No. 20 Florida beats Grambling State amid Title IX allegations

GAINESVILLE, Fla.>> Rueben Chinyelu tied his career-high with 14 points, Walter Clayton Jr. and Will Richard added 12 apiece, and No. 20 Florida beat Grambling State 86-62 on Monday in coach Todd Golden’s first game since he acknowledged an ongoing school inquiry into sexual harassment and stalking allegations.

Golden said previously he is considering “defamation claims.”

Golden, 39, got a rousing ovation during pregame introductions. He shook hands with assistants and got several hugs from players as well as Grambling State coach Donte’ Jackson. Golden’s wife, Megan, and their two children sat behind the bench.

“I thought it was great,” Golden said. “I thought (fans) were as usual, and obviously during the current circumstances, I appreciate it.”

One difference: advertisements and public service announcements involving the coach were removed from video boards inside the O’Connell Center. The Independent Florida Alligator reported Friday that the university is investigating Golden through a Title IX complaint.

No. 2 Alabama 72, McNeese State 64>> Grant Nelson scored 22 points and had seven rebounds to lead Alabama past McNeese State in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Latrell Wrightsell Jr. went 5 for 9 from 3-point range, scoring 15 points for the Crimson Tide (3-0), and Mark Sears added 15 points, three rebounds and five assists.

No. 7 Iowa State 82, Kansas City 56>> Curtis Jones came off the bench to score 20 points and Milan Momcilovic added 16 to lead Iowa State in a rout in Ames, Iowa. Jones, who played a key role as Iowa State’s sixth man last season, has scored 20 or more points three times in his 32 games with the Cyclones.

Charlotte transfer Dishon Jackson added 13 points and six rebounds in his second game for Iowa State (2-0). Keshon Gilbert just missed a double-double with nine points and 10 assists.

No. 13 Purdue 92, Yale 84>> Braden Smith finished with 22 points, nine rebounds and six assists and Trey Kaufman-Renn added 17 points to lead Purdue to a win in West Lafayette, Ind.

The Boilermakers (3-0) extended their home winning streak to 21, tying the third-longest in Mackey Arena history. They’ve also won 24 consecutive November games and still have not lost a regular-season non-conference game since December 2020.

No. 15 Marquette 70, Central Michigan 62>> Stevie Mitchell scored 17 points and Marquette capitalized on an early 21-0 run to defeat a pesky Central Michigan team in Milwaukee.

No. 23 Texas A&M 97, Lamar 71>> Zhuric Phelps scored 16 points and Wade Taylor IV and Andersson Garcia each had 15 as Texas A&M defeated Lamar in College Station, Texas.

Henry Coleman III added 13 points for the Aggies, who dropped 10 spots in The Associated Press Top 25 this week. But they have won consecutive games over Lamar and East Texas A&M after opening the season with a 64-61 loss at UCF.

No. 21 Ohio State 81, Youngstown State 47>> Aaron Bradshaw and John Mobley Jr. each scored 16 points to lead five players in double figures as Ohio State went on an early run and then crushed Youngstown State in Columbus.

No. 24 Rutgers 75, Saint Peter’s 65>> Dylan Harper scored 24 points and hit a go-ahead layup with 3:49 to play to lead Rutgers to a much-harder-than expected victory over New Jersey foe Saint Peter’s in Piscataway.

The Scarlet Knights (2-0) had to overcame a five-point halftime deficit and twice had to rally in the final minutes after the Peacocks (0-3) wiped out a nine-point deficit and took one-point leads, the last at 65-64 on a layup by Tyreck Morris with 4:07 to go.

Long Island 63, Air Force 54>> Malachi Davis scored 17 points as LIU beat Air Force in Colorado Springs.

Davis also added five assists for the Sharks (2-1). Jalen Lee shot 5 for 10, including 1 for 5 from beyond the arc to add 12 points.

The Falcons (1-2) were led by Wesley Celichowski, who recorded 19 points and three blocks. Kyle Marshall added 11 points for Air Force. Ethan Taylor had 10 points.