MBB Minute – Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner missed 13 minutes in the first half with an ankle injury, but he returned in the second half to help the eighth-ranked Bluejays (9-2) defeat Alabama 85-82 at a sold-out CHI Health Center.
 
Creighton trailed 66-63 with eight minutes left before a 9-0 run re-gained the lead and held off the Crimson Tide in the final minute. Kalkbrenner finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots. Trey Alexander and Baylor Scheierman supported offensively with 22 and 20 points, respectively.
 
Georgetown won 72-68 in overtime at Notre Dame. Drew Fielder came off the bench to score a career-high 16 points and Rowan Brumbaugh helped with 15 points, four rebounds and four assists. After leading most of the second half, the Hoyas (7-4) needed two free throws from Brumbaugh with 1.2 seconds left to force overtime. The Hoyas played without leading scorer Jayden Epps due to illness.
 
Providence used a strong second half to defeat Sacred Heart 78-64. The Friars (9-2) led 31-30 at the break before Bryce Hopkins led the charge and finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds – both game highs. PC played without Devin Carter who was out with a back injury.
 
St. John’s (7-3) held Fordham to 25.4 percent shooting from the field in a 77-55 victory in the Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden. Joel Soriano posted his sixth double-double of the season, scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 boards in only 23 minutes.
 
Xavier knocked off visiting Winthrop 75-59 on the strength of a 22-point effort by Quincy Olivari. The Musketeers (6-5) led by as many as 12 in the first half before Winthrop cut the deficit to one in the second half. Xavier responded with an 11-1 run to secure the win.
 
DePaul held No. 25 Northwestern to its lowest point total of the season, but the Blue Demons (2-8) could not generate enough offense in a 56-46 defeat. Jeremiah Oden had a team-high 12 points. Northwestern’s point total was the fewest yielded by DePaul to a ranked team since allowing 53 to St. John’s on Nov. 17, 1989.
 
In Sunday’s only game, Seton Hall meets Missouri in Kansas City, Mo., at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Pirates (6-4) will be playing the Tigers (7-3) in their final non-conference game of the season.