MONDAY’s OTHER COLLEGE BASKETBALL GAMES

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No. 2 Kansas 84, Vermont 68

LAWRENCE, KAN.

Lagerald Vick was 8 of 8 from beyond the 3-point arc and scored a career-high 32 points, Udoka Azubuike added 23 points and 10 rebounds, and second-ranked Kansas slogged its way to a victory over Vermont. The Jayhawks (2-0) were jumped by Duke for the top spot in the AP poll earlier in the day. And for most of their game against the Catamounts (1-1), they did little to prove the voters wrong. Kansas led just 40-36 at halftime before two big runs allowed coach Bill Self to breathe easy. Anthony Lamb had 24 points, Ernie Duncan added 17 and Stef Smith scored 13 for the Catamounts, who have lost nine straight to ranked teams dating to a win over Boston College in 2006.

No. 7 North Carolina 90, Stanford 72

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.

Kenny Williams scored 12 points after starting the season by missing his first 10 shots, and No. 7 North Carolina dominated the first half to beat Stanford in its home opener. Cameron Johnson had 17 points to lead four players in double figures for the Tar Heels (3-0), who shot 60 percent in the first half to take a 52-26 lead on Luke Maye’s 3-pointer just before the buzzer. Stanford (2-1) got no closer than 15 points after halftime. KZ Okpala scored 16 points to lead the Cardinal.

No. 12 Kansas State 64, Denver 56

MANHATTAN, KAN.

Barry Brown scored 15 of his 25 points in the second half and No. 12 Kansas State held off pesky Denver. Dean Wade and Xavier Sneed each had 12 points for the Wildcats (2-0), who have won 25 consecutive home games against nonconference opponents. Wade added 16 rebounds and four assists. Joe Rosga paced the Pioneers (1-1) with 18 points. Ronnie Harrell Jr. and Ade Murkey scored 14 apiece. Harrell also grabbed 12 rebounds. Kansas State pulled this one out despite shooting 38 percent from the field, including 6 of 27 (22 percent) from 3-point range.

No. 25 Buffalo 62, Southern Illinois 53

CARBONDALE, ILL.

Montell McRae and Jeremy Harris each scored 11 points as No. 25 Buffalo pulled away in the second half for a win over Southern Illinois. Davonta Jordan had nine points and five assists for the Bulls (3-0). Buffalo entered the Top 25 for the first time in school history Monday following its 99-94 overtime win at West Virginia on Friday night. CJ Massinburg added seven points and a team-high six rebounds for Buffalo. Kavion Pippen led Southern Illinois (0-2) with 18 points. Aaron Cook scored 11 and Sean Lloyd had 10. Southern Illinois played without starting forward Armon Fletcher, its top returning scorer from last season. Fletcher hurt his knee in the season-opening loss at Kentucky. Buffalo won despite shooting 35.5 percent from the field, including 8 of 28 from 3-point range. The Bulls had a 41-33 advantage on the glass and scored 23 points off 19 Salukis turnovers.

WOMEN

No. 1 Notre Dame 75, Penn 55

SOUTH BEND, IND.

Arike Ogunbowale overcame poor shooting to finish with 21 points and lead four players in double figures as No. 1 Notre Dame pulled away from Penn in the second half on the way to a victory. Jackie Shepard had 17 points, Brianna Turner 16 and Jackie Young 12 as Muffet McGraw’s Irish (2-0) overcame Ogunbowale’s 6-for-19 shooting effort and 18 total turnovers after raising their 2018 NCAA championship banner in the Purcell Pavilion. Turner added 10 rebounds for her second double-double of the season and Notre Dame outrebounded Penn 45-34. Ashley Russell had 15 points and Kendall Grasela 10 to lead the Quakers (1-1). The Irish were 3 for 12 from long distance.

No. 11 Texas 64, North Texas 54

DENTON, TEXAS

Lashann Higgs scored 20 points to reach 1,000 in her career and No. 11 Texas beat North Texas in a game featuring a longtime coach and her mentor. North Texas coach Jalie Mitchell played for the Mean Green when current Texas coach Karen Aston was an assistant at the school. Aston later served one year as UNT’s head coach in 2011-12, tripling the team’s win total from the previous year. Mitchell was as an assistant for Aston at both North Texas (2011-12) and Texas (2012-15). Texas (2-0) scored the opening seven points of the game and it was 23-11 at the end of the first quarter. Texas led 34-21 at halftime, paced by Jada Underwood’s 12 points and Charli Collier’s 10. UNT was just 9 of 36 from the field (25 percent). Underwood finished with 14 points and Collier 12. Terriell Bradley led North Texas (1-1) with 18 points.

Associated Press