Boyanov leads S. Alabama to 76-68 win over UNLV
LAS VEGAS (AP) Georgi Boyanov nailed three 3-pointers to total 13 points in the second half as South Alabama held off UNLV to grab a 76-68 victory on Friday night.
The Jaguars led throughout the second half but UNLV cut the lead to 57-55 when Tyrell Green hit a 3 with 7:03 left. Boyanov answered with a 3-pointer to start a 7-0 run and the Jaguars were up a 64-55 with 5:01 remaining. South Alabama held off the Rebels in the final minutes.
Don MuepoKelly led the Jaguars with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Ken Williams had 14 points, Nick Stover added 12 and Shaq Calhoun chipped in 11 for the South Alabama.
The Jaguars took the game inside, getting 46 points in the paint while limiting UNLV to 28. South Alabama also picked up 20 points off turnovers and had 14 fast break points.
Christian Jones led UNLV with 20 points and 13 rebounds.
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Texas St. holds off Florida Atlantic 61-57
HONOLULU (AP) Kavin Gilder-Tilbury scored 19 points and Nijal Pearson had 18 to lead Texas State past Florida Atlantic 61-57 Friday night in the Outrigger Resorts Rainbow Classic.
Gilder-Tilbury was 6-for-11 shooting including 3 for 5 from beyond the 3-point arc. Pearson made his college debut going 7 for 12 from the floor. He grabbed four rebounds and had a game-high three steals.
Gilder-Tilbury's 3 gave the Bobcats their largest lead of the game, 51-40 with 9:09 to play. Florida Atlantic fought back to within three points with 2.8 seconds left on a 3-pointer from Nick Rutherford.
Ojai Black split a pair of free throws with a second to go for the game's final margin.
Adonis Filer came off the bench to lead the Owls with nine points. Florida Atlantic was 20 of 60 from the field and 6-for-20 shooting from 3-point range.
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Transfer Harris scores 23 in ULM's 96-63 win over Centenary
MONROE, La. (AP) Junior college transfer Jordon Harris scored 23 points and Louisiana-Monroe opened its season with a 96-63 victory over Centenary on Friday.
Harris was 9 of 11 from the field, including 5 of 7 from the 3-point line, in his first game for the Warhawks, who returned only two players with significant playing time last season - Travis Munnings (16 points, 13 rebounds) and Nick Coppola (14 points, seven rebounds, seven assists). Coppola made his 100th career start as a Warhawk, the fifth player in ULM history to make 100 starts.
Marvin Jean-Pierre added 13 points for the Warhawks, who shot 54.4 percent, including 12 of 29 from 3-point range for 41.4 percent. They led 58-29 at halftime.
Travion Kirkendoll scored 24 points for the Division III Gents, who counted the game as an exhibition.
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Troy beats Div. II Toccoa Falls 135-76
TROY, Ala. (AP) Shawn Hopkins scored 19 points off the bench to lead Troy in a 135-76 win over Div. II Toccoa Falls in a season opener on Friday night.
Hopkins sank five 3-pointers on 7-of-9 shooting overall from the field to lead seven players in double-digit scoring. Juan Davis Jr. and Kevin Baker added 17 points apiece, Jordan Varnado had 16 points and Aaron Ariri, Wesley Person and Alex Hicks had 12 apiece.
Baker hit a 3-pointer early in the second period to give the Trojans a 30-point lead, 68-38, and they cruised to the win.
The Trojans took a 32-7 lead with 11:58 left in the first period and led 65-38 at the break.
Cameron Williams led the Eagles with 19 points and nine rebounds. Connor Iverson added 18 points and Jovan Morris had 14.
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Minnesota hits from 3 to beat UL Lafayette 86-74
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Nate Mason had 15 points and seven assists, and the Minnesota Golden Gophers had five players score in double figures in an 86-74 victory on Friday against UL Lafayette.
Dupree McBrayer added 15 points for Minnesota, which made 10 3-pointers and shot 40 percent from long distance. Amir Coffey, part of a three-guard starting unit with Mason and McBrayer, scored 13 points.
''We have a more complete team,'' Gophers coach Richard Pitino said. ''I think that's very, very evident when you look at our guys. It's got a lot of balance. They're good kids, they want to win. They want to get people talking good about them. Hopefully tonight helped that.''
Bryce Washington scored 16 points and had 10 rebounds for the Ragin Cajuns, who couldn't stay with the Gophers while shooting 31.9 percent from the field.
Minnesota committed 19 turnovers to 15 for UL Lafayette and was outrebounded 42-39, but the Gophers were helped with an efficient shooting attack from the outside to lead by as many as 27 in the game.
The Cajuns closed to 11 near the end of the first half, but Minnesota scored the final 11 points of the half, including a buzzer-beating 3 by Mason.
