MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Okafor leads UConn in opener
He scored 21 points as the Huskies defeated Yale, 70-60.
STORRS. Conn. (AP) -- Emeka Okafor, the AP's preseason player of the year, had 21 points and 13 rebounds in No. 1 Connecticut's season-opening 70-60 victory over Yale on Monday night.
The Huskies, who rallied from a three-point halftime deficit in the Preseason NIT game, will host the winner of the game between Vermont and Nevada in the second round Wednesday night.
Denham Brown had 15 points and Ben Gordon added 13 and six assists for the Huskies. Dominick Martin and Edwin Draughn each had 14 points for Yale, which lost its 12th straight season opener.
No. 11 Texas 89, Brown 51
AUSTIN, Texas -- P.J. Tucker had 18 points and 13 rebounds to become the third Texas freshman to finish with a double-double in his college debut.
Tucker broke the Texas freshman first-game record for rebounds and tied the points mark. Brandon Mouton added 16 points, and James Thomas had 19 rebounds for the Longhorns.
Jaime Kilburn led Brown with 16 points.
UC Irvine 63, Ohio 60
CINCINNATI -- Guard Ross Schraeder scored a career-high 17 points, 12 in the second half, to lead UC Irvine to fifth place in the Black Coaches Association Classic.
Schraeder also set a career high with five 3-pointers, including one that gave the Anteaters (2-1) the lead for good at 33-30 with 16:42 remaining in the game.
Greg Ethington added 12 points for the Anteaters.
Jeff Halbert scored 15 points to lead Ohio (1-2), which shot just 30 percent (18-of-60) from the field compared with 46 percent (17-of-37) for UC Irvine.
Illinois-Chicago 75, Mercer 64
CINCINNATI -- Cedrick Banks had 20 points and 10 rebounds, steadying Illinois-Chicago in the consolation game of the BCA Classic.
Joe Scott added 15 points, Aaron Carr had 12 and Armond Williams had 10 for Illinois-Chicago (2-1).
Mercer (1-2) overcame a 10-point halftime deficit behind Scott Emerson, who scored 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting. Jay January added 17 points.
Minnesota 78, UMKC 67
MINNEAPOLIS -- Kris Humphries scored 26 points and grabbed 15 rebounds as Minnesota overcame a slow start in the opening round of the preseason NIT.
It was a solid debut for Humphries, the Gophers' prized recruit who came to Minnesota after originally choosing Duke. He shot 12-for-23 from the floor with one blocked shot, a steal and an assist. Humphries left to a standing ovation with Minnesota leading 74-54.
Moe Hargrow scored 18 points for the Gophers (1-0). Fellow senior Michael Bauer added nine points and 10 rebounds.
Mike English had 16 points and 12 rebounds to lead UMKC, which took advantage of Minnesota's early mistakes and stayed close to the Gophers in the first half.
Brandon Lipsey had 13 points and Brandon Temple added 12 for the Kangaroos (0-1). Missouri-Kansas City went 11-for-33 from beyond the arc.