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Ohio 97, Wilberforce 61

ATHENS

Jason Carter and Teyvion Kirk each scored 17 and Ben Vander Plas added another 16 as Ohio cruised past NAIA member Wilberforce. Carter returned to the lineup after missing all but three games a year ago due to injury while Kirk led the Bobcats in scoring and was named to the Mid-American Conference All-Freshman team. Ohio jumped out to an 11-0 lead while holding Wilberforce scoreless over the first five minutes. Lajuane Marshall hit a 3-pointer with 4:34 left in the first half to get the deficit back into single digits, but Carter hit two free throws to spark a 12-0 run that pushed the lead to 21 with 1:55 left and the Bobcats took a 19-point lead into intermission. Kirk and Carter scored 13 and 11 points, respectively, in the first half while Vander Plas scored all of his in the second. Terence Gholston scored 15 points to lead the Bulldogs.

Dayton 78, North Florida 70

DAYTON

Obi Toppin, pressed into starting in his first collegiate game, scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Dayton. Jordan Davis added 16 points and Trey Landers added 15 with 10 rebounds for the Flyers, who stretched a 41-35 halftime lead to 20 points with 8:24 to play. After the field goal by Dwayne Cohill, Dayton scored its final six points from the foul line. Toppin, a redshirt freshman, started because senior Josh Cunningham, a three-time captain and preseason All-Atlantic 10 pick, who led the team in scoring (15.6 points a game) and rebounding (8.4), injured his right hand in practice on Tuesday. Nine straight points capped a 28-7 run that made it 68-48 midway through the second half. Ryan Mikesell, a former starter who missed all of last year because of hip surgery, contributed 12 points for Dayton. Noah Horchler led the Eagles with 19 points and 12 rebounds and Garrett Sams had 15 points.

WOMEN

No. 17 North Carolina State 77, Belmont 62

RALEIGH, N.C.

Grace Hunter scored 16 points, Kai Crutchfield added 15 and No. 17 North Carolina State used a big run in the fourth quarter to defeat Belmont in the season-opener for both teams. The Wolfpack, who have won 16 straight openers, led 55-52 after three quarters and twice swapped baskets with the Bruins before Hunter knocked down a jumper. Crutchfield followed with a 3-pointer and another jumper before Aislinn Konig drilled a 3. The same trio scored the next eight points with Hunter finishing the 18-0 surge for a 77-56 lead with 2:54 to play. Belmont, which went 31-4 and won the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament for the third straight year to make the NCAA Tournament, missed seven shots and had three turnovers during the more than five-minute drought.

No. 20 Texas A&M 65,Rice 54

COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS

Chennedy Carter scored 22 points, Aaliyah Wilson and Kayla Wells combined for 34 and No. 20 Texas A&M defeated Rice in the season opener for both teams. Carter, last season’s national freshman of the year, opened the scoring with a tip-in and scored the last four points from the foul line in a 13-1 start. The Owls opened the scoring in the second quarter to make an 8-0 run that pulled them within four but Carter scored the first six of an 8-0 answer.

Associated Press