Nunge, No. 16 Xavier bounce back from 2 losses, beat DePaul

Jack Nunge had 18 points and 10 rebounds as No. 16 Xavier bounced back from a pair of narrow losses to beat visiting DePaul 82-68 on Saturday at Cincinnati.

Xavier fell earlier in the week by a combined three points to Butler and No. 11 Marquette.

The Musketeers (20-7, 12-4 Big East) reached the 20-win mark for the 34th time in school history, 32 of which have come since the 198283 season.

It was the 17th career double-double for Nunge, eighth this season. Adam Kunkel scored 16 points and tied a career-high with eight assists for Xavier.

Jerome Hunter had 15 points and nine rebounds for the Musketeers and Colby Jones scored 14 points for the Musketeers.

Umoja Gibson had 17 points and De’Sean Nelson 16 for DePaul (9-18, 3-13), which lost its eighth in a row.

State

Central Connecticut 94, Stonehill 90 (3 OT): At New Britain, Jay Rodgers scored a career-high 24 points as Central Connecticut State took down visiting Stonehill in triple overtime at New Britain.

Rodgers was 8 of 15 shooting, including 2-for-6 from distance, and went 6-for-6 from the line for the Blue Devils (10-19, 7-7 Northeast Conference). Kellen Amos scored 12 points while going 4 of 17 (2-for-10 from distance), and added six rebounds. Jayden Brown was 4 of 9 shooting and 4 of 4 from the free throw line to finish with 12 points.

Andrew Sims led the Skyhawks (14-16, 10-5) in scoring, finishing with 26 points and seven rebounds. Stonehill also got 16 points, three steals and two blocks from Josh Mack. Max Zegarowski also had 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Merrimack 67, Sacred Heart 55: At Fairfield, Devon Savage’s 21 points helped Merrimack to the road victory.

Savage also contributed six rebounds for the Warriors (13-16, 10-4 Northeast). Jordan Minor scored 15 points while going 6 of 16 and 3 of 7 from the free throw line, and added 20 rebounds. Ziggy Reid went 6 of 11 from the field to finish with 15 points. The Warriors extended their winning streak to six games.

Bryce Johnson led the way for the Pioneers (14-15, 7-7) with 11 points, 11 rebounds and two steals. Joey Reilly added 11 points for Sacred Heart. Nico Galette also put up eight points.

Savage led their team in scoring with 12 points in the first half to help put them up 34-27 at the break. Merrimack extended its lead to 50-30 during the second half, fueled by a 16-0 scoring run.