Providence boosts NCAA bid with win over No. 8 Creighton

NEW YORK (AP) — Devin Carter had 22 points and 11 rebounds as Providence secured a huge victory for its postseason resume, holding off No. 8 Creighton 78-73 in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals Thursday night.

Josh Oduro added 17 points and nine boards for the seventh-seeded Friars (21-12), who recovered in the final five-plus minutes after squandering a 13-point lead in the second half. They will face 10th-ranked and third-seeded Marquette or No. 6 seed Villanova in the second semifinal Friday night at Madison Square Garden.

Jayden Pierre had 15 points and seven assists for Providence, hitting several clutch shots down the stretch before Carter — the Big East Player of the Year — salted away the win with a late drive and four free throws in the last 1:40.

Ryan Kalkbrenner had 19 points and 12 rebounds for the second-seeded Bluejays (23-9), still likely to receive a high seed in the NCAA Tournament Sunday. Trey Alexander also scored 19, while Baylor Scheierman added 16 points and 13 boards. Steven Ashworth finished with 16 points as well.

Creighton made its first 20 free throws before missing three in a row late, which hurt.

Providence was 14 for 14 at the foul line.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball