High Point 97, Furman 91
ROCK HILL, S.C.--Rob Martin scored led five Panthers players in double figures with 22 points, as High Point forced 22 Furman turnovers, which led to a 25-3 advantage in points from turnovers and the Panthers coasted to a 26-point, 97-61, win in the season opener at the Field of 68's Opening Day Marathon at the Rock Hill Sports and Events Center.
It was the first win for new head coach Flynn Clayburn, who had been part of a High Point program as an assistant under former head coach Alan Huss and helped High Point win 56 combined games over the past two campaigns, including an NCAA Tournament berth as a part of 29 wins last season.
For Furman, it was its first season-opening loss under head coach Bob Richey, who fell to 8-1 in season openers leading the Paladins, and it was also the first season-opening defeat since the 2016-17 season opener at Presbyterian, which saw the Paladins fall 73-71 at the Templeton Center on that particular occasion.
Furman, which trailed by as many as 32 points in the second half, as was led by Charles Johnston's 16 points and 12 rebounds, as the junior center from Sydney, Australia led four Paladins in double figures in the losing effort.
Furman's 22 turnovers against High Point were its most since turning it over 22 times in a 117-110 double-overtime loss to Tulane on Dec. 14, 2023. It ranks as the most turnovers for a Furman team in regulation since Dec. 19, 2020, when the Paladins turned it over 23 times in an 87-71 loss at Winthrop.
In fact, it 262 games under Bob Richey prior to Monday night's season opener, the Paladins had only had seven games in which they turned it over 20 or more times, finishing 2-5 in those games. The only two wins came against South Carolina State (Dec. 3, 2022) and USC Upstate (Nov. 28, 2020). Furman's 22 turnovers in regulation was bested only once in Richey's tenure as head coach, and it ironically came in Rock Hill, as the Paladins finished with 23 turnovers in an 87-71 loss at Winthrop on Dec. 19, 2020.
No. 18 Tennessee 76, Mercer 61
KNOXVILLE, TENN--Tennessee freshman guard Nate Ament scored 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field, while the Vols defense managed to hold visiting Mercer to just 29.9% (20-of-67) shooting for the game in posting a 76-61 win before a crowd of 18,559 fans on-hand at Thompson-Boling Arena to open the 2024-25 season.
JP Estrella was the only other Bears player in double figures, as he added 12 points off the bench on 6-of-10 shooting from the field.
The Bears were solid in defeat, but couldn't find an offensive rhythm the entire night, thanks in large part to the Vols stellar defense.
Okojie finished his evening by connecting on 3-of-13 shots from the field and was 1-of-2 from long-range and a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe and also added four rebounds, two assists and a steal in 34 minutes of actions.
He was one of three Bears to finish the night in double figures, with Boston College transfer Armanti Migthy posting 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and added five boards and two blocks in the setback. Rounding out the Bears to find their way into double figures was Wagner transfer guard Zaire Williams, who added 10.
Both teams struggled offensively from the outset, however, Tennessee was able to rattle off a 21-6 run over a 8:50 stretch to take control of the game, assuming a 25-14 lead following an Ethan Burg layup following a JP Estrella steal. The Vols would eventually take what was a 33-21 lead into the halftime locker room.
The Vols shot 51.6% from the field in the opening half of play, while holding the visitors from Macon to just over 21% shooting from the field in the opening 20 minutes of basketball.
In the second half, the Vols continued to play strong defense, holding the Bears without a field goal for a little over four minutes, as the Bears went 0-of-5 from the field during that stretch, and a 7-0 run over a 1:20 stretch saw the Vols eventually run their advantage to 19, at 46-27.
Tennessee's lead would grow as large as 23 points (58-35) in the second half before Mercer began to chip away a bit, cutting the Vols lead to 62-49 following a Quinton Perkins II three-pointer with 5:40 remaining, but that would be as close as the Bears would get, as Tennessee held on for the comfortable win to open the 2025-26 season.
