Saturday saw DePaul end a losing streak, Georgetown continue its improved play and Villanova and Connecticut renew their rivalry under the BIG EAST umbrella.

DePaul ended a five-game losing streak by defeating St. John’s 88-83 at Carnesecca Arena.  Guard Charlie Moore, who missed the previous two games due to a leg injury, scored 24 points, dished eight assists and grabbed six rebounds.  He shot 8-of-13 from the field and made all six free throw attempts.  St. John’s (14-9, 8-8 BIG EAST) was led by Julian Champagnie’s 29 points and seven rebounds.  The Blue Demons (4-10, 2-10 BIG EAST) outshot the Johnnies from the field, 63 percent to 33.8 percent.

An 81-75 victory over Seton Hall gave Georgetown its fourth win in its last six games.  The contest was tied with five minutes left before the Hoyas outscored the Pirates 14-8 the rest of the way.  For the second straight game, five Georgetown players reached double figures.  Jamorko Pickett scored 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds.  Chudier Bile added 16 points.  Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 22 points for the Pirates (13-9, 10-6 BIG EAST) who had their four-game winning streak end.

Tenth-ranked Villanova used a strong defensive effort, especially in the second half, to score a 68-60 victory over UConn at Finneran Pavilion.  The Wildcats (14-3, 9-2 BIG EAST) held the Huskies (10-6, 7-6 BIG EAST) to 29.6 shooting from the field after halftime.  Collin Gillespie scored 20 points, including a pair of critical 3-pointers late in the contest.  Jeremiah Robinson-Earl had 17 points and 11 rebounds.  UConn’s James Bouknight finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds.

The Sunday schedule shows one contest – Butler at Xavier at 7 p.m. on FS1.  The Musketeers won the first meeting 68-55 at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Jan. 30.  In last year’s regular-season finale, Butler won 72-71 at Cintas Center.

Going into Sunday, home teams own a 41-35 (.539) edge in BIG EAST games.