Iowa State a bit too tough for UC Riverside

Mike Taylor scored 22 points and Iowa State rebounded from a shaky stretch at the end of the first half to give Greg McDermott a 69-61 victory over UC Riverside in his first game as coach on Friday night at Ames, Iowa.

Freshman Wesley Johnson added 10 points for the Cyclones, who took control midway through the second half after trailing by three at halftime against a team that was 5-23 last season.

B.J. Visman led the Highlanders in the season-opening Cyclone Challenge with 17 points and Larry Cunningham scored 12. There were 45 turnovers in the sloppy game -- 23 by UC Riverside.

McDermott succeeded Wayne Morgan at Iowa State after five seasons at Northern Iowa, the last three ending with NCAA tournament appearances. Only four scholarship players returned after Morgan was fired.

The inexperience showed at times, especially after Iowa State jumped to an early 11-point lead. With the Cyclones forcing quick shots and turning it over, UC Riverside went on a 19-6 run that Visman finished with a turnaround shot that gave the Highlanders a 33-30 lead.

The Cyclones regained the lead by making seven free throws in the first seven minutes of the second half before pulling away behind Johnson and Rahshon Clark, their top returning scorer.

Each scored on a tip-in and a nifty turnaround shot inside to spark an 11-2 run that stretched the lead to 51-41. Johnson’s three-point play off another turnaround made it 55-41 and Clark topped off the victory with a sweeping follow-up dunk that made it 65-57 with 1:10 left.

After its miserable 2005-06 season, UC Riverside endured a stressful preseason. Sophomore forward Mark Hall was killed and three teammates were injured in a traffic accident in September, then Coach David Spencer took a medical leave of absence. Assistant Vonn Webb is interim coach.

Cal State Fullerton 108, Cal Maritime 56 -- Chris Minardo scored 20 points and Justin Burns had 18 points and 11 rebounds to help the host Titans open the season by routing the Keelhaulers (1-3).

Marcus Crenshaw had 18 points and eight assists and Georgetown transfer Ray Reed added 16 points, six steals and six assists for the Titans, who tied the school record for largest margin of victory.

Loyola Marymount 68, Oral Roberts 65 -- Matthew Knight had 23 points and Brandon Worthy scored 19 to lead the host Lions in the season opener for both schools. Ken Tutt of Oral Roberts led all scorers with 26 points.

Cal State Northridge 80, Portland State 65 -- The Matadors jumped out to an early 6-0 lead and never trailed, defeating the Vikings in the Basketball Travelers Classic at Eugene, Ore. The Matadors’ 10-0 run to start the second half gave them 16 unanswered points to lead, 54-25, with 16:31 left.

South Alabama 67, UC Irvine 63 -- Demetric Bennett scored 27 points to lead the Jaguars in the first round of the Basketball Travelers Classic at Fresno. The Anteaters had a chance to tie the score at the end of regulation, but Merritt stole the ball from Marcus McIntosh near midcourt and drew an intentional foul with two seconds left. Merritt made both free throws.