''You can see from all the new guys that they bring a different dimension to the team.'' Mason said. ''Once we get comfortable in the season, I feel like these guys are going to produce.''
BIG PICTURE
Louisiana-Lafayette: Trying to replace 66.2 percent of their scoring last season, the opener against a Big Ten opponent was unkind to the Cajuns. They shot just 27.5 percent from the field and were just 5 of 17 from 3 (29.4 percent) in the first half. Washington, one of the three returning starters, didn't attempt a field goal in the first half. Freshman Justin Miller came off the bench to score 21 points.
Minnesota: The Gophers had a balanced effort as they try to discover their core this season with several new players joining coach Richard Pitino's team. Coffey was the Minnesota Mr. Basketball last season. Center Reggie Lynch finally played his first game with the Gophers after transferring from Illinois State last season. Akeem Springs, a transfer from Milwaukee, had 11 points and hit three 3s off the bench.
HIGH ON COFFEY
Coffey made his much-anticipated debut. Minnesota's Mr. Basketball last season, the freshman was 3 of 5 shooting and 2 of 3 from beyond the arc. The 6-foot-8, 195-pound guard had three assists and four turnovers. But just one turnover came in the second half.
''I think he just adds a very difficult dimension for teams from a defensive side of it, from how they want to guard him, because he's so tall and he's such a skilled passer, and he really moves well,'' Pitino said.
GETTING EXPOSURE
UL Lafayette was also breaking in several new players. To end the second half, the Cajuns had three freshmen and two redshirt freshmen on the court.
''We've just got some growing pains that we're going to have to fight through, especially with the foul trouble,'' Marlin said. ''We couldn't make 3s and just struggled first time out for a lot of these kids.''
After 12 turnovers in the first half, UL Lafayette had just three in the second half. The Cajuns also posted 20 offensive rebounds.
UP NEXT
UL Lafayette's inexperienced roster will get used to playing on the road. The Cajuns start the season with two road games for the first time since the 2011-12 season when they play at Montana State on Nov. 14.
Minnesota's home-heavy schedule against smaller schools continues Nov. 14 against Texas-Arlington. In all, the Gophers play their first six games at home and 12 of the first 14 at Williams Arena.
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NC State shows balance in season opener
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) It was supposed to be Dennis Smith Jr.'s coming-out party, but his fellow starters joined him as guests of honor.
Terry Henderson scored 23 points to help North Carolina State beat Georgia Southern 81-79 on Friday night in the season opener for both teams.
All five starters scored in double figures for the Wolfpack, who won despite shooting 4 of 24 from 3-point range.
''We all made key plays down the stretch that we needed to win,'' N.C. State guard Torin Dorn said.
Maverick Rowan scored 17 points for N.C. State and Abdul-Malik Abu had 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Dorn added 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Wolfpack. He scored in the lane with 3:47 left to put N.C. State ahead for good at 68-67.
''It can be anybody's night,'' Henderson said. ''It doesn't just have to be my night. It can be Torin's night, Dennis' night. We've got so many weapons.''
Tookie Brown had 26 points and a career-high 10 rebounds to lead Georgia Southern. Ike Smith added 20 points for the Eagles.
Smith, the highly touted freshman point guard, scored 11 points on 3-of-13 shooting from the field for N.C. State.
Georgia Southern led 66-60 with just over six minutes to play, but N.C. State answered with a 10-1 run to seize control.
BIG PICTURE
Georgia Southern: It was an impressive effort by the Eagles, who scrapped their way to 20 offensive rebounds and appear ready to improve on their 14-17 record from last season.
N.C. State: The Wolfpack are off to a nice start after A rough beginning a year ago, when they dropped their opener and lost Henderson to a season-ending ankle injury just six minutes into the game.
SHOOTING BLANKS
The Eagles missed the shooting touch of guard Mike Hughes, who is suspended for the first three games after finishing second on the team in scoring last season. They made just 5 of 22 3-point attempts and 20 of 32 free throws. Still, Georgia Southern, which set a school record for 3-pointers a year ago, almost pulled the upset. ''That was encouraging,'' coach Mark Byington said. ''We were close to winning in a different way than our normal recipe.''
N.C. State was even worse from 3-point range. The Wolfpack missed their final 16 3-point attempts, including all nine in the second half.
HIGHLIGHT REEL
Smith threw a no-look lob over his shoulder to Abu for a two-handed dunk in the first half. The alley oop brought rap star J. Cole, a close friend of Smith, out of his courtside seat for a brief celebration. The play gave N.C. State a 30-20 lead, but the Wolfpack went without a basket for the next five minutes.
