Michigan State Starts Quickly

Morris Peterson had 19 points and 10 rebounds as third-ranked Michigan State became the only team from last year’s Final Four to open the season with a victory, routing Toledo, 78-33, at East Lansing, Mich.

Greg Stempin scored 16 points for Toledo.

Andre Hutson had 15 points and 10 rebounds and Charlie Bell added 11 for Michigan State, which played without point guard Mateen Cleaves, who is recovering from a stress fracture to his right foot.

The outcome was never in doubt as the Spartans, playing the tight defense that carried them to the Final Four last season, held Toledo (1-1) to 13-of-50 shooting.

The Spartans, 33-5 last season, avoided the opening-game fate of last year’s other Final Four participants--Duke, Connecticut and Ohio State--all of which lost their 1999-2000 openers.

No. 7 Connecticut 79, Massachusetts 65--Khalid El-Amin scored 18 points and Edmund Saunders had 10 rebounds to lead the Huskies (3-1) over the Minutemen (1-1) at Storrs, Conn.

Massachusetts was able to run with Connecticut but fell victim to poor shooting (33%) and the Huskies’ dominating inside game.

Monty Mack led all scorers with 26 points. Kitwana Rhymer had 17 rebounds for UMass.

No. 14 Syracuse 105, Florida Atlantic 79--Etan Thomas returned to the Syracuse lineup with 24 points, 12 rebounds and nine blocks to lead the Orangemen (3-0) over the Owls (0-1) at Syracuse, N.Y.

Syracuse, which began the season with convincing victories over Princeton and Wisconsin in the NABC Classic, easily defeated the overmatched Owls. Florida Atlantic fielded a starting lineup with only one player, senior guard Ryan Hercek, with Division I experience.

The Orangemen scored 100 points for the first time since beating Winthrop 106-51 in the 1996-97 season-opener, and Thomas led the way after having missed the first two games of the season with a staph infection.

No. 15 Illinois 72, Bradley 62--Cory Bradford scored 22 points and the Illini (2-0) took control in the second half to finally put away the Braves (1-1) at Peoria, Ill.

The Illini were trailing 32-30 at halftime, but Bradford nailed a three-pointer to open the second half and start a 9-2 run that gave Illinois a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.

Rob Dye scored 19 points to lead Bradley (1-1).

No. 17 Tennessee 95, Elon 56--Vincent Yarbrough scored 19 points and the Volunteers (1-0) broke open a close game with a second-half burst against the Fightin’ Christians (0-2) at Knoxville, Tenn.

After struggling to a 37-36 halftime lead, Tennessee outscored Elon 31-9 over the first 10 minutes of the second half to put the game out of reach. Yarbrough keyed the spurt with two dunks and a basket during the first five minutes.

Elon capitalized on Tennessee’s 32% shooting in the first half to keep the game close.

No. 24 Maryland 104, Fairleigh Dickinson 45--Juan Dixon scored nine of his 21 points in a game-opening 23-1 run that powered the Terrapins (3-0) over the Knights (0-1) at College Park, Md.

WOMEN

No. 3 Georgia 85, No. 12 UC Santa Barbara 64--Kelly Miller scored 17 of her 24 points in the second half as the Lady Bulldogs beat the Gauchos to win the Preseason NIT championship at Champaign, Ill.

Georgia (4-0) led by 10 points at the half and then opened the second half with a 8-0 run. UC Santa Barbara (3-1) never recovered, trailing by as many as 26 points.

Mississippi State 74, No. 2 Louisiana Tech 72--LaToya Thomas scored 16 points as the Lady Bulldogs (2-0) upset the Lady Techsters (1-1) at Starkville, Miss.