DePaul drops 7th in last 8 games
Malik Ellison was 5- for- 6 from three- point range and scored a career- high 23 points, and St. John’s ended a fourgame losing streak with a 78- 68 victory Monday against DePaul in Big East action in New York.
Shamorie Ponds and Bashir Ahmed each added 14 points and Tariq Owens 10 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots for the Red Storm ( 9- 11, 3- 4), which made 12 of 22 three- pointers overall.
Billy Garrett Jr. led four players in double figures with 16 points for the Blue Demons ( 8- 11, 1- 5), who lost for the seventh time in their last eight games. Eli Cain added 15 points, Tre’ Darius McCallum 14 points and 10 rebounds and Joe Hanel 12 points for DePaul.
Villanova 76, Seton Hall 46
Kris Jenkins scored 16 points and Jalen Brunson 13, and the No. 1 Wildcats ( 18- 1, 6- 1) celebrated their return to the top of the Associated Press poll with a Big East rout of the Pirates ( 12- 6, 2- 4) in Villanova, Pennsylvania.
Defending national champion Villanova made 12 threepointers and held Seton Hall to only 16 field goals on its way to setting a school record with its 47th consecutive victory at the Pavilion.
Creighton 72, Xavier 67
Marcus Foster led a balanced attack with 15 points, and the No. 8 Bluejays ( 18- 1, 5- 1) overcame the loss of Maurice Watson Jr. to slip past the No. 22 Musketeers ( 13- 5, 3- 3) in a Big East game in Cincinnati.
Watson, whose 8.8 assists per game lead the country, suffered an undisclosed injury to his left knee after landing on a layup in the first half. But that didn’t prevent Creighton from putting an end to Xavier’s 15- game home winning streak.
N. Carolina 85, Syracuse 68
Isaiah Hicks scored 20 points, Kennedy Meeks added 15 points and 12 rebounds and the No. 9 Tar Heels ( 17- 3, 5- 1) gave coach Roy Williams his 800th career victory by rolling past the Orange ( 11- 8, 3- 3) in Atlantic Coast Conference action in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Butler 88, Marquette 80
Kelan Martin scored 22 points, and the No. 13 Bulldogs ( 16- 3, 5- 2) overcame a 16- point halftime deficit to defeat the Golden Eagles ( 12- 6, 3- 3) in Big East play in Indianapolis. Butler trailed 41- 25 at the break before outscoring Marquette 63- 39 in the second half.