No. 16 Xavier holds off No. 17 Providence in OT

Colby Jones and Souley Boum each scored 20 points for the Musketeers, who won a showdown for first place in the Big East without injured forward Zach Freemantle.

Noah Locke had 22 points and Ed Croswell added 21 for Providence (17-6, 9-3), who had beaten Xavier three times in a row.

A layup by Boum gave the Musketeers (18-5, 10-2) an 82-79 lead with 51 seconds remaining in overtime. A turnover by the Musketeers resulted in a layup from Devin Carter that cut Xavier’s lead to one with 24 seconds left.

Boum hit one of two free throws, and Jared Bynum’s 3-point attempt from the left corner hit the buzzer as the Musketeers held.

Xavier played his first game without Freemantle, the team’s leading rebounder and second-best scorer. He is expected to miss four weeks with an injury to his left foot, the same foot that required surgery in 2021.

NO. 1 PURDUE 80, PENN ST. 60: Mason Gillis broke the Mackey Arena record by scoring nine 3-pointers and finishing with a career-high 29 points, leading Purdue to a home win over Penn State.

Gillis went 10 of 14 from the field and 9 of 12 from beyond the arc. In his first 2 1/2 seasons with Purdue, Gillis never made more than three 3s in a game or surpassed 14 points. Zach Edey added his 18th double-double of the season with 18 points and 13 rebounds.

The Big Ten leaders Boilermakers (22-1, 11-1) have nine straight wins overall, six straight in the streak, and are the only power-five team with fewer than two losses this season.

Seth Lundy had 18 points to lead the Nittany Lions (14-8, 5-6) when coach Micah Shrewsberry fell to 0-4 against the team he worked for before taking the job at Penn State .

FL 67, NO. 2TENNESSEE 54: Colin Castleton had 20 points and nine rebounds, Kyle Lofton added 14 points and Florida used a 13-0 run late in the second half to turn Tennessee upside down in Gainesville.

The Volunteers, playing with their highest ranking in four years, lost for the first time in five games. They had won nine out of 10.

Tennessee (18-4, 7-2 Southeastern Conference) looked like it took control midway through the second half. They beat Florida by 10 points in the early days and led by six points.

But the Gators (13-9, 6-3) stormed back behind Castleton, who scored 11-of-14 as Florida recovered. The senior had a dunk, two free throws, a three-point play, a layup and a short jumper — essentially putting the team on their backs.

NO. 14 MARQUETTE 73, VILLANOVA 64: Tyler Kolek scored 20 points and Marquette rallied on the stretch to beat Villanova (10-12, 4-7) at home and keep a stake in the Big East lead.

Marquette (18-5, 10-2) has four straight games and won nine of 10. The Golden Eagles remain in first place in the conference with No. 16 Xavier, who previously won 85-83 in overtime against No. 17 Providence.

Xavier, Providence and Marquette started the night with a three-way tie for first place.

NO. 25 AUBURN 94, GEORGIA 73: Johni Broome had 19 points and a career-high 18 rebounds, Allen Flanigan had a season-high 22 points, and hosts Auburn defeated Georgia (14-8, 4-5 SEC).

Wendell Green Jr. added 18 points and six assists and made two 3-pointers during a 17-0 first-half run for the Tigers (17-5, 7-2).

Broome secured his seventh double-double of the season with 2:54 in the first half, then added six points and six rebounds in the second half.