No. 8 Xavier bounces back with win over Georgetown
Zach Freemantle tied a career high with 30 points and Colby Jones had 20 as No. 8 Xavier handed Georgetown its 29th straight Big East loss, 95-82, on Saturday at Cincinnati.
Adam Kunkel scored 14 points to help the Musketeers (16-4, 8-1 Big East) bounce back from a 73-72 loss at DePaul on Wednesday, which snapped an 11-game winning streak.
“It was a step in the right direction,” Freemantle said. “Obviously, a win is better than a loss. I don’t think anyone on our team would say they’re satisfied with the way we played today. But coming off a loss, it feels good to win.”
Primo Spears scored a career-high 37 points and Akok Akok had 14 for the Hoyas (5-15, 0-9 Big East), who have lost 10 straight games. Spears’ previous high was 34 against LaSalle on March 5, 2022.
With double-digit scorer Brandon Murray injured, the Hoyas had to rely on Spears to carry the scoring load.
“Brandon wasn’t there, so the bulk of the shots went to him,” said Hoyas coach Patrick Ewing. “He took the challenge. He forced it a little bit at times, but we needed him to score to be in the game.”
Georgetown went on an 11-0 run in the first half to tie the score 24-24, but the Musketeers responded with a 9-0 run to regain control.
Spears scored 17 points in the first half to keep the Hoyas close. Xavier led 45-39 at halftime.
“We didn’t play well today,” said Xavier coach Sean Miller. “Credit Georgetown. They were undermanned. Primo Spears was fantastic. We’re thrilled to win. There are no easy nights in the Big East.”
“Not just this game, but most games, our defense is letting us down right now,” Ewing said. “We have to be able to get stops when we need to get stops.”
Providence 75, DePaul 64:
At Providence, coach Ed Cooley predicted his team would learn from a 0-2 trip that brought an end to its season-best nine-game win streak.
He was right.
Noah Locke had a career-high 29 points, including seven 3-pointers, to help the 22nd-ranked Friars find their footing at home in a 75-64 win over the DePaul Blue Demons on Saturday.
Bryce Hopkins added 20 points and 11 rebounds as the Friars (15-5, 7-2) improved to 11-0 at Amica Mutual Pavilion. They are 2-2 without point guard Jared Bynum, who missed his fourth consecutive game with a torso injury.
“What our players learned is we are pretty damn good,” Cooley said. “Providence College is not here as what they call just happy to be here. We’re here to win and we’re here to win big.”
The Blue Demons (9-11, 3-6) came in fresh off a home victory over eighth-ranked Xavier. But they dropped their sixth straight road game and are 0-4 in conference games away from home. Umjoja Gibson had 16 points and five assists for DePaul and Da’Sean Nelson added 13 points.
Marquette 74, Seton Hall 53:
At Newark, N.J., Kam Jones scored 22 points, Oso Ighodaro had 18 on 7-for-7 shooting and No. 20 Marquette won on the road.
Marquette (16-5, 8-2) shot 54% (29 for 54) from the field in its second straight win since an 80-76 loss to Xavier last weekend.
The Golden Eagles used a 10-2 run to take a 37-29 halftime lead. Jones had 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting in the first half.
Ighodaro’s jumper sparked a 13-3 spurt that gave Marquette a 53-36 lead with 15:15 remaining. Jones capped the run with a 3-pointer.
The Golden Eagles led by as many as 22 at 74-52 with 1:48 remaining.
Kadary Richmond led Seton Hall with 10 points and five assists. The Pirates committed a season-high 26 turnovers.