Bridges, Villanova thump Xavier

Mikal Bridges led an early 3-point shooting spurt that put Villanova in control, and the third-ranked Wildcats beat No. 4 Xavier 95-79 on Saturday in a showdown for the Big East lead in Cincinnati.

Villanova (24-3, 11-3) has won all four regular-season titles since the Big East was reconfigured. Xavier (24-4, 12-3) saw its lead in the standings drop to a half game.

Bridges scored 25 in a balanced attack that got the best of a matchup between the Big East’s top offenses.

Trevon Bluiett scored 26 for Xavier, which had its nine-game winning streak snapped.

Cassius Winston scored 17, and No. 2 Michigan State erased a 27-point deficit to beat Northwestern 65-60 in Rosemont, Ill., to extend the Spartans’ 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 going to get blown out.

Northwestern (15-13, 6-9) made just 3 of 26 field goals in the second half.

Frank Booker scored 19, and South Carolina built a 26point lead before holding on to defeat No. 10 Auburn 84-75 in Columbia, S.C., to snap the Gamecocks’ sixgame losing streak.

The Tigers (23-4, 11-3 SEC) had won seven of their last eight and were heavy favorites to keep that going at South Carolina (14-13, 5-9). Instead, the Gamecocks used a 21-1 run in the first half on the way to a 37-11 lead.

Auburn played most of the game without starting forward Anfernee McLemore, who dislocated his left ankle in a gruesomelooking injury at the end of the first half.

Dylan Osetkowski scored 21 to help the Longhorns (16-11, 6-8 Big 12) defeat the No. 23 Sooners 77-66 in Norman, Okla., and extend Oklahoma’s losing streak to five games.

Trae Young scored 26 points on 7-for-21 shooting for Oklahoma (16-10, 6-8).

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