Storm topped by Friars in finale

ISAIAH JACKSON scored 18 points, Alpha Diallo and Jalen Lindsey added 17 apiece, and Providence beat St. John’s, 86-75, on Saturday to close its regular season with its sixth straight win and earn the No. 3 seed in next week’s Big East tournament by virtue of its tiebreaker record over Marquette, Seton Hall and Creighton, all of whom were tied with the Friars (20-11) for third place with 10-8 conference record.

St. John’s (13-18, 7-11) is the eighth seed and face rival Georgetown (14-17, 5-13) in the tournament’s opening game Wednsday at 7 p.m. at the Garden. The Friars take on sixth-seeded Creighton (23-8) in the quarterfinals Tuesday at 9:30 p.m.

Shamorie Ponds scored a career-high 29 points for a St. John’s record 545 points in a single season, breaking D’Angelo Harrison’s mark.

VILLANOVA 81, GEORGETOWN 55: Josh Hart scored 21 points, including back-to-back 3-pointers with 7 minutes left that put the game out of reach, as No. 2 Villanova pulled away at Georgetown to roll into the postseason with the momentum of a five-game win streak. The Wildcats (28-3, 15-3 Big East) enter next week’s Big East tournament as the No. 1 seed.

MARQUETTE 91, CREIGHTON 83: Jajuan Johnson scored 20 points and Marquette beat visiting Creighton. The win positions the Golden Eagles (19-11, 108) as the No. 4 seed in the Big East tournament where they will play No. 5 Seton Hall in a quarterfinal Thursday at 2:30 p.m. at the Garden.

XAVIER 79, DEPAUL 65: Trevon Bluiett scored 24 points, added 10 rebounds, and Xavier closed out the regular season with a much-needed win at DePaul. Xavier (1912, 9-9 Big East), once ranked as high as No. 7, had lost six in a row and is in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament altogether. The Musketeers enter next week’s Big East tournament as the No. 7 seed and will play a rematch with the Blue Demons (9-22, 2-16) in an opening-round game on Wednesday. — AP