DURHAM, N.C. — Star freshman Cooper Flagg had 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists in his college debut and No. 7 Duke beat Maine 96-62 on Monday night in the season opener for both teams.
The 6-foot-9, 205-pound Flagg — the nation’s top-ranked recruit and a preseason Associated Press All-American — made 6 of 15 shots and all six of his free throws. Fellow rookie Kon Knueppel paced the offense with 22 points and three 3-pointers for the Blue Devils (1-0), who shot 55.6 percent for the game.
Quion Burns scored 15 points for the Black Bears (0-1), who shot just 6-for-24 (25%) after the half as Duke pulled away.
In Lawrence, Kansas, Zeke Mayo, a graduate transfer from South Dakota State, had 19 points in his Kansas debut and the top-ranked Jayhawks beat Howard.
Kansas led 46-19 at halftime and its largest lead was 38 points.
The game was the second annual McClendon Classic, named in honor of Kansas graduate and Naismith Memorial Hall of Famer John McClendon.
NO 2 ALABAMA 110, UNC ASHEVILLE 54
In Tuscaloosa, Ala., Mark Sears scored 20 points and No. 2 Alabama defeated UNC Asheville.
Sears led the Crimson Tide on 6-for-8 shooting and was 3-for-4 from 3-point range. Clifford Omorui didn’t miss a beat in his Alabama debut, and the Rutgers transfer had 16 points on six shots, eight rebounds and two blocks.
Five other players scored in double figures for the Crimson Tide: Latrell Wrightsell Jr. (13), Mouhamed Dioubate (11), Aden Holloway (11), Jarin Stevenson (10) and Labaron Philon (10).
NO 4 HOUSTON 97, JACKSON STATE 40
In Houston, LG Cryer scored 16 points, Mylik Wilson added 15 points off the bench, and No. 4 Houston opened its season with a win over Jackson State.
J’Wan Roberts had 14 points and six rebounds, Ramon Walker Jr. added 10 points and Oklahoma transfer Milos Uzan had eight points, seven rebounds and 10 assists for Houston. The Cougars shot 58 percent, including 12 of 20 on 3-pointers.
The win was Houston’s 23rd straight home game, the longest active streak in the nation.
NO 5 Iowa STATE 83, MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE 44
In Ames, Iowa, Keshaun Gilbert scored 17 points and Tammin Lipsey added 16 as No. 5 Iowa State beat Mississippi Valley State for its 28th straight home win.
St. Mary’s transfer Joshua Jefferson added 10 points, six rebounds and four steals in his first game with the Cyclones.
Donovan Sanders had 12 points and Greg Moore added 10 for the Delta Devils, who won one game last season and are picked to finish last in the Southwest Athletic Conference.
NO 9 NORTH CAROLINA 90, ELON 76
In Chapel Hill, N.C., RJ Davis scored 24 points to cap an 11-0 run at No. 9 North Carolina after trailing in the second half in a win over Elon.
Elliott Caddo added 15 points and Seth Trimble had 12 for the Tar Heels, who shot just 41.2 percent from the field. Jay Lynn Withers recorded 10 points and 10 rebounds.
TJ Simpkins scored 18 points and Nick Dorn had 17 to lead Elon. Sam Sherry added 15 points and TC Simpkins had 14.
N0. 12 TENNESSEE 80, GARDNER-WEBB 64
In Knoxville, Tenn., Chaz Lanier scored 18 points and Jordan Gainey had 16 as No. 12 Tennessee beat Gardner-Webb.
Zakai Zeigler added 13 points and nine assists for the Volunteers, while Jahmai Mashak scored 10. Felix Okpara led the Vols in rebounds with nine.
UCF 64, NO. 13 TEXAS A&M 61
In Orlando, Fla., Darius Johnson scored 24 points and assisted on a dunk with less than a minute remaining to lead UCF to a victory over No. 13 Texas A&M.
Johnson dished out five assists, including a layup to Benny Williams that helped give the Knights a 62-61 lead with 45.5 seconds left. The Aggies didn’t score in the final 2:13.
NO 14 PURDUE 90, TEXAS A&M CORPUS CHRISTI 73
In West Lafayette, Ind., Fletcher Loyer scored 21 points to lead five players in double figures as No. 14 Purdue defeated Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Also scoring in double figures were Trey Kaufman-Rehn with 15 points, Myles Colvin with 14, Daniel Jacobsen with 13 and Brayden Smith with 12. Kaufman-Rehn had nine rebounds and Smith had 15 assists.
NO 18 MARQUETTE 102, STONY BROOK 62
In Milwaukee, Cam Jones scored 32 points on 14-of-16 shooting from the floor as No. 18 Marquette cruised past Stony Brook.
Jones was 4 of 6 from 3-point range and finished within two points of his career high. Jones had 34 points in back-to-back games against DePaul and Xavier last season.
NO 20 CINCINNATI 109, ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF 54
In Cincinnati, Simas Lukosius scored 20 points, Dan Skillings Jr. added 17, and #20 Cincinnati defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Connor Hickman had 13 points and Giselle James had 12 for the Bearcats, who had six players score in double figures.
NO 21 FLORIDA 98, SOUTH FLORIDA 83
In Jacksonville, Fla., Walter Clayton Jr. scored 29 points, Will Richard added 25, and #21 Florida overcame a 13-point deficit to beat South Florida.
Still dealing with the death of coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, the Bulls looked inspired as they built a double-digit lead. They hit six of their first 15 3-pointers to take an early 36-23 lead.
NO 23 KENTUCKY 103, WRIGHT STATE 62
In Lexington, Ky., Otega Owe scored 21 points, Kobe Brea added 18 off the bench and No. 23 Kentucky shot 60 percent to blow out Wright State in Mark Pope’s Wildcat debut.
Pope replaced John Calipari in April after the Hall of Famer left for Arkansas and revamped the roster with nine transfers. Owe, an Oklahoma transfer, shot 8-for-9 from the floor and made all three shots from deep.
NO 24 MISSISSIPPI 90, LONG ISLAND 60
In Oxford, Miss., Jalen Murray scored 18 of his 24 points in the first half and No. 24 Mississippi beat Long Island.
Murray went 7-for-10 from the field, including 5-for-8 on 3-pointers and 5-for-5 on free throws. The Rebels led 44-27 at halftime and extended their lead to 32 points in the second half.
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By james art 