Big East Conference Tournament Recaps

New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) – Ryan Arcidiacono made two free throws after a controversial foul call with 3.1 seconds left, and No. 4 Villanova prevailed against Providence 63-61 to advance to the final of the Big East Tournament.

Villanova led for most of the second half until a late turnover led to Kris Dunn’s layup that tied the score with 12.4 seconds left.

Out of a timeout, Arcidiacono drove to the basket against Providence big man Ben Bentil, who was whistled for a foul despite very little contact. Arcidiacono calmly hit both free throws, and LaDontae Henton bricked a deep 3- pointer as time expired at the other end.

“The last play of the game was a 50-50 call,” said Providence coach Ed Cooley. “I think we have the best officials in the country. It doesn’t come down to one play.”

Daniel Ochefu carried the Wildcats (31-2) for most of the night, finishing with 15 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks. Josh Hart added 18 points off the bench, and Darrun Hilliard scored 12 before fouling out.

“We don’t really talk about number one seeds, we just talk about the next game, playing Villanova basketball and getting the W,” said Ochefu.

Villanova will meet Xavier in Saturday’s final.

Dunn’s Herculean effort wasn’t enough for the Friars (22-11). The sophomore finished with 22 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in the loss.

Providence trailed by 13 just before the midpoint of the second half before mounting its comeback. Dunn found Carson Desrosiers for a three-point play, then canned a jumper before the under-12 timeout to spark the flurry.

The lead hovered between two and seven the rest of the way. It was 61-59 late when Jalen Lindsey knocked the ball loose from Hart on an inbounds pass under Villanova’s basket. Bentil picked up the loose ball and fed Dunn for the game- tying layup.

Earlier, Hart’s 3-pointer just before the final media timeout of the first half gave ‘Nova a 31-20 advantage. But Providence closed the half on an 8-2 run and opened the second strong to pull back within three, 36-33.

The Wildcats answered and tilted momentum back in their favor. Dylan Ennis followed an Ochefu dunk nearly four minutes into the second half to make it 41-33. Then after Bentil split a pair of free throws, Hart potted a pull-up jumper and Kris Jenkins hit from deep to push the margin to 12.

Game Notes

Dunn and Arcidiacono were co-Big East Players of the Year … Villanova hasn’t lost since Jan. 19 to Georgetown … Villanova won all three meetings this season.

Final Score: Xavier 65, (23) Georgetown 63

New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) – Matt Stainbrook scored 20 points and Xavier nearly squandered a 21-point lead before holding off Georgetown 65-63 to advance to the Big East finals.

Remy Abell added 10 points for Xavier (21-12), which will meet top-seeded Villanova in Saturday’s final.

Jabril Trawick paced the Hoyas (21-10) with 19 points, Isaac Copeland scored 15 and D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera netted 11 in defeat.

Things got chippy after the under-8 timeout. Trawick drove to the basket and was fouled hard by James Farr. After the play, Trawick and Jalen Reynolds got tangled up, Trawick ended up on the ground and Reynolds was given a technical during the ensuing scrum.

The sequence re-energized the Hoyas, who trailed 53-33 at the time. Trawick split a pair of free throws, Smith-Rivera made both technical foul shots and Copeland hit a jumper to make it a five-point possession. Copeland scored nine points over the next four minutes, Trawick hit a triple and Georgetown was back within six, 54-48, with 4:10 to play.

“Once we started scoring, our defense got better,” Georgetown head coach John Thompson III said.

Paul White’s corner trey with 23 seconds left had Georgetown within two. Myles Davis split a pair of free throws moments later at the other end, and Smith- Rivera made it one with a layup at 14.7.

Xavier played the fouling game down the stretch and didn’t give the Hoyas a chance to tie the game with a 3-pointer. Trawick made all four of his free throws in the final six seconds, but Davis made two in between. James Farr split his pair with 1.9 seconds left, and the buzzer sounded before Georgetown got off a full-court heave.

“This is obviously the best league, and we’re looking forward to the championship tomorrow night,” Xavier head coach Chris Mack said.

Game Notes

Xavier won all three meetings this season. It is the first time Georgetown lost three times to the same opponent since Connecticut in 2004-05 … Xavier’s bench outscored Georgetown, 21-8.

Categorized in: NCAA Basketball