Creighton defeats Xavier
No. 13 Bluejays top No. 22 Musketeers, who were unbeaten
Antwann Jones and Denzel Mahoney scored 13 points each to lead No. 13 Creighton to a 66-61 win over 22nd-ranked Xavier on Wednesday, handling the Musketeers their first loss of the season.
The Bluejays (7-2, 3-1 Big East) used an 8-0 run to start the second half to open up a 44-34 lead before the Musketeers (8-1, 1-1) cut it to 64-61 with 10 seconds left on Paul Scruggs’ 3-pointer. Adam Kunkel then got a steal and had a chance to tie the game, but his 3-pointer with a second left rimmed out.
Neither team shot well in the second half as Xavier was 2-for-16 from behind the arc and Creighton 3-for-13 in the final 20 minutes. The difference was at the free-throw line, where the Bluejays made 11 of 14 down the stretch.
Xavier leading scorer Zach Freemantle was held to seven points on 3-for-9 shooting. He fouled out
with 2:38 remaining in the game. Nate Johnson led Xavier with 12 points.
Villanova 85, Marquette 68: Collin Gillespie scored 22 points and sank six 3-pointers as No. 5 Villanova (8-1, 3-0 Big East) routed Marquette (5-5, 1-3) for its sixth consecutive victory. Marquette was seeking to beat a top-10 team for the third time this season.
Tennessee 80, South Carolina Upstate 60: Victor Bailey scored 18 points and No. 8 Tennessee (6-0) struggled before beating winless South Carolina Upstate (0-8). It wasn’t until a 12-2 run midway through the second half that the Volunteers finally pulled away.
Ohio State 80, Rutgers 68: Duane Washington Jr. scored 22 points and No. 23 Ohio State (7-1, 1-1 Big Ten) rallied from a 16-point second-half deficit to beat No. 11 Rutgers (6-1, 2-1).
Illinois 98, Penn State 81: Ayo Dosunmu scored 21 of his 30 points in the second half to lead No. 18 Illinois past Penn State. Kofi Cockburn added 23 points and Andre Curbelo had 15 points and eight assists for the Illini (6-3, 2-1 Big Ten). Penn State (3-3, 0-2) opened up a 19-4 lead over the first five minutes. The Illini used the remainder of the half to claw back, tying the game at 43 at halftime. Illinois took over midway through the second half.
Women
Arizona 96, Idaho 42: Shaina Pellington scored 16 points and Helena Pueyo had all of her 14 points in the first half to lead No. 6 Arizona (6-0) to a victory over Idaho (3-3). Arizona’s Aari Mcdonald, who scored 11 points, has scored in double figures in 73 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the NCAA.
Indiana 75, Minnesota 54: Mackenzie Holmes and Jaelynn Penn scored 19 points apiece and No. 19 Indiana (4-2, 2-0 Big Ten) beat Minnesota (1-4, 0-3).