Men

No. 1 Gonzaga 87, No. 11 West Virginia 82

Losing Jalen Suggs in the first half shook up No. 1 Gonzaga.

Getting him back in the second half Wednesday provided a needed jolt of energy.

Joel Ayayi matched his career high with 21 points and Andrew Nembhard and Corey Kispert each scored 19 points, and Suggs' return shifted the transition game into gear to help the Bulldogs rally past West Virginia.

“At first, we were kind of disappointed because we all love Jalen," Nembhard said. “Him coming back in the game was big for us. He played football so you know he’s tough and we’re pretty versatile so we could do some different things in the second to help him out. It worked out well for us."

Suggs was in pain from the moment he went down. He held a towel over his face and then continued to wince and writhe on the socially-distanced bench. Eventually, he stood up and walked gingerly to the locker room but did not return with what the team called an injured left ankle. Somehow, he made it back on the floor in the second as one of the catalysts of the comeback.

The freshman star finished with four points, five assists and six rebounds — much of that production coming after he went down with what initially appeared to be a serious left ankle injury.

By the second half, he was lobbying to get back on the court. And once he did, everything turned for Gonzaga, which struggled against the Mountaineers size and strength.

But once they were off and running, it was no match. Gonzaga (3-0) has won seven straight, dating to the end of last season, and already has two wins over top 15 opponents — Kansas and West Virginia (3-1).

Derek Culver finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds and Oscar Tshiebwe had 14 points and nine rebounds before fouling out with 7:26 to play to lead the Mountaineers. Afterward, Culver blamed himself for this one.

“We're every bit as good as they are — if we don't do dumb things," coach Bob Huggins said. “I think everyone should shoulder the blame."

West Virginia's defense got Gonzaga out of sync early and when it looked like the Bulldogs were about to get going, Suggs drove toward the basket, his left foot sliding through the lane and collapsing to the floor where he stayed for several minutes. He needed help to reach his seat.

And the Mountaineers took advantage of the momentum shift by going on a 33-24lead late in the first half.

When Suggs returned in the second half, Gonzaga charged back.

It retook the lead on Kispert’s layup with 9:46 to play and seized control as Kispert and Ajayi combined for nine points in the decisive run.

It looks like the poll voters got this one right. The Bulldogs have opened this season with wins over two top 15 foes — Kansas and West Virginia — as well as Auburn, all on neutral courts. Yes, they can and must player better, but finding a way to win when things don't go according to script says a lot about where they are.

The Mountaineers weren't even supposed to be here — until a COVID-19 outbreak forced No. 13 Tennessee to back out. But Huggins' teams never back down from a challenge. They followed the same script

West Virginia guard Sean McNeil also left during the first half after taking an elbow to the forehead. McNeil was called for a foul on the play as he tried to take a charge. He returned to action later in the first half — with four stitches.

No. 17 Texas 69, No, 14 North Carolina 67

Matt Coleman III hit a stepback jumper with 0.1 seconds left to lift Texas past North Carolina in the championship game of the relocated Maui Invitational.

Coleman finished with 22 points and was the tournament’s most valuable player.

The Longhorns (4-0) blew a 16-point lead late in the first half and fell behind with about 2 1/2 minutes left. Coleman and Kai Jones came up big in the critical moments for Texas, securing the Longhorns’ first Maui title in their fifth appearance in the tournament.

Jones had 12 points, including a tying jumper with 2:19 left and then a transition dunk with 41.2 seconds remaining that gave Texas a 67-65 lead. North Carolina's Leaky Black answered with two free throws with 25.6 seconds left, only to see Coleman make a tough shot against RJ Davis that hit the rim, bounced off the backboard and dropped through the net.

Garrison Brooks had 18 points for the Tar Heels (3-1), playing through an ankle injury.

Missouri 83, No. 21 Oregon 75

Xavier Pinson scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half and Missouri overcame a mid-game lull and late Oregon flurry to beat.

Mark Smith scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half to help Missouri (2-0) build a 17-point lead.

Eugene Omoruyi set career highs with 31 points and 11 rebounds in his first game for the Ducks since transferring from Rutgers.

No. 22 Florida State 86, North Florida 58

M.J. Walker scored 17 points and Balsa Koprivica added 13 and Florida State opened its season with a blowout victory.

Scottie Barnes, the ACC’s preseason freshman of the year, had eight points, six rebounds and six assists.

Dorian James had 13 points for North Florida (0-4).

No. 23 Ohio State 77, Morehead State 44

E.J. Liddell scored 16 points to help Ohio State rout Morehead State.

Justice Sueing, C.J. Walker and Duane Washington Jr. had 11 points apiece for Ohio State (3-0).

DeVon Cooper scored 13 points for Morehead State (1-3). The Eagles shot 25% from the floor.

Women

No. 6 Mississippi State 106, New Orleans 51

Center Jessika Carter had 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting and added 10 rebounds in Mississippi State’s victory over New Orleans.

With a significant size advantage, the Bulldogs (2-0) outrebounded the Privateers (1-1) 51-16 and outscored them 72-12 in the paint. JaMya Mingo-Young added 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting and had eight rebounds and five assists. Rickea Jackson scored 16 points, and Yemiyah Morris had 14.

Mississippi State led 25-9 in the first quarter and 57-28 at the half. The Bulldogs shot 63% and held the Privateers to 32%.

Dionjhae Thomas led New Orleans with 11 points, and Erin Randle had 10

No. 12 Texas A&M 80, Lamar 63

N’dea Jones had 16 points and 11 rebounds, Aaliyah Wilson added 14 points and 10 rebounds and Texas A&M beat Lamar.

Texas A&M (3-0) also beat Lamar 77-61 in the season opener Nov. 25. Lamar coach Aqua Franklin played at A&M.

Jordan Nixon added eight points, a career-high 10 assists and three steals for Texas A&M. The Aggies scored the final seven first-half points and opened the third quarter with a 12-3 spurt to make it 50-34.

Angel Hastings scored 18 points for Lamar (0-4).

No. 19 Ohio State 103, Kent State 47

Dorka Juhasz and Jacy Sheldon each scored 16 points for Ohio State.

The Buckeyes (2-0) scored the first 26 points, led 31-4 after a quarter and 52-14 at the half. Juhasz had 12 points and eight rebounds in the first half, and Sheldon added 11 points, Juhasz finished with 10 rebounds.

Nila Blackford led Kent State with nine points. The Golden Flashes shot 23.5% in their opener.

No. 23 Iowa State 91, TCU 68

Ashley Joens had 33 points and had 11 rebounds to help Iowa State beat TCU in a Big 12 Conference opener.

Joens was 10 of 15 from the field and made all 10 of her free throws. Kristin Scott added 15 points for Iowa State (2-1). Tavy Diggs scored 19 points for the Horned Frogs (2-1).

No. 25 Texas 84, Louisiana Tech 57

Charli Collier scored 22 points, Audrey Warren added 19 and Texas beat Louisiana.

Collier is averaging 30.3 points, with the Longhorns winning their first three games by an average of 34.3 points. Brianna Harris led Louisiana Tech (2-1) with 25 points on 9-for-11 shooting.