Quick Hitters
Michigan St. rallies from 27 down to beat Northwestern
ROSEMONT, Ill. — Cassius Winston scored 17 points, and No. 2 Michigan State erased a 27-point deficit on Saturday to beat Northwestern 65-60 and extend its winning streak to 10 games.
Nick Ward added 15 points and 10 rebounds. Miles Bridges hit four free throws in the final minute, and the Spartans (26-3, 14-2 Big Ten) used a huge second half to pull out the win when they looked like they were headed to a stunning blowout loss.
Vic Law cooled off after a blistering start to finish with 21 points, and Northwestern (15-13, 6-9) made just 3 of 26 field goals in the second half.
The Wildcats gave themselves a great chance at their first win over a Top 5 team since 1979 even though star guard Bryant McIntosh sat out with a shoulder injury.
They led by as much as 27 and were up 49-27 after a stunning first half that had fans chanting “Overrated!” But the Spartans outscored the Wildcats 29-4 over the first 14½ minutes of the second half.
No. 3 Villanova blows out No. 4 Xavier
CINCINNATI — Mikal Bridges led an early 3-point shooting spurt that put Villanova in control, and the Wildcats showed they’re not ready to relinquish their reign in the Big East, beating Xavier 95-79 in a showdown for the league lead.
The Wildcats (24-3, 11-3) have won all four regular-season titles since the league was reconfigured. Xavier (24-4, 12-3) had a chance to take control of the race, but simply wasn’t up to the Wildcats’ level in the biggest game of the season. Now, Xavier’s lead is down to a half game and Villanova has swept the season series.
Bridges scored 25 points in a balanced attack that got the best of a matchup between the league’s top offenses. Trevon Bluiett had 26 points for Xavier, which had its nine-game winning streak snapped.
The Wildcats ended their threegame shooting slump by making 11 3-pointers in the first half when they pulled out to a 19-point lead and silenced a raucous crowd at the Cintas Center, where Xavier was undefeated this season.