Drew Timme recorded 22 points and 13 rebounds and No. 2 Gonzaga squeaked out a 64-63 victory over Michigan State on Friday night in the Armed Forces Classic on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln in San Diego.

Timme split two free throws with 1:51 left to give the Bulldogs the one-point lead. The Spartans had a chance to win it but Jaden Akins’ 3-pointer bounced off the back of the rim as time expired.

Julian Strawther added 13 points and nine rebounds and Nolan Hickman added 10 points for the Bulldogs (2-0). Malachi Smith, the ballyhooed transfer from Chattanooga, matched his career best of six steals.

Mady Sissoko had 14 points and nine rebounds before fouling out for Michigan State (1-1). A.J. Hoggard had 12 points and three steals, Tyson Walker also scored 12 points and Malik Hall added 11 points and seven rebounds for the Spartans.

The contest was played on the 11-year anniversary of when Michigan State lost 67-55 to North Carolina in the Carrier Classic. That game was played on the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson in San Diego.

The first half was played in sunlight in breezy conditions under lights shining on the compact setting. The second half began during sunset and it was fully dark midway through it.

The Spartans shot 40.4 percent from the field, and were a lowly 3 of 16 (18.8 percent) from 3-point range.

Gonzaga made 41.8 percent of its shots and was 4 of 18 (22.2 percent) from behind the arc.

The Bulldogs committed 18 turnovers and the Spartans had 16.

Michigan State led by seven at the break and quickly elevated the advantage to 45-33 on two free throws by Joey Hauser with 17:05 left.

Gonzaga rattled off the next 11 points with Efton Reid scoring on a putback to cut the deficit to one with 12:43 remaining.

The Spartans missed their first seven first-goal attempts of the second half before Walker converted a layup to give Michigan State a 47-44 edge with 12:03 left.

Hoggard made three of four free throws over a 31-second span to boost the Spartans’ lead to six.

The Bulldogs answered by scoring eight of the next 11 points with Timme concluding it with two baskets to cut Michigan State’s lead to 53-52 with 6:18 to play.

Timme’s three-point play knotted the score at 55 with 5:13 remaining.

Gonzaga took its first second-half lead at 61-59 on Smith’s putback with 3:11 left.

Tre Hollomon scored a buzzer-beating layup to give the Spartans a 38-31 halftime lead.

Sissoko scored 10 in the half for Michigan State and Strawther had nine for Gonzaga.

–Field Level Media

Adama Sanogo poured in 27 points and 15 rebounds as UConn cruised past Boston University 86-57 on Friday night in Storrs, Conn.

Sanogo made 12 of 15 shots to lead the Huskies (2-0) to their seventh straight win over BU (1-1). Naheim Alleyne and Tristen Newton each added 11 points, while Donovan Clingan and Alex Karaban went for 10 apiece.

UConn led by double digits for 35:19 of action.

Following his 27-point performance in the Terriers’ season opener, Walter Whyte once again paced Boston University, supplying 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Daman Tate was BU’s only other player to score in double figures, notching 11 points.

The Terriers weren’t able to find their 3-point stroke all night, finishing 2-for-12 (16.7 percent) from beyond the arc. They were also outscored 38-24 in the paint.

Connecticut ran away with things with just under 13 minutes left in the second half, using a 12-0 surge to double its 12-point advantage. BU pulled within 19 twice, but that was the closest it would get.

Karaban had five points during the run, and the Huskies shot a blistering 61.5 percent from the field (16 of 26) through the final 20 minutes of play.

The Terriers scored just four points in the final 4:19.

Hassan Diarra converted a pair of free throws with 5 1/2 minutes left in the first to give UConn its second 19-point lead of the half.

Boston University shaved the deficit down to 12 thanks to a free throw barrage and baskets from Whyte and Fletcher Tynen, but Sanogo scored the final five points ahead of the break to send UConn into halftime with a 40-23 lead.

The Huskies got off to an extremely fast start, putting together an 11-0 run through the first 4:41. BU didn’t get on the board until Whyte’s free throw with 14:26 left in the first half, and Tynen sunk the Terriers’ first field goal four minutes later.

Boston University missed its first 10 shots.

–Field Level Media

Jarace Walker scored 23 points and J’Wan Roberts added 19 points and 12 rebounds as No. 3 Houston rolled to an 81-55 win over St. Joseph’s on Friday in the Veterans Classic at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.

Tramon Mark added 12 points for the Cougars (2-0), who took charge early and led by 20 points at halftime. St. Joseph’s cut into the lead through the first nine minutes of the second half but never got closer than 14 before Houston pulled away.

Erik Reynolds II scored 17 points for the Hawks (0-1) with Kacper Klaczek pulling down 12 rebounds.

