Both Detroit and Green Bay cruised to wins in their season openers, while Valparaiso collected its first win under Bryce Drew as the men's basketball season got into full swing on Friday night.
Detroit 95, Lake Erie 57
Detroit (1-0) breezed to a season-opening win over visiting Lake Erie at Calihan Hall. Of the eight Titans who touched the court on Friday, five finished in double figures, led by Chase Simon's 24 points.
Nick Minnerath was right behind with 23, including a 7-for-8 effort in the first half, helping fuel an 18-0 burst that broke open the game, giving Detroit a 29-12 advantage with 7:01 to go in the first half.
Ray McCallum added 15 points and chipped in 15 assists, while Jason Calliste and Doug Anderson each finished with 10 points.
Green Bay 94, Mary 55
Alec Brown led the way for Green Bay (1-0) as the Phoenix got off on the right foot to start the 2011-12 season, 94-55 over Mary. In an extremely efficient 19 minutes of work, the Preseason Second