Top-25 College Basketball Game Capsules

Louisville, KY (SportsNetwork.com) – Russ Smith posted 21 points and five assists, as No. 3 Louisville used a second-half surge to take down College of Charleston, 70-48, in the season opener for both programs on Saturday. Chris Jones totaled 12 points and six boards for the Cardinals (1-0), the defending national champions who next take on Hofstra Tuesday in the Hall of Fame Tipoff. Wayne Blackshear picked up 11 points and six rebounds, while Montrezl Harrell added 10 and eight boards to the win. Canyon Barry was the lone player in double figures, scoring 10 points for the Cougars (0-1), who trailed by two at halftime and kept things close before fading away late. Adjehi Baru had eight points and nine boards in defeat.

Final Score: (11) Ohio State 89, Morgan State 50

Columbus, OH (SportsNetwork.com) – Lenzelle Smith Jr. tallied 18 points and nine rebounds as the 11th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes routed the Morgan State Bears, 89-50, from Value City Arena. Smith and Shannon Scott made four 3- pointers apiece for Ohio State (1-0), which won its 10th straight season opener under head coach Thad Matta. Scott had a career-high 16 points and a game-high seven assists in the triumph, while LaQuinton Ross registered a double-double with 14 points and 11 boards. Sam Thompson and Marc Loving netted 14 and 10 points, respectively, off the bench for the Buckeyes, who are coming off a 29-8 campaign. OSU reached the West Regional final of the NCAA Tournament last season before getting knocked off by Wichita State.

Final Score: (15) Gonzaga 100, Bryant 76

Spokane, WA (SportsNetwork.com) – Sam Dower Jr. posted 21 points and 17 rebounds as the No. 15 Gonzaga Bulldogs defeated the Bryant Bulldogs, 100-76. Gerard Coleman had 15 points, while Kevin Pangos and Gary Bell Jr. each gave 14 points for Gonzaga (1-0), which went 32-3 last season, but lost in the third round of the NCAA Tournament to Wichita State. Dyami Starks had a game-high 35 points for Bryant (0-1), which finished the 2012-13 season with a mark of 19-12.

Final Score: (16) Wichita State 93, Emporia State 50

Wichita, KS (SportsNetwork.com) – Cleanthony Early posted 21 points to lead No. 16 Wichita State in a 93-50 victory over Emporia State on Saturday. Ron Baker had 17 points and six assists while Fred VanVleet gave 12 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Shockers (1-0), who fell to Louisville in the Final Four of last season’s NCAA Tournament. Terrence Moore had 15 points and five rebounds and Kaleb Wright gave 12 points for the Hornets, who counted this game as an exhibition.

Final Score: (23) New Mexico 88, Alabama A&M 52

Albuquerque, NM (SportsNetwork.com) – Cameron Bairstow had 22 points and 11 rebounds and No. 23 New Mexico opened its season with an 88-52 win over Alabama A&M. Kendall Williams finished with 17 points and seven assists, while Alex Kirk added 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Lobos (1-0), who finished 29-6 and earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament but were bounced out in the second round by 14th-seeded Harvard. Cullen Neal, the son of new head coach Craig Neal, netted 12 points in his debut. The elder Neal took over for Steve Alford, who bolted for UCLA. Jeremy Crutcher led the Bulldogs (0-1) with 17 points.

Categorized in: NCAA Basketball