Officials considered stopping the game five minutes into the second half because condensation on the court continually caused players to slip, but they decided to continue after consulting with both coaches. The situation was revisited with 3:24 to play in the game and Houston ahead by 26 points, but the coaches again convinced the officials to continue.

The Cougars wasted no time asserting themselves, scoring 12 of the game’s first 14 points in the game’s initial 3:16. An 8-0 run over a four-minute span in the middle of the half granted Houston a 34-11 advantage, its largest of the half before St. Joseph’s scored the ensuing seven points to cut the margin to 16 points.

A reverse layup by Reggie Chaney at the buzzer stoked Houston’s advantage to 46-26 at the break.

Walker paced Houston with 10 points in the half, as 10 Cougars players saw the court before halftime and eight of them scored. Reynolds had 12 points to lead St. Joseph’s over the first 20 minutes of play.

The Hawks employed a half-court press in the second half and the strategy bothered Houston enough to create six turnovers and hold the Cougars to just seven points over the first nine and a half minutes of the half. But during that stretch St. Joseph’s was only able to cut its deficit to 14 points.

–Field Level Media

If there’s one skill Tennessee coach Rick Barnes is confident his No. 11 Volunteers can do, it’s shoot.

While Tennessee’s performance in a season-opening 75-43 win over visiting Tennessee Tech on Monday didn’t reflect that, he’s not going to change the Volunteers’ approach when they face Colorado on Sunday in Nashville, Tenn.

The Volunteers shot 26 for 65 (40 percent), including 14 for 44 (31.8 percent) from 3-point range against Tennessee Tech.

Barnes was encouraged by what his team did in the second half. The Volunteers shot 17 for 36 (47.2 percent) from the field and 10 for 23 (43.5 percent) from beyond the arc during a 48-point half that turned an 11-point halftime lead into a rout.

“We’re going to shoot the ball. We’ve worked too hard not to do that. I’m not sure we had many of them that were what I would call a bad shot,” Barnes said. “We knew going in that they were going to pack it back in there. We knew that if played inside out, that’s what it would be. We said hey, if we’re open, take it.”

Tyreke Key, a transfer from Indiana State who missed all of last season with an injured right shoulder, came off the bench to score 17 points on 5-for-10 shooting that included going 4 for 8 from distance.

“You wonder when they start popping popcorn and the lights come on how guys will respond,” Barnes said. “I am not surprised. His demeanor pretty much never changes.”

Zakai Zeigler scored 12 points on 4-of-14 shooting to go along with five assists and Santiago Vescovi added nine points and eight rebounds.

The Volunteers scored 28 points off 22 Golden Eagles’ turnovers and outrebounded them 37-28.

Colorado is coming off a season-opening, 82-66 win over visiting UC Riverside on Monday. The Buffaloes used a 14-0 first-half run to take a 46-28 advantage at halftime before leading by as many as 21 points in the second half.

J’Vonne Hadley had 16 points on 6-for-12 shooting to go along with eight rebounds, while KJ Simpson added 14 points and Tristan da Silva and Jalen Gabbidon, a transfer from Yale, chipped in 12 points apiece.

“I’ve been around college basketball a lot and I’ve played in a lot of games against high-level teams and in practice on any given day, anyone can be unstoppable,” Gabbidon said. “To have that asset of depth is huge for us. We have 10, 11, 12 guys who can all contribute at the highest level, so there’s no reason for us to hold back.”

The Buffaloes shot 30 for 64 (46.9 percent) from the field, including 6 for 13 (46.2 percent) from beyond the arc. However, the Buffaloes shot a dreadful 16 for 26 (61.5 percent) from the free-throw line, which they can’t afford to do on Sunday.

Colorado also will have to play much better defensively if it’s to upset Tennessee. Colorado was outrebounded by the Highlanders 44-43 and gave up 42 points in the paint, as well as 10 second-chance points.

–Field Level Media

Two games into his second season at Rutgers, Aundre Hyatt acknowledges that he’s already much more comfortable in the scarlet and white.

The junior forward will look to make it three productive games in a row when the Scarlet Knights (2-0) host UMass Lowell (2-0) on Saturday afternoon in Piscataway, N.J.

“Yes, most definitely,” Hyatt said Thursday, when asked if he feels more relaxed after the Scarlet Knights notched an 88-50 win over Sacred Heart. “This offseason I realized that I have to get better. I really took pride in my catch-and-shoot and rebounding. I think those two aspects are going to help me out this season.”

Hyatt scored a career-high 19 points in that contest, following his 12-point, 10-rebound effort in the season opener against Columbia. Last season, he averaged only 4.3 points per game in his first campaign after transferring from LSU.

Cam Spencer added 18 points in the win over Sacred Heart, while Clifford Omoruyi chipped in 17 points. Spencer averages a team-high 17.5 points on the young season and also has swiped nine steals through the first two games.

