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College basketball roundup: Villanova wins 2nd straight Big East title
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Mikal Bridges scored 25 points and hit two 3-pointers in overtime to lift No. 2 Villanova to a 76-66 win over Providence in the Big East Tournament championship game Saturday night.
The Wildcats (30-4) won their second straight Big East Tournament and third in four years (losing in the 2016 final). They put the bow on a fantastic season that should have them earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Villanova had rolled to a pair of dominant victories in the tourney and held off a pesky Providence team that played its third straight overtime game.
The fifth-seeded Friars (21-13) rallied in the second half from yet another double-digit hole and seemed set to pull off one more upset and earn the automatic NCAA berth. Providence erased a 17-point hole in the second half to beat top-seeded Xavier to reach the final. With one stunning rally on its resume, Providence nearly made it two.
AAC
Cincinnati 70, Memphis 60: Jarron Cumberland scored 18 points and Gary Clark had 17 points and 12 rebounds to rally No. 8 Cincinnati to a 70-60 victory over Memphis in the semifinals of the American Athletic Conference Tournament.
Kyle Washington added 11 for the Bearcats (29-4).
Jamal Johnson led Memphis with 17 points but didn’t score in the second half, when the Tigers squandered a 13-point lead. Kyvon Davenport had 12 points and 11 rebounds for Memphis (21-13), which is hoping for an invitation to the NIT tournament.
Cincinnati trailed 42-29 at halftime but erased the deficit in the first seven minutes of the second half with an active and aggressive defense.
Houston 77, Wichita State 74: Rob Gray had a key steal and scored 33 points, including two free throws with 5 seconds remaining, as No. 21 Houston held off Wichita State 77-74 in an American Athletic Conference Tournament semifinal.
Corey Davis Jr. scored 19 points for the Cougars (26-6), who advanced to play No. 8 Cincinnati in the championship game.
SEC
Kentucky 86, Alabama 63: Collin Sexton and Alabama were making another push in the second half, cutting Kentucky’s big lead down to nine with 5:15 remaining.
But when Wenyen Gabriel knocked down his seventh 3-pointer on the next possession, the Wildcats were on their way.
Gabriel whipped up his hands, prompting a thundering “Go Big Blue” chant from the thousands of Kentucky fans at Scottrade Center. His teammates were shoving him around as he repeatedly tossed up three fingers.
Gabriel shot 7-for-7 on 3s and matched his career high with 23 points, sending Kentucky past Alabama 86-63 Saturday in the Southeastern Conference Tournament semifinals.
Tennessee 84, Arkansas 66: Jordan Bone scored 19 points to help spark a hot-shooting first half for No. 13 Tennessee in an 84-66 win over Arkansas in the Southeastern Conference Tournament semifinals.
The win is the sixth straight and 13th in the last 15 games for the second-seeded Volunteers (25-7), who will try to win their first SEC Tournament championship in almost 40 years when they face Kentucky on Sunday.
Atlantic 10
Davidson 82, St. Bonaventure 70: Peyton Aldridge scored 24 points and No. 3 seed Davidson snapped second-seeded St. Bonaventure’s 13-game win streak with an 82-70 victory in an Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament semifinal.
Rhode Island 90, St. Joseph’s 87: Andre Berry scored 18 points, Fatts Russell made two crucial 3-pointers in the final six minutes and No. 25 Rhode Island rallied past Saint Joseph’s 90-87 in the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament semifinals.
The Rams (25-6) are the first No. 1 seed in the Atlantic 10 to reach the conference championship game since Saint Louis in 2013.
Ivy League
Pennsylvania 80, Yale 57: AJ Brodeur scored 25 points, on 10-of-13 shooting, and grabbed 10 rebounds and Pennsylvania never trailed in its 80-57 win over Yale in the Ivy League Tournament.
The second-seeded Quakers will play No. 1 seed Harvard in the championship game on Sunday. Penn (23-8) split the regular-season series with the Crimson with each team winning on its home court.
Harvard 74, Cornell 55: Seth Towns and Chris Lewis each had a double-double to help Harvard beat Cornell 74-55 in the Ivy League Tournament.
America East
Maryland-Baltimore County 65, Vermont 62: Jairus Myles hit a long 3-pointer with less than a second left, lifting Maryland Baltimore County over top-seeded Vermont 65-62 in the America East championship game.
Myles scored 27 points to lead the second-seeded Retrievers (23-10) to their second conference title and second trip to the NCAA Tournament.