Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Villanova upset
LJ Figueroa scored 22 points and St. John’s rallied from a 14-point deficit in the second half to stun No. 13 Villanova 71-65.
NEW YORK — LJ Figueroa scored 22 points and St. John’s rallied from a 14-point deficit in the second half to stun No. 13 Villanova 71-65 on Sunday night.
The Red Storm (19-7, 7-6 Big East) were down 48-34 with 12:30 left. St. John’s scored 20 of the next 25 points to take its first lead on Figueroa’s three-pointer from the corner that brought the sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden to its feet. During that run, Villanova Coach Jay Wright was hit with a technical foul for arguing a call.
The teams traded the lead over the next few minutes before Figueroa hit another three-pointer that gave the Red Storm a 58-57 advantage with 3:12 left that started an 8-0 run.
The Red Storm led 63-57 with 50 seconds left when Villanova’s Phil Booth was fouled shooting a three-pointer. He made 2 of 3 free throws to get the Wildcats within four.
That’s as close as they could get as St. John’s converted its free throws down the stretch. The win snapped a 12-game losing streak for St. John’s against Villanova at Madison Square Garden dating back 17 years.
Joe Cremo scored 14 points to lead Villanova (20-6, 11-2) while Eric Paschall added 11 points and 14 rebounds.
NO. 9 HOUSTON 85, TULANE 50
NEW ORLEANS — Corey Davis Jr. made eight three-pointers and scored 26 points to help No. 9 Houston beat Tulane for its 10th consecutive victory.
Armoni Brooks made 6 threes on his way to 24 points, and Houston (25-1, 12-1 American Athletic) went 17 for 35 from long range.
The Cougars opened with a 22-5 run. The Green Wave twice got within eight early in the second half, but Davis made 3 three-pointers during a 17-0 run that made it 58-33 lead.
NO. 11 MICHIGAN STATE 62, OHIO STATE 44
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Kenny Goins had 10 points and 10 rebounds and No. 11 Michigan State finished with a 20-2 run to beat Ohio State.
Michigan State (21-5, 12-3) pulled into a first-place tie with Michigan atop the Big Ten, holding Ohio State to 13 points in the second half. Matt McQuaid added 14 points, and Cassius Winston had 13.