“It looked pretty comfortable, didn’t it?” Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell quipped after earning his 100th win with the Scarlet Knights.

To earn victory No. 101, Pikiell will need to slow down a UMass Lowell squad that is averaging 98.5 points through its first two games.

In Thursday’s 89-62 triumph against Columbia, the River Hawks were led by Yuri Covington’s 20 points off the bench. He made 4 of 6 shots from outside the arc as the team shot 9 of 18 from 3-point range and 57.4 percent from the field overall.

Abdoul Karim Coulibaly chipped in 13 points and 13 rebounds — his second straight double-double to begin the season — and Ayinde Hikim also contributed 13 points.

“It was good to get an early convincing road win where almost everybody contributed,” said coach Pat Duquette. “Our depth was huge tonight.”

–Field Level Media

Providence left room for improvement in its season-opening victory against Rider, and Providence coach Ed Cooley will be looking for a better effort from his team when the Friars battle visiting Northeastern on Saturday night.

Providence (1-0) lost eight players from a team that won the program’s first Big East regular-season championship and advanced to the Sweet 16 last season. On Tuesday, the Friars had to overcome a 15-point deficit to beat Rider, 66-65, in Providence.

Providence nearly squandered a 10-point lead in the second half.

“We’re happy to get the win against a very good team,” Cooley said. “It was a good learning experience for our team as we try to blend eight new guys into our squad. Our crowd was worth about six or seven points in the second half. We played an experienced, veteran team.”

Northeastern (0-1) opened its season with a 72-63 road loss against Boston University on Monday. The teams were tied 53-53 with 8:45 to play, but the Terriers closed the game with a 19-10 run.

Jahmyl Telfort, a 6-foot-7 junior guard, tossed in a team-high 26 points and grabbed a career-high-tying nine rebounds for Northeastern. Masai Troutman came off the bench to score 13 for the Huskies, who had five players make their collegiate debut.

“Most years you’re trying to get to your eight-player rotation,” Northeastern coach Bill Coen said. “This year I don’t want to do that prematurely, because guys are going to be getting better week by week and day by day. As always, we’ll use the nonconference schedule to get us ready for conference play, but even more so this year while we’re developing players to figure out who the top guys are going to be once we come to 2023.”

Kentucky transfer Bryce Hopkins, a 6-foot-7 forward, led Providence with 18 points and six rebounds against Rider. The Friars also received 13 points and a game-high 10 rebounds from graduate student Ed Croswell.

–Field Level Media

Mouhamed Gueye, Justin Powell and Washington State aim to string together another strong performance Saturday when they visit Boise State in the Capital City Classic.

The game is officially a neutral-site contest despite being played in Boise, Idaho.

Gueye scored 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting and added a career-high 13 rebounds in the Cougars’ 83-61 win over Texas State on Monday in the season opener for both teams.

A Pac-12 Preseason All-Conference First Team selection, he found himself on the receiving end of many passes from Powell, a transfer guard from Tennessee. Powell recorded a career-high 12 assists to go along with 14 points for Washington State (1-0).

“It’s great when I have (Gueye) next to me,” Powell said. “Whatever they gave us, we took. I had guys finish everything for me, which makes it easier.

“It felt good kinda going back to my roots a little bit, which is having the ball in my hands, being able to distribute, being in a great offense.”

Cougars coach Kyle Smith was quite complimentary of Powell, who committed just one turnover on a team that totaled 19 assists and shot 52.7 percent from the floor.

“He’s an elite passer and pretty close to being an elite shooter,” Smith said. “We really upgraded there (passing the ball). That’s kind of our identity.”

DJ Rodman, the son of Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman, scored 16 points while making the start in place of injured Andrej Jakimovski (toe).

While Washington State enjoyed a convincing victory in its opener, Boise State (0-1) dropped a heartbreaker with a 68-66 setback to South Dakota State on Wednesday. The Jackrabbits made a layup with 1.3 seconds remaining to emerge with the victory.

Max Rice recorded 21 points and a career-high five steals for the Broncos.

“I feel like I’m coming off the best offseason I’ve had,” Rice said. “I’ve been doing it in practice so I know I can do it in games. My teammates find me and they know that I can make those shots, so I’m becoming a lot more aggressive this year.”

Marcus Shaver Jr. had 17 points, six rebounds and five assists in a losing effort.

Shaver had 15 points and six rebounds in the Broncos’ 58-52 victory over the Cougars last season.

–Field Level Media

The start of the Kenny Payne era at Louisville could have gotten off to a much better start.

The Cardinals will try to shake off a season-opening loss to local rival Bellarmine when they return to the court Saturday to host Wright State.

Bellarmine — a private university in Louisville entering just its third season playing Division I basketball — led by as many as 14 points before staving off Louisville’s attempted comeback Wednesday in a 67-66 upset.

