Creighton rallied from an 11-point deficit in the final minutes of regulation, then outlasted DePaul in two overtimes to earn an 85-81 win in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament in New York on Thursday.
Ryan Kalkbrenner had 32 points for the second-seeded Bluejays (23-9), including a go-ahead shot with just over two minutes left in the second overtime. Fedor Zugic added 13 points for Creighton, which will face third-seeded UConn in the semifinals on Thursday.
Layden Blocker had 25 to lead the 10th-seeded Blue Demons (14-19). Isaiah Rivera scored 17, and CJ Gunn contributed 14.
The Bluejays led 72-64 with under two minutes left in the first overtime before the Blue Demons forced the second extra session with a 9-1 run.
St. John’s 78, Butler 57
RJ Luis Jr scored 20 points as top-seeded St. John’s used big runs in both halves to boot Butler in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament.
The sixth-ranked Red Storm (28-4) won their sixth straight, advanced to the semifinals for the second straight season and will face Marquette in the first semifinal on Friday. Kadary Richmond and Aaron Scott each added 15 points.
After never trailing in its opening-round win over Providence, Butler (14-19) never recovered from an early deficit. Patrick McCaffery led the Bulldogs with 16 points, but Jahmyl Telfort was held to 11 and Pierre Brooks II was limited to five on 1-of-10 shooting.
No. 25 Marquette 89, Xavier 87
Kam Jones scored 28 points, including the go-ahead basket with 1:16 remaining, as the Golden Eagles rallied past the Musketeers in the Big East quarterfinals.
Chase Ross and Stevie Mitchell added 16 points apiece for the fifth-seeded Golden Eagles (23-9), who advanced to the semifinals for the third straight season. David Joplin chipped in 14 points for Marquette, which shot 61.3 percent in the second half and 48.5 percent overall.
Ryan Conwell scored a career-high 38 points by hitting 13 of 18 shots and seven 3-pointers, but fourth-seeded Xavier (21-11) had a seven-game winning streak end. Zach Freemantle added 15 points for Xavier, which shot 52.6 percent.
UConn 73, Villanova 56
Alex Karaban scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half and hit two clutch 3-pointers as the third-seeded Huskies pulled away from the sixth-seeded Wildcats in the Big East quarterfinals.
Liam McNeeley added 12 points for two-time defending champion UConn, which ended on a 22-5 run over the final 7:31. The Huskies (23-9) won their fifth straight, shooting 65 percent in the second half and 57.8 percent overall.
Villanova’s Wooga Poplar tied a career high with 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting. The Wildcats (19-14) shot just 20.8 percent (5-of-24) in the second half and 31.9 percent overall.
–Field Level Media