Mercer returns to action on Wednesday night, hosting LaGrange. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. inside the friendly confines of Hawkins Arena.
Cincinnati 94, Western Carolina 63
CINCINNATI, OH--Western Carolina opened its 2025-26 season in a big-time venue to start year two under head coach Tim Craft, and it was a tough way to open the campaign, as Cincinnati was able to claim a 94-63 win in what was the fifth all-time meeting between the two programs and the first time since the 2017-18 season. The latest victory saw the Bearcats remain perfect in the series against the Catamounts, improving to 5-0 inside the friendly confines of Fifth-Third Bank Arena.
The Bearcats, who are led by former UNCG legendary head coach Wes Miller, as four players ended the night in double figures, including three players that ended up with 18 points to lead the way for a Cincinnati team predicted to finish in the middle of the pack in the 16-team Big 12 Conference and looking to make its first NCAA Tournament appearance under the direction of its fifth-year head coach.
Freshman forward Shon Abaev, senior forward Baba Miller and sophomore center Moustapha Thiam all finished the game with 18 points, while 6-6 freshman wing Jordi Rodriguez added 10 points off the bench to help a well-rounded Cincinnati offensive attack, which finished the night connecting at a 54.2% clip (32-of-59), including a 35.7% (10-of-28) from three-point range.
Baba Miller and Jordi Rodriguez are the latest Spaniards to excel on a Wes Miller coached team, who while at UNCG, brought in dynamic shooting guard Francis Alonso and went on to become that program's most-prolific perimeter shooter, and that would end up leading to a 2017-18 SoCon Tournament crown. Miller is hoping his latest couple of Spaniards mentioned above can lead the Bearcats back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.
Baba Miller posted a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Bearcats, as he connected on 7-of-9 shots from the field and was 4-for-6 from the line, while also issuing out one assist in the win. Thomas is the lone returning starter for the Bearcats from a year ago, as he finished 3-for-11 shooting from the field and 2-of-5 from the charity stripe to share team scoring honors with his two teammates.
Western Carolina's offensive efforts were led by Cord Stansberry, who finished with a game-high 23 points on 9-of-19 shooting from the field, including a 4-for-9 effort from three-point range, as he would lead a Catamounts team that featured three players in double figures in what was a tough shooting night against the bigger, more talented Bearcats.
Stansberry, whose 23 points were just one off his career-high, was joined in double figures by newcomer Julien Soumaoro (13 pts) and preseason all-conference selection forward Marcus Kell (12 pts, 9 rebs) finished just one rebound shy of a double-double, as he continued off his strong close to the 2024-25 season, which saw him close out the 2024-25 season with 12-straight games in double figures.
The Bearcats started the game as you might expect for a major program steeped in tradition, beginning its 125th season of basketball by racing to a 25-8 first half lead a little over seven minutes into the contest, as Keyshaun Tillery capped an 11-0 spurt to bring the crowd of 9,126 fans on-hand at Fifth-Third Bank Arena to a loud collective roar.
The Catamounts could get no closer than 14 points for the remainder of the opening half, and the Bearcats led by as many as 28 (48-20) in the opening half before settling on a 21-point (49-28) advantage at the half.
After Cincinnati opened the second half on a 6-0 run to stretch the lead back to 28, at 56-28, the Catamounts would eventually trim the lead back to 19 points, on back-to-back buckets from Kell Stansberry, as the former connected on an three and the latter on a two-point shot in the paint, which saw the Catamounts cut the deficit to 64-45 with 10:35 left. It would be the only time the Catamounts would cut the deficit inside 20 points in the second half.
For the game, the Catamounts finished shooting the ball at a 35.9% (23-of-64) clip for the game, and the Catamounts were soundly outmatched in several key categories, including: points off turnovers (26-13), bench scoring (26-10) and fast-break points (16-0). The Catamounts turned the ball over 22 times in the game and shot just 33.3% (9-for-27) from three-point range. The Catamounts did hold a slight 37-36 advantage on the glass.