Jae’Lyn Withers led Louisville (0-1) with 17 points, Mike James scored 16 — including a 3-pointer that cut the deficit to one point with 1:02 to go — and El Ellis had 14 with a game-high five assists.

“First of all, there was some growth,” Payne said. “It wasn’t all bad. We lost that game by one. If you go back through from the beginning to the end, there were 20 possessions that were wasted. There were defensive lapses that we just gave up on. I am saying this to the guys in the locker room: ‘Possession by possession defensively, make it as hard as you can.'”

Payne took over at his alma mater after spending the previous two seasons as an assistant coach for the New York Knicks.

The Cardinals will get another crack at a win when they welcome Wright State (0-1) of the Horizon League.

Wright State hosted Davidson for its season opener Wednesday and went to two overtimes before falling, 102-97.

Trey Calvin scored a team-high 37 points on 14-of-33 shooting over 43 minutes to carry the Raiders in the loss.

Wright State couldn’t defend a late four-point lead in regulation. It then fell behind 89-82 in the first overtime before storming back in the final 1:42, with Calvin’s jumper with four seconds left forcing the second session.

“We obviously did some things where I was impressed with our kids,” Wright State coach Scott Nagy said, per the Dayton Daily News. “We found out a lot about our kids in terms of our fight.

“I told them before the game and after the game, ‘These seasons are marathons, they’re not sprints. And this is just a couple steps into it.'”

–Field Level Media

St. John’s looks to follow up its dominant season-opening win when it hosts Lafayette on Saturday in Queens, N.Y.

The Red Storm (1-0) rolled to a 97-72 win over Merrimack on Monday when its two top newcomers produced strong debuts, and even a spate of turnovers could not ruin things.

David Jones totaled 21 points and 10 rebounds while hitting five 3-pointers after spending the previous two seasons with DePaul. Illinois transfer Andre Curbelo meshed in the backcourt with Posh Alexander by producing 13 points and seven assists as the duo combined for 27 points, 12 assists and eight steals.

“I feel like we did a fantastic job,” Alexander said. “The whole team came out in a zone, we played well. We’re just going to try to bring that to the next game.”

The strong debut for the transfers occurred when St. John’s shot 56.9 percent, made 13 of 15 free throws and held a 47-26 rebounding margin — all of which offset 29 turnovers. The turnovers did not cost them against the Northeast Conference preseason favorite as the St. John’s defense allowed 37.9 percent shooting from the field and 20.7 percent from 3-point range.

“That will be addressed,” Red Storm coach Mike Anderson said of the turnovers. “That’s something I don’t condone.”

Lafayette, after 27 seasons with Fran O’Hanlon at the helm, began the first season under coach Mike Jordan on Monday by shooting 36.5 percent in a 67-54 loss at Miami.

C.J. Fulton scored 17 points as the Leopards (0-1) held a two-point lead at halftime before giving up a 10-0 run to start the second half. Lafayette scratched back against the ACC team to pull even midway through the second but then gave up nine straight points and couldn’t recover.

“We are going to compete. We’re going to play as hard as we possibly can because I won’t settle for less than that,” Jordan said.

The schools are meeting for the first time since Nov. 15, 1997.

–Field Level Media

LSU struggled at times in its season opener, but the Tigers came up with a victory in the debut of first-year head coach Matt McMahon.

They never trailed in the game, led for all but 64 seconds, held a seven-point halftime lead and led by as many as 16 points in the second half before completing a 74-63 victory against visiting Missouri-Kansas City on Wednesday.

LSU will try to build on that performance when it faces Arkansas State on Saturday at Baton Rouge, La.

“Obviously, I would have liked to play better,” McMahon said. “We’re going to be a work in progress, but overall, a lot of positives to take away.”

The Tigers held the Roos to 32.8-percent shooting, including just 4 of 25 (16 percent) on 3-pointers; managed a 45-38 rebounding edge and finished with 16 assists on 24 field goals.

KJ Williams had 13 points and 14 rebounds, Justice Hill added 13 points, seven assists and four steals and Adam Miller scored 18 points, making 4-of-9 3-pointers.

“We got knocked down a couple of times, but we’re going to work those kinks out,” Miller said. “We have a great defensive team and that’s going to show this year when we start stacking days.”

Arkansas State won its season opener 86-55 at home against Division II Harding on Monday night.

The Red Wolves shot 56.3 percent from the field, had 29 assists and a 40-27 rebounding advantage as well as holding the Bison to 37.5 percent shooting, recording 15 steals and scoring 19 points off turnovers.

The Red Wolves replaced four starters from last year’s team that finished 18-11. The one returning starter is point guard Caleb Fields, who had six points and four assists in 23 minutes in the opener.

“He’s been a leader for us ever since day one,” coach Mike Balado said of Fields. “People listen to him. He’s got a really great way of communicating with his teammates.”

–Field Level Media