Zach Freemantle and Ryan Conwell combined for 46 points as Xavier concluded Big East regular-season play with a 76-68 win over visiting Providence on Saturday in Cincinnati.Freemantle scored 19 of his team-high 25 points in the second half and added eight rebounds to lead the Musketeers (21-10, 13-7) to their seventh consecutive victory. Xavier shot 57.7 percent after halftime.Conwell scored 21 points on the strength of four 3-pointers and added five assists. Jerome Hunter was also a double-figure scorer with 12 points.Providence’s Bensley Joseph had 27 points on 9-of-14 shooting to lead all scorers, while Ryan Mela had 12 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.The Friars (12-19, 6-14) finished 12-of-24 from 3-point range. Joseph was 7-of-10 to match his career high for makes in a game. They have lost five in a row.Nearly the first 30 minutes were played entirely inside of a five-point window, but Xavier used a 9-2 run to take a 55-49 lead and force Providence to call timeout with 10:15 left.After a Joseph three and Oswin Erhunmwunse’s dunk brought the visitors even, Fremantle helped lead the surge with a layup in traffic and a trey before Conwell’s drive. Answering Providence baskets, Freemantle layup and Conwell’s three kept the Musketeers in control through the under-8 timeout.Joseph banged down another three with 7:10 left, but Hunter’s 3-point play and Freemantle’s layup off a third offensive rebound of the possession helped Xavier breathe with a 65-56 lead.
