Big East Tournament roundup: Butler, DePaul, Villanova win first-round games
Layden Blocker of the DePaul Blue Demons reacts in the second half of the game against the Georgetown Hoyas during the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. Credit: Getty Images/Sarah Stier
NJ Benson helped lead DePaul over Georgetown on Wednesday night with 18 points off of the bench in a 71-67 win in the Big East Tournament.
DePaul (14-18) will play No. 2 seed Creighton in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
Benson shot 7 of 8 from the field and 4 for 6 from the line for the Blue Demons. Layden Blocker scored 16 points while going 5 of 11 (4 for 6 from 3-point range) and added six assists. CJ Gunn shot 3 for 8 (2 for 6 from 3-point range) and 3 of 4 from the free-throw line to finish with 11 points.
Micah Peavy led the way for the Hoyas (17-15) with 26 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Drew Fielder added 11 points, 11 rebounds and four assists, and Curtis Williams also put up 11 points.
Gunn scored 10 points in the first half and DePaul went into halftime trailing 40-38. DePaul went on a 7-0 second-half run to take the lead at 55-51. Benson scored 13 second-half points.
Butler 75, Providence 69: Pierre Brooks had 25 points for ninth-seeded Butler, which will play St. John’s in the first quarterfinal at noon on Thursday.
Brooks added seven rebounds for the Bulldogs (14-18). Jahmyl Telfort scored 16 points and added three steals. Bensley Joseph finished with 20 points and nine rebounds for the No. 8-seed Friars (12-20). Oswin Erhunmwunse added 16 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks and Ryan Mela had 14 points and six rebounds.
Brooks put up 13 points in the first half for the Bulldogs, who led 39-31 at halftime.
Butler turned a six-point second-half lead into a 13-point advantage with a 7-0 run to make it a 58-45 with 9:50 left in the half. Brooks scored 12 second-half points in the victory.
Villanova 67, Seton Hall 55: Eric Dixon scored 19 points and Wooga Poplar added 13 points for No. 6 Villanova (19-13), which will face No. 3 UConn in the quarterfinals. Isaiah Coleman had 25 points for Seton Hall (7-25).
