Grant Nelson scored 22 points on 6-of-9 shooting and Mark Sears and Latrell Wrightsell Jr. each added 15 points, leading No. 2 Alabama over McNeese State 72-64 on Monday night in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Nelson put the Crimson Tide (3-0) ahead for good with 10:32 remaining in the first half, draining a 3-pointer that gave them a 16-14 lead.
McNeese (1-2) led for much of the first nine-plus minutes and started the game 6-for-9 from the field. Alabama went without a field goal for 5:51 after its first basket.
Sincere Parker led McNeese State with 19 points on 7-of-16 shooting. Alyn Breed added 17 points, but Javohn Garcia, the Cowboys’ co-leading scorer entering Monday, was held to four on 1-of-6 shooting.
No. 7 Iowa State 82, Kansas City 56
Curtis Jones scored 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting off the bench as the Cyclones pulled away for a win over the Roos in Ames, Iowa.
Milan Momcilovic added 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting for Iowa State (2-0), which earned its second straight blowout win. Dishon Jackson contributed 13 points.
Jamar Brown scored 20 points on 8-for-13 shooting to lead Kansas City (2-1). Jayson Petty amassed 12 points and eight rebounds.
No. 13 Purdue 92, Yale 84
Braden Smith recorded 22 points, nine rebounds, six assists and five steals to lead the Boilermakers to a victory over the Bulldogs at West Lafayette, Ind.
Trey Kaufman-Renn scored 17 points and Fletcher Loyer added 14 for Purdue (3-0). The Boilermakers shot 53.8 percent from the field, going 11-for-23 from 3-point range.
John Poulakidas made five 3-pointers and scored 23 points and Samson Aletan added 14 points and seven rebounds before fouling out for Yale (1-2). The Bulldogs fell despite shooting 50.8 percent on field-goal attempts.
No. 15 Marquette 70, Central Michigan 62
Stevie Mitchell led a balanced attack with 17 points and the Golden Eagles held off the Chippewas in Milwaukee.
Marquette (3-0) rattled off a 21-0 run in the first half to take a sizable lead, but Central Michigan (1-2) drew within five points in the second half before the Golden Eagles pulled away.
Kyler Vanderjagt scored a game-high 19 points before fouling out to lead the Chippewas.
No. 20 Florida 86, Grambling State 62
After two subpar rebounding performances, the Gators used an impressive night on the glass to overwhelm the Tigers in Gainesville, Fla.
Rueben Chinyelu paced Florida (3-0)with a career-high 14 points on 7-for-8 shooting. Walter Clayton Jr. chipped in 12 points.
Grambling (1-2) came in off a two-point loss to Ole Miss but couldn’t stay as close this time. Kintavious Dozier led the Tigers with 19 points.
No. 21 Ohio State 81, Youngstown State 47
Aaron Bradshaw and John Mobley Jr. scored 16 points apiece as the Buckeyes cruised to a victory against the Penguins in Columbus, Ohio.
Bruce Thornton had 12 points for the Buckeyes (2-0), who led by 15 at the break and never looked back. Ohio State was playing as a ranked team for the first time since landing in the top 25 the week of Jan. 2, 2023.
Cris Carroll had 10 points and Ty Harper and Gabe Dynes each scored nine points for the Penguins (1-1), who shot 3-for-22 on 3-point attempts, 13.6 percent.
No. 23 Texas A&M 97, Lamar 71
Zhuric Phelps scored 16 points to lead a balanced offensive attack as the Aggies rolled past the Cardinals in College Station, Texas, for coach Buzz Williams’ 350th career win.
Texas A&M (2-1) took charge with a 15-point run that began about three minutes into the game and never looked back. Andersson Garcia and Wade Taylor IV added 15 points each for the Aggies.
Alexis Marmolejos led all scorers with 23 points for Lamar (1-1).
No. 24 Rutgers 75, Saint Peter’s 65
Freshman Dylan Harper’s 24 points led the Scarlet Knights to a tightly contested win over the Peacocks in Piscataway, N.J.
Lathan Sommerville scored 14 points off the bench with four rebounds and three blocks, while Jordan Derkack scored nine points and made key defensive stops in one-on-one coverage late to give the Scarlet Knights a 2-0 start to their season.
Marcus Randolph paced Saint Peter’s (0-3) with 22 points.
