In a game that featured a bench-clearing altercation that led to six ejections, Dylan Darling scored 18 of his season-high 23 points in the second half to lead No. 17 St. John’s to a 79-69 Big East win over host Providence on Saturday afternoon.

With Providence clinging to a 40-39 edge with 14:25 to play, the Friars’ Duncan Powell clotheslined former Providence standout Bryce Hopkins as he went up for a breakaway layup. As Hopkins got up off the floor and stood up to Powell, players and coaches flew off both benches to try to restore order.

Following a lengthy delay for a video review and discussion, Providence’s Powell and Jaylin Sellers were ejected along with Dillon Mitchell, Kelvin Odih, Ruben Prey and Lefteris Liotopoulos for St. John’s – the latter three dismissed for leaving the Red Storm’s bench.

St. John’s (20-5, 13-1) sank three of the four ensuing free throws to start an 8-0 run and take a 47-40 lead as Providence (11-15, 4-11) never got closer than four points again. Darling finished that stretch with his first of back-to-back 3-pointers and stole an inbounds pass for a layup.

Darling sank three 3-pointers, went 8 of 9 from the foul line and added eight rebounds en route as the Red Storm extended their winning streak to 11 since a Jan. 3 home loss to Providence. Zuby Ejiofor scored 14 points, Oziyah Sellers added 11 and Hopkins had nine points and nine rebounds.

Stefan Vaaks had 20 points, Ryan Mela scored 14 and Jaylin Sellers added 13 for Providence, which has lost six of its last eight.

Before the brawl, Providence had been on an 18-5 run dating back to the final two minutes of the first half. A Jaylin Sellers 3-pointer highlighted the spurt and kicked off a back-and-forth stretch during which the game was tied two other times.

After the altercation, Providence got within 47-43 after Vaaks’ outlet feed led to a Jamier Jones 3-point play with 13:55 left, but Darling scored the game’s next five points and Ejiofor answered multiple Mela baskets midway through the half.

Oziyah Sellers’ midrange jumper with 5:52 left gave St. John’s a double-digit lead again as part of a 9-3 run that put the game out of reach.

The Red Storm stormed out of the gates, responding to Oswin Erhunmwunse’s opening layup with a 10-0 run. Two Providence turnovers extended the segment, with Hopkins scoring the first of back-to-back baskets off steals.

After Mela’s layup stopped the run, Ian Jackson sank a 3-pointer and turned another turnover into a dunk for a 15-4 St. John’s lead less than five minutes in. A 5-0 burst brought Providence within seven, but back-to-back 3-pointers by Darling and Joson Sanon gave the Storm a 13-point lead.

A Jones three-point play and a Vaaks trey bookended Providence’s longest first-half run, making it 25-20 with 7:09 to play. St. John’s answered a nearly six-minute field-goal drought with a 9-2 run including a Hopkins transition dunk, but five Jaylin Sellers points and a Powell triple ended the first half with the Red Storm clinging to a 34-29 edge.

–Field Level Media

Duke Brennan had 21 points and 12 rebounds and Tyler Perkins had 17 points and 11 rebounds as Villanova extended its win streak to five with an 80-69 victory over Creighton on Saturday afternoon in Omaha, Neb.

Deven Askew had 13 points off the bench for the Wildcats (20-5, 11-3 Big East Conference), who ended a four-game losing streak to the Bluejays (13-13, 7-8). Villanova is 6-1 on the road in conference play and avenged a 76-72 home loss to Creighton last month.

Back-to-back Askew 3-pointers gave the Wildcats a 25-10 lead with 7:17 to play in the first half as Villanova used a 16-3 run to take control. The Wildcats never led by less than seven points the rest of the game.

Both teams struggled offensively early. Villanova started 5 for 17 from the field.

Creighton, whose team attended the funeral of guard Josh Dix’s mother Friday, struggled for nearly all of the first half. Isaac Traudt, one of the Bluejays’ key long-range shooters, was 0 of 4 from beyond the arc early.

Nik Graves led Creighton with 15 points, scoring 13 after the break. Dix chipped in with 14 points.

Austin Swartz made two 3-pointers and scored 10 of his 12 points in the first half for the Bluejays, who have lost seven of 10 and are in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.

Villanova secured the game late, finishing 14 for 19 (74%) from the foul line, markedly better than recent performances.

Malachi Palmer came off the bench to score all 10 of his points in the second half for the Wildcats. Acaden Lewis, one of just five freshmen in the country to average 12.5 points and at least five assists, had eight points, four assists and two steals.

Brennan posted his 11th double-double to lead Villanova.

Jasen Green had a team-high 11 rebounds for Creighton. Hudson Greer added eight points and five rebounds and Fedor Zugic scored all seven of his points in the second half.

Villanova is holding opponents to a Big East-leading 29.9% shooting percentage from beyond the arc, and Creighton finished 8 for 27 (29.6%).

–Field Level Media

The San Diego Padres agreed to a one-year deal with right-hander German Marquez, according to ESPN.

Marquez has played all 10 of his MLB seasons for the Colorado Rockies. He owns a career record of 68-72 with a 4.67 ERA and 1.334 WHIP.

He earned his sole All-Star selection in 2021, in which he posted a 4.40 ERA, 1.272 WHIP, 176 strikeouts and a league-leading three complete games across 32 starts.

The 30-year-old is looking to bounce back from an underwhelming 2025 campaign. Across 26 games, he went 3-16 with a 6.70 ERA, 1.710 WHIP and 83 strikeouts in 126 1/3 innings pitched.

The metrics were concerning, as well. He ranked in the bottom five percentile in pitching run value (-42), fastball run value (-29), breaking run value (-11), xERA (5.81), xBA (.287) and strikeout percentage (14.0).

Pitching at Coors Field is a well-known challenge, and Marquez’s away splits are slightly better. For his career, he has a 5.17 ERA at home and a 4.22 ERA on the road.

–Field Level Media