Western Carolina returns to action for a 2 p.m. contest Saturday afternoon against No. 6 Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils opened their season with a 75-60 win over Texas in Charlotte at the Spectrum Center Tuesday night to notch their 26th-straight season-opening win. Saturday's game will open up Duke's 2025-26 season at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
George Mason 70, Wofford 46
George Mason ended 2024 SoCon champion Samford's season in the NIT last March at EagleBank Arena, and issued defending SoCon Tournament champion Wofford and its rookie head coach Kevin Giltner a harsh verdict in the Terriers 2025-26 opener, as the 2024-25 Atlantic 10 regular-season co-champion Patriots claimed a 70-46 win in the same venue.
The Patriots were led by three in double figures, with junior guard Kory Mincy coming off the bench to deliver a game-high 18 points, as the former Presbyterian guard, who was one of three players in double figures (10 pts vs. Wofford in 2024-25) for the Blue Hose last season in helping PC stun Wofford 71-68 at the Templeton Center, continued a theme of playing well against the Terriers, as he would lead the Patriots in scoring in the contest, leading all scorers with 18 points off the bench for George Mason.
Mincy finished the night by connecting on 6-of-9 shots from the field, as he did most of his damage from three-point range in the game, connecting on 4-of-5 shots from three-point range. In addition to his 18 points, Mincy also dished out six of the team's 12 assists in the win.
Mincy would be joined in double figures in the game by former Samford big man Riley Allenspach, who finished the night with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field and added four boards, while senior guard Masai Troutman rounded out the Patriots players in double figures with 10 point and six rebounds in 29 minutes of action.
The Terriers would finish the evening with just one player able to scratch double figures, as Nils Machowski ended the opening night with 11 points to lead Wofford. Machowski went 4-for-10 from the field and was 2-for-6 from three-point range, while adding seven rebounds and a steal.
The Patriots finished the night shooting a solid 47.3% () from the field and held a 34-18 advantage in the points in the paint category, while George Mason took advantage of Wofford's youthful mistakes, turning 16 Wofford miscues into a 17-2 advantage in points off turnovers.
After trailing by just seven (29-22) at the break, the Terriers would be vastly overmatched in the second half, with George Mason able to outscore the Terriers by 17 (41-24).
Points were tough to come by for the entire night for Wofford, thanks in large part to the stifling defense played by George Mason, which held the Terriers to just 30% (15-of-50) shooting for the game, including just 20.7% (6-of-29) from three-point land.
Wofford returns to action Saturday, when it hosts Milwaukee in a 2 p.m. contest at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.
Kansas State 93, UNC Greensboro 64
MANHATTAN, KS--It was UNCG that came out and stunned Kansas State and took as much as a 10-point lead (22-12) in the opening half and held a surprising 34-33 lead at the half, however, it would be Kansas State who would ultimately have the last laugh, outscoring the Spartans by 30 (60-30) in the second half to cruise to a 93-64 win in the 2025-26 season opener for both teams before 7,765 fans on-hand at the Bramlage Coliseum.
The loss, which saw the Spartans fall to 0-1 to open the 2025-26 season, marked the first time the Spartans lost a season-opener since the 2017-18 season, when UNCG dropped a 60-48 contest to Virginia.
Three Wildcats found their way into double figures, with PJ Haggerty leading the way with 27 points, while Nate Johnson added 22 and junior guard Abdi Bashir Jr. added all 16 of his points to the cause in the second half.
Haggerty, who transferred in from the University of Memphis during the off-season, would pace the Wildcats in scoring despite getting off to a bit of a slow start in the contest, as he connected on 10-of-20 shots from the field and was 1-of-4 from three-point range, as well as being a near-perfect 6-for-7 at the charity stripe. Haggerty also added three assists, a block and a steal to the cause, while ripping down a pair of rebounds in the contest.