QUICK COMPARE
Brown, the reigning Sun Belt rookie of the year, provided a stiff test for Smith, the favorite to win the award in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Both guards wear No. 4, and both played 36 minutes. In addition to his efforts chasing down rebounds, Brown finished with three assists and no turnovers. Smith, who briefly left the game in the second half after taking a knee to his thigh, added five assists and just one turnover.
ELIGIBILITY WATCH
N.C. State freshman Ted Kapita has been ruled eligible for competition by the NCAA. N.C. State learned of the decision before the game. Kapita, a 6-8 forward from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is eligible to play on Sunday.
UP NEXT
Georgia Southern hosts NAIA opponent Coastal Georgia on Monday. It's one of just two home games that the Eagles play in their first 12 contests.
N.C. State hosts St. Francis on Sunday in the season opener for the Terriers.
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Georgia St. opens season by drubbing NAIA Thomas (GA) 111-69
ATLANTA (AP) Jeremy Hollowell had 23 points and Willie Clayton grabbed 13 rebounds as Georgia State drubbed NAIA's Thomas (GA) 111-69 on Friday night.
Hollowell shot 5-for-15 from the floor but made 11 of 12 free throws. Clayton, who had his 18th career double-double, added 11 points and five blocked shots. Jeff Thomas chipped in 17 points.
The Panthers scored 100 points for the first time since racking up 115 against Tennessee Temple in 2014-15. Georgia State blocked 13 shots, one off the school record.
Georgia State was 35 of 68 from the field and made 9 of 20 from beyond the arc. The Panthers had 16 steals and 13 blocked shots. Thomas committed 21 turnovers.
The Night Hawks were up 13-11 with 14:05 remaining before halftime. Jeff Thomas hit a jumper and followed with a 3-pointer and Georgia State went on to lead 52-37 at the break.
Javoris Cooks led Thomas with 24 points.
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North Dakota State beats Arkansas State 76-66 behind Miller
FARGO, N.D. (AP) Paul Miller scored 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting, Dexter Werner added 16 points and North Dakota State held off a late Arkansas State run to win 76-66 in Friday night's season opener.
A.J. Jacboson scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Bison, who outshot the Red Wolves 50 percent to 40 percent from the field and made 29 of 42 free throws (69 percent).
Trailing 40-34 at halftime, Arkansas State rallied to a 48-47 lead on a layup by Jahmiah Simmons before the Bison surged ahead on a 19-0 run. The Red Wolves pulled to within 67-62 after Donte Thomas' layup with 1:11 left, but North Dakota State's Khy Kabellis made nine free throws down the stretch to help clinch it.
Devin Carter scored 15 points for Arkansas state and Thomas made 10 assists.
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Alabama pulls away early in 2nd half, beats Coastal Carolina
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) Last season, Alabama coach Avery Johnson waited seven games to watch point guard Dazon Ingram shoot the only 3-pointer of his freshman season before his season ended shortly after due to injury.
Johnson didn't have to wait long Friday night as Ingram made three 3-pointers and finished with 11 points to help the Crimson Tide beat Coastal Carolina 70-53.
''Now he's in a rhythm. He shot quality 3's tonight,'' Johnson said of Ingram. ''We think he has triple-double type ability where he can score, pass, and rebound, but also play the defensive end and guard multiple positions.''
The Crimson Tide opened the second half on a 20-5 run and cruised from there.
Corban Collins led Alabama with 15 points. Riley Norris had 14 points and Ingram added 11 for the Crimson Tide, who shot just 3 of 10 from 3-point range in the first half, but finished 10 of 26 from beyond the arc.
Colton Ray-St Cyr had 13 points and Elijah Wilson chipped in 12 points to lead Coastal Carolina.
Coastal Carolina led 33-27 at halftime. Norris's layup gave Alabama a 39-38 lead four minutes into the second half. Jimmie Taylor split a pair of free throws to cap the 20-5 run and the Crimson Tide led 47-38. Collins scored five points during the stretch.
''We took our time more and nothing really changed,'' Collins said. ''We just took the same shots that we took in the first half.''
Ingram's 3-pointer made it 60-48 with 4:43 remaining.
The Chanticleers shot 7 of 14 from 3-point range in the first half, but just 2 of 9 after the break.
BIG PICTURE
Alabama: The Crimson Tide's slow start suggests the team's chemistry needs work. Six of the 12 players to see the court had never participated in a regular season game inside Coleman Coliseum before Friday night. ''We wanted to start off with some really good competition in our first home game, because this one on Tuesday (against Dayton) is going to be a monster,'' Johnson said.
Coastal Carolina: The Chanticleers might have second-half issue. They scored only 20 points and were outrebounded 20-16 after halftime.
UP NEXT:
The Crimson Tide will attempt to avenge a 32-point loss, its worst of last season, when they host Dayton on Tuesday.
Coastal Carolina hosts its first home game of the season against the College of Charleston on Monday.