No. 16 Arkansas beats Lipscomb 76-60 in coach Calipari’s debut

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. >> John Calipari won his debut as Arkansas coach when the 16th-ranked Razorbacks held off a second-half rally by Lipscomb and pulled away for a 76-60 victory Wednesday night.

Freshman guard Boogie Fland scored 17 points and Florida Atlantic transfer Johnell Davis added 15 for Arkansas.

Calipari, who left Southeastern Conference rival Kentucky after last season, had previously been booed incessantly whenever stepping foot in Bud Walton Arena.

That all changed when Eric Musselman, who coached Arkansas to three Sweet 16s in five seasons, departed last spring and Calipari bolted from the bluegrass of Kentucky for the foothills of the Ozarks.

NO. 3 UCONN 92, SACRED HEART 56>> Alex Karaban had 20 points, seven rebounds, seven blocks and six assists as UConn opened the season with a win.

Liam McNeeley added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Huskies, seeking their third consecutive national championship. Solo Ball scored 16.

Tarris Reed Jr. finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds as Connecticut outrebounded Sacred Heart 47-25.

Amiri Stewart had 13 points and Bryce Johnson added 10 for the Pioneers (0-2).

NO. 11 AUBURN 94, VERMONT 43>> Miles Kelly scored 21 points, Denver Jones added 16 and No. 11 Auburn cruised to a 94-43 season-opening home victory over Vermont.

Chaney Johnson had 13 points and nine rebounds for the Tigers, who have now won 55 consecutive non-conference home games.

Seth Joba led Vermont (1-1) with eight points.

NO. 15 CREIGHTON 99, UT-RIO GRANDE VALLEY 86>> Big East preseason player of the year Ryan Kalkbrenner scored a career-high 49 points and 15th-ranked Creighton needed just about every one of them in a season-opening 99-86 win over UT-Rio Grande Valley.

Creighton, a Sweet 16 team three of the last four seasons, couldn’t shake off the Vaqueros of the Southland Conference until the final two minutes.

The 7-foot-1 Kalkbrenner was an astonishing 20 of 22 from the field. He also grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked three shots.

Steven Ashworth scored 25 points for the Bluejays.

NO. 17 INDIANA 80, SIU EDWARDSVILLE 61>> Mackenzie Mgbako scored 19 of his career-high 31 points in the first half and Malik Reneau added 15 points and seven rebounds to lead 17 Indiana past SIU Edwardsville in their season opener.

Mgbako made 8 of his first 10 shots and finished 13 of 17 from the field while going 4 of 5 on 3-pointers and grabbing nine rebounds.

The Cougars (1-1) were led by Ray’Sean Taylor with 17 points.

NO. 25 RUTGERS 75, WAGNER 52>> Freshman standout Dylan Harper scored 20 points in his highly anticipated debut to lead Rutgers to a win over Wagner in the season-opener for both schools.

Harper, a combo guard, is considered one of the top freshmen in the country and together with fellow first-year forward Ace Bailey, who was sidelined by an undisclosed injury he suffered Monday in practice.

Keyontae Lewis led Wagner with 12 points.

— The Associated Press