Khamil Pierre scored 21 points and her final basket put No. 9 North Carolina State into the lead with 46 seconds left in an 80-77 neutral-site victory against No. 8 Tennessee in Tuesday’s season opener in Greensboro, N.C.

After four lead changes in a two-and-a-half-minute span, Pierre scored in transition to give the Wolfpack a 78-77 lead. Zamareya Jones made two free throws with two seconds remaining to finalize the score.

NC State’s Tilda Trygger had 14 of her 19 points in the first half, Jones finished with 18 points and Zoe Brooks added 13. The Wolfpack trailed by 10 points in the second quarter but closed the gap to 44-40 by halftime.

Talaysia Cooper scored 17 of her 23 points in the first half for Tennessee, which also received 15 points from Janiah Barker and 13 points from reserve Jaida Civil. On Sunday, Tennessee dismissed starting senior guard Ruby Whitehorn from the team following an arrest.

No. 1 UConn 79, No. 20 Louisville 66

Sarah Strong poured in 21 points and Azzi Fudd racked up 20 points as defending national champion UConn rolled at Annapolis, Md.

The Huskies established a 25-9 first-quarter lead and expanded it to 44-23 by halftime, so their 4-for-26 shooting on 3-pointers for the game didn’t cost them.

Laura Ziegler’s 16 points and Skylar Jones’ 13 points led Louisville, which shot 34.4% from the field and collected only 12 offensive rebounds.

The game was originally scheduled to be held at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, but the site was changed due to the U.S. government shutdown.

No. 5 LSU 108, Houston Christian 55

MiLaysia Fulwiley, a transfer from South Carolina, scored 21 points in her debut with the Tigers at Baton Rouge, La.

Fulwiley shot 8-for-14 from the field, including two 3-pointers, and also recorded seven steals. Mikaylah Williams scored 14 points, Flau’Jae Johnson added 12 points and ZaKiyah Johnson contributed 11 points and 11 rebounds for LSU, which led 53-27 at halftime.

Grace Booth’s 17 points and Kamryn McLaurin’s 10 points paced Houston Christian, which had 33 turnovers.

No. 13 Michigan 100, Canisius 40

Mila Holloway poured in 21 points and Olivia Olson provided 18 points as the Wolverines rolled in the season opener at Ann Arbor, Mich.

Ashley Sofilkanich and Te’Yala Delfosse both supplied 14 points as Michigan shot 51.9% from the field.

Mary Copple’s eight points led Canisius, which was limited to 14 points in the second half. The Golden Griffiths committed 45 turnovers.

No. 18 Southern California 87, New Mexico State 48

Londynn Jones came off the bench to score 16 points as the Trojans downed the Aggies in Los Angeles.

Kara Dunn added 12 points and eight rebounds for Southern California. The Trojans also got 14 points from Jazzy Davidson and 11 from Kennedy Smith, but those two struggled with their shooting, going 4-for-16 and 2-for-10, respectively.

Lucia Yenes, a senior who never previously scored more than 20 points in a game, paced New Mexico State with 27 points. Imani Warren contributed 11 points.

No. 23 Michigan State 125, Mercyhurst 39

Theryn Hallock’s 19 points and Grace VanSlooten’s 18 points led the host Spartans on their way to a program record-setting point total in the season-opening romp at East Lansing, Mich.

Rashunda Jones and Amy Terrian scored 15 points each, Kennedy Blair and Emma Shumate both recorded 14 points and Jalyn Brown added 13 points along with eight rebounds for Michigan State, which held a 66-18 lead at halftime. That set a Breslin Center record for points in a half by a women’s team.

Lena Walz and reserve Cici Hernandez both scored nine points for Mercyhurst, which was charged with 36 turnovers.

No. 24 Richmond 83, Mount St. Mary’s 49

Maggie Doogan’s 28 points and 13 rebounds carried the host Spiders at Richmond, Va.

Doogan went 10-for-16 from the field, including two 3-pointers. Rachel Ullstrom and reserve Ava Persichetti each scored 12 points for Richmond, which led 36-17 at halftime. The Spiders hit 15 three-pointers, nearly outscoring the Mountaineers from beyond the arc alone.

Reserve Berlynn Carlson’s 12 points were tops for Mount St. Mary’s, which shot 19-for-53 from the field and committed 17 turnovers.

–Field Level Media