Nate Johnson nearly put together a triple-double effort, finishing with nine rebounds and nine assists to go with his 22 points. Johnson was hot all night, connecting on 8-of-11 shots from the field, including going 6-for-7 from three-point land in the win.
The Spartans also finished with three players in double figures, as Mike Jones' newly assembled roster of players saw both positives and plenty of negatives emerge in the season opener. Justin Neely led the way with 15 points for UNCG, while French guard Lillian Marville added 14 points in his first game with the program. Lithuanian forward and one of the few holdovers, Domas Kauzonas, rounded out the Spartans in double figures, adding 10 points, six rebounds, two blocks and an assist.
Neely, who transferred into UNCG from UAlbany, scored his 15 points on a 5-for-9 shooting effort from three-point land and connected on his only three attempt of the night, while finishing 4-of-6 from the line to equal his team-leading scoring performance. Neely also added nine rebounds to just miss a double-double, while adding five assists and three steals to complete his well-rounded debut for the Spartans.
True freshman guard KJ Younger turned in a solid effort in 29 minutes of work in his first-ever collegiate game, adding nine points, four steals, and two boards in the season-opening road loss.
In the opening half of play, the Spartans jumped out to a 22-12 lead, which would cap a 14-4 run, as a three-pointer by Antwann Jones off a feed from Neely staked the Spartans to their biggest lead of the night with 8:48 remaining in the opening half of play.
However, a 21-12 run by the Wildcats to close the half saw Kansas State enter the halftime locker room with all the momentum, despite trailing by a point.
The Wildcats showcased an offensive onslaught in the second half of basketball, however, as K-State would score 15 points before the first media timeout of the second half, picking up the pace, and it was Bashir three-pointer that broke a 40-40 tie and gave K-State a lead they wouldn't relinquish the rest of the night. A layup by Haggerty and a three by freshman wing Andrej Kostic saw the Wildcats head over to coach Jerome Tang at the first media timeout of the second half, holding what was a 48-42 lead.
After Khamari McGriff's dunk in transition gave the Wildcats a 12-point, 55-43, lead with 13:32 left, Kauzonas answered with a jumper at the 13:05 mark to cut the K-State lead back to 10, at 55-45. At that point, K-State would seize control of the game for the remainder of the night, and it would prove to be the a decisive juncture of the game, as the Wildcats put together a 15-0 run to take a 70-45 lead with 9:39 remaining following a three-pointer by Nate Johnson. The K-State run of 15-straight points came on five consecutive made threes to push the lead to 25.
K-State would push its lead to as much as 32 points a little over six minutes later, as Haggerty converted a made layup in the paint, giving the Wildcats its biggest lead of the night, at 89-57, with 3:12 remaining. The Wildcats closed out the win with a strong second half, scoring 60 second-half points for just the 11th time in program history.
For the game, K-State connected on 50.7% (34-of-67) shots from the field, including blistering the nets at a 59.5% (22-of-37) in the second half alone to dominate the game. Even more impressive was K-State's 52% shooting effort from three-point range in the game, as the Wildcats made 14 of their 27 long-range efforts, including a blistering 11-for-17 effort in the second half.
Meanwhile, UNCG finished the game shooting at just a 37.7% (23-of-61) clip, including just a 30.0% (6-of-20) shooting effort from three-point land.
In terms of specialty stats, the Wildcats owned advantages in the following stat categories: points in the paint (34-28), points off turnovers (21-17), fast-break points (26-8), bench scoring (21-10), second-chance points (14-10), total rebounds (41-32) and assists (22-15).
UNCG returns to the hardwood on Saturday, hosting nearby rival Elon in a 4 p.m. EST contest at UNCG's on-campus facility, Fleming Gym.
Tulane 85, Samford 72
NEW ORLEANS, LA--
Non-Division I games from Week 1
VMI 122, Johnson and Wales 58
The Citadel 105, Erskine 61
Chattanooga 92, Union 39
ETSU 102, Converse 50
Mercer 101, LaGrange 62
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