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Home Teams Go 3-0 on Wednesday


MBB Minute: A trio of home teams won on Wednesday night in BIG EAST play. Villanova downed Seton Hall, Providence and Butler played into two overtimes (again), and Georgetown got past Creighton to extend its win streak to four.

Wednesday, Feb. 4

Villanova 72, Seton Hall 60 - Box Score 
Villanova got 25 points from its bench in a wire-to-wire home win over Seton Hall, paced by a career-high 15 points from sophomore guard Malachi Palmer.  Palmer made 5-of-7 shots (3-5 3FG) and grabbed six rebounds in 20 minutes.  The Wildcats jumped out to a 15-6 lead less than eight minutes into the contest.  Back-to-back buckets by the Pirates' AJ Staton-McCray cut it to two - 19-17 - with 6:49 left in the half, but Nova closed the period on a 21-8 run, taking a 40-25 advantage into the break.  The Wildcats pushed their lead to as many as 20 in the second half.  Seton Hall got within 10 points with 2:19 to play but got no closer.  Tyler Perkins led the Wildcats with 18 points, while Duke Brennan added his ninth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds.  Budd Clark led Seton Hall with 18 points, three rebounds, and three assists. 

Of Note:
  • Duke Brennan's nine double-doubles are the most by a Villanova player since Jeremiah Robinson-Earl had nine during the 2019-20 season.
  • Villanova is 7-2 this season when Brennan tallies a double-double.
  • Over his last four games, Seton Hall guard Budd Clark is averaging nearly 19.0 points per game on 50.8% shooting from the floor (30-59).  The junior guard is also logging 4.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2.8 steals per game during the span.


Providence 97, Butler 87 2OT - Box Score 
For the second time this season, Providence and Butler took two overtimes to determine the winner; this time, the Friars prevailed, led by a career-high 36 points from Jaylin Sellers.  Neither team gained more than a five-point lead in a first half that saw five lead changes and five ties.  The Bulldogs led 34-32 at the break.  In the second half, both teams continued to trade baskets and the lead through the first eight minutes of play.  An 8-1 push by Butler - including six points from Finley Bizjack - put Butler ahead 50-47 at the 11:52 mark.  The Bulldogs would lead by as many as seven points down the stretch and held a 69-63 lead with 3:06 to go before a 9-2 push - capped by a Sellers 3-pointer - pushed the Friars ahead, 72-71, with 55 ticks left.  Providence's Stefan Vaaks tied it at 73-73 after making one of two free throws.  On the next possession, Bizjack was fouled and sent to the line for two shots with 1.3 ticks left, but missed both, sending the game into overtime.  The first OT saw four lead changes, the last coming with 18 seconds left as Providence's Nilavan Daniels hit a 3-pointer to go up 82-81. Michael Ajayi hit 1-of-2 for the Bulldogs with six seconds to go, forcing the second OT period, where Providence outscored Butler, 15-5.  Vaaks finished with 20 points for Providence, while Ryan Mela notched a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.  Jamier Jones added 10 points and Oswin Erhunmwunse grabbed 10 boards.  For Butler, Bizjack finished with 30 points and five assists, while Ajayi tallied his 15th double-double (20 points/12 rebounds).

Of Note
  • It marked the first instance in BIG EAST history where two teams logged two double overtime games against each other in a regular season series.  Butler prevailed, 113-110, over Providence in two extra periods on Dec. 13.
  • Providence's Jaylin Sellers' career-high 36 points were the most in a single game by a Friar since David Duke had 36 in a Jan. 18, 2020 game against Creighton.
  • Finley Bizjack tied his career-best with 30 points for the Bulldogs; he is averaging 22.3 points over his last six games.
  • Michael Ajayi's league-leading 15 double-doubles ranks second nationally


Georgetown 76, Creighton 68 - Box Score 
KJ Lewis led all scorers with 22 points, while teammate Malik Mack added 20 for Georgetown, capturing its fourth consecutive win on Wednesday night at home against Creighton.  Lewis had seven rebounds, three assists, and five steals, while Mack added six boards and two steals in the win.  The Hoyas and Bluejays battled throughout the first half, with six lead changes and four ties and neither team gaining more than a four-point advantage.  Creighton led 29-27 at the intermission.  The back-and-forth trend continued into the second half, with three lead changes and a tie through the two minutes.  With the Jays leading 34-33, Georgetown responded with 12 unanswered points to take the lead for good.  A Vince Iwuchukwu dunk with 15:45 to play made it 45-34 in favor of the Hoyas. He would finish with a double-double (14 points and 10 rebounds). Georgetown held a double-digit lead for much of the rest of the period before the Jays got within six - 74-68 - with 36 seconds left.  A trio of Creighton players tallied double figures, led by 12 points and eight boards from Jasen Green.  Nik Graves and Fedor Zugic added 11 points apiece.

Of Note:
  • This marks the first time since the 2014-15 season where Georgetown has had four straight wins in BIG EAST regular season play.
  • Georgetown's Malik Mack (10-11) and KJ Lewis (11-14) combined to make 21-of-25 free throws on the night
  • Creighton has made five or more 3-pointers in 94 consecutive games and at least one 3-pointer in 1,079 straight contests


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Looking Ahead: There are no BIG EAST games scheduled for Thursday.  Friday night features one of the best games of the year so far in men's college basketball; No. 3/3 UConn and No. 22/22 St. John's meet at Madison Square Garden in the first of two regular season meetings between the last two BIG EAST tournament champions.  Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET on FOX.

CLICK HERE for a Preview with John Fanta, Jon Rothstein and Jeff Borzello.

Friday, Feb. 6

FOX
UConn at St. John's - 8 p.m. ET
Gus Johnson (pxp); Jim Jackson (analyst); Allison Williams (reporter)