both teams lost their conference openers. Xavier lost at Villanova 68-62 and St. John’s fell to Butler 60-58. Xavier (11-3) is led by Naji Marshall, who leads the team in scoring (16.4), which ranks sixth in the BIG EAST. St. John’s expects Mustapha Heron back in the lineup after missing three games with an ankle injury. The Musketeers have won the last nine meetings in the series.