The Minnesota Gophers women’s basketball team opened the season at home with an 89-48 victory against Central Connecticut State at Williams Arena on Monday night.

Annika Stewart led Minnesota with 18 points in 17 minutes off the bench. Mara Braun had 17 points to lead the starting group of Braun, Mallory Heyer, Grace Grocholski, Amaya Battle and Sophie Hart.

In all, 14 players saw court time for the Gophers in the blowout. Reserve Taylor Woodson added 10 points off the bench for Minnesota. Battle had five points and a team-high seven rebounds.

The Gophers scored the first 10 points of the game, led 16-2 at one point and came out of the first quarter with a 24-6 lead to cruise to victory.

Minnesota shot 47.2% from the field and was 10 of 26 (38.5%) from 3-point territory. It was also 11 of 13 from the free-throw line.

The Gophers held Central Connecticut State to 39.2% shooting. It was only 1 of 4 from the line.

No. 1 South Carolina 68, Michigan 62 >> Chloe Kitts had 19 points and 14 rebounds and Tessa Johnson scored 15 points as top-ranked South Carolina defeated scrappy Michigan on Monday night in the Hall of Fame Series.

Joyce Edwards added 10 points for South Carolina, which won the national championship last season.

Syla Swords led Michigan with 27 points and 12 rebounds and Jordan Hobbs had 19 points.

South Carolina, which was favored by 21 1/2 points at BetMGM Sportsbook, was pushed in the season opener for both teams.

Michigan tried to become the first team since Big Ten Conference rival Iowa in 2023 national semifinals to beat the Gamecocks.

Michigan got to within 64-62 with 22 seconds left, but South Carolina held on from there.

No. 3 Southern Cal 68, No. 20 Mississippi 66 >> Kiki Iriafen made a pair of free throws with seconds remaining to lift No. 3 Southern California over Mississippi in a season-opening doubleheader in France.

The score was tied 66-66 with 10 seconds left when Iriafen — an Associated Press preseason All-America selection — hit her two free throws.

Iriafen finished with 22 points while teammate JuJu Watkins led the way for USC with 27 points.

K.K. Deans scored 19 points for No. 20 Ole Miss. Madison Scott added 14.

The 8,000-capacity Adidas Arena, home to the men’s Paris Basketball team, was about half full.

No. 5 UCLA 66, No. 17 Louisville 59 >> Lauren Betts had 18 points and four blocks as No. 5 UCLA beat No. 17 Louisville in the second match of a season-opening doubleheader in France.

Timea Gardiner had 15 points and Londynn Jones contributed 13 for UCLA.

Tajianna Roberts had a game-high 21 points for Louisville, which opened up an 18-13 lead at the end of the first quarter but then proved wasteful in attack.

No. 6 Notre Dame 105, Mercyhurst 61 >> Liatu King scored 24 points and Olivia Miles had a triple-double as No. 6 Notre Dame sprinted past Mercyhurst in the college women’s basketball opener for both teams.

King, a Pitt transfer who was the ACC Most Improved Player last season, made her Notre Dame debut one to remember. The 6-foot forward finished 11 of 13 from the field with a double-double, grabbing 11 rebounds.

Miles, a 5-10 senior guard, missed last season rehabbing a knee injury. She had 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. She scored three and-one baskets.

All-American Hannah Hidalgo scored 19 points and had nine rebounds, six steals and two assists. Kate Koval scored 18 points and Cassandre Prosper had 17.

No. 8 Iowa State 96, Chicago State 56 >> Addy Brown scored 20 points and Audi Crooks added 16 as No. 8 Iowa State routed Chicago State for its 30th straight win in a season opener, the longest active streak in Division I.

Brown also had nine rebounds, five assists, three blocks and a steal. Crooks scored in double figures for a 33rd straight game.

Aili Tanke and Alisa Williams had 12 points apiece in their first games for the Cyclones, and Emily Ryan had nine points to go with six assists and four steals, both team highs.

Men’s games

No. 1 Kansas 87, Howard 57 >> Zeke Mayo, a grad transfer from South Dakota State, had 19 points in his Kansas debut and the top-ranked Jayhawks beat Howard on Monday night in the season-opener for both teams.

Kansas led 46-19 at halftime and its biggest lead was 38 points.

The game was the second annual McClendon Classic, named in honor of Kansas graduate and Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame honoree John McClendon.

Kansas (1-0) used the game as a tune-up before a top-10 showdown with North Carolina on Friday night. The Jayhawks had 10 players score, with three in double-figures. Hunter Dickinson, who missed Kansas’ scrimmage and exhibition games, had 16 points and six rebounds, and Flory Bidunga added 13 points and a game-high eight rebounds.

No. 5 Iowa State 83, Mississippi Valley State 44 >> Keshon Gilbert scored 17 points and Tamin Lipsey added 16 as No. 5 Iowa State routed Mississippi Valley State for its 28th straight home win.

Saint Mary’s transfer Joshua Jefferson added 10 points, six rebounds and four steals in his first game with the Cyclones.

No. 7 Duke 96, Maine 62 >> Star freshman Cooper Flagg had 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists in his college debut, and No. 7 Duke beat Maine in the season opener for both teams.

The 6-foot-9, 205-pound Flagg — the nation’s top-ranked recruit and a preseason Associated Press All-American — made 6 of 15 shots and all six of his free throws. Fellow rookie Kon Knueppel powered the offense with 22 points and three 3-pointers for the Blue Devils (1-0), who shot 55.6% for the game.

Central Florida 64, No. 13 Texas A&M 61 >> Darius Johnson scored 24 points and assisted on a go-ahead slam dunk with less than a minute remaining to lead UCF to a win over No. 13 Texas A&M.

Johnson had five assists, including the pass to Benny Williams that helped put the Knights ahead 62-61 with 45.5 seconds left. The Aggies didn’t score in the final 2:13.

UCF fans stormed the court after Texas A&M missed back-to-back 3-pointers to end the game.

Jordan Ivy-Curry added 16 points for UCF. Keyshawn Hall scored 10.

Pharrel Payne led the Aggies with 15 points and had six rebounds.

No. 14 Purdue 90, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 73 >> Fletcher Loyer scored 21 points to lead five players in double figures as No. 14 Purdue beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

Also scoring in double figures were Trey Kaufman-Renn with 15 points, Myles Colvin with 14, Daniel Jacobsen with 13 and Braden Smith with 12. Kaufman-Renn had nine rebounds and Smith had 15 assists.

The Boilermakers led 49-33 at halftime, but the Islanders got as close as three points in the second half before Purdue pulled away. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi shot 54% in the second half to get back into the game.

No. 18 Marquette 102, Stony Brook 62 >> Kam Jones scored 32 points while shooting 14 of 16 from the floor as No. 18 Marquette breezed to a season-opening victory over Stony Brook.

Jones was 4 of 6 from 3-point range and finished two points off his career high.