CINCINNATI — Jack Nunge had 23 points and 14 rebounds as No. 16 Xavier held off No. 17 Providence 85-83 in an overtime thriller Wednesday night.
Colby Jones and Souley Boum each scored 20 for the Musketeers, who won a first-place showdown 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), which had beaten Xavier three straight times.
A layup by Boum put the Musketeers (18-5, 10-2) ahead 82-79 with 51 seconds remaining in overtime. A turnover by the Musketeers led to a layup by 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 rimmed out at the buzzer as the Musketeers held on.
Xavier played its first game without Freemantle, the team’s leading rebounder and second-leading scorer. He is expected to miss four weeks with a left foot injury, the same foot that required surgery in 2021.
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Purdue center Zach Edey is fouled as he shoots between Penn State forward Caleb Dorsey (4) and forward Michael Henn (24) during the second half of Wednesday’s game in West Lafayette, Ind.
NO. 1 PURDUE 80, PENN ST. 60: Mason Gillis broke the Mackey Arena record by making nine 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 29 points, leading Purdue to a home rout of 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 topped 14 points. Zach Edey added his 18th double-double of the season with 18 points and 13 rebounds.
The Big Ten-leading Boilermakers (22-1, 11-1) have won nine straight overall, six straight in the series 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) as coach Micah Shrewsberry fell to 0-4 against the team he worked for before taking the Penn State job.
FLORIDA 67, NO. 2 TENNESSEE 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 upend Tennessee in Gainesville.
The Volunteers, playing with their highest ranking in four years, lost for the first time in five games. They had won nine of 10.
Tennessee (18-4, 7-2 Southeastern Conference) looked like it had taken control midway through the second half. They outscored Florida by 10 points in the early going to take a six-point lead.
But the Gators (13-9, 6-3) stormed back behind Castleton, who scored 11 of 14 points as Florida rallied. The senior had a dunk, two free throws, a three-point play, a layup and a short jumper — essentially putting the team on his back down the stretch.
NO. 14 MARQUETTE 73, VILLANOVA 64: Tyler Kolek scored 20 points and Marquette rallied down the stretch to beat Villanova (10-12, 4-7) at home to maintain a share of the Big East lead.
Marquette (18-5, 10-2) has won four straight games and nine of 10. The Golden Eagles remain tied for first place in the conference with No. 16 Xavier, which won 85-83 over No. 17 Providence in overtime earlier.
Xavier, Providence and Marquette began the night in a three-way tie for first.
NO. 25 AUBURN 94, GEORGIA 73: Johni Broome scored 19 points and matched a career high with 18 rebounds, Allen Flanigan scored a season-high 22 points, and host 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 remaining in the first half, then added six points and six rebounds in the second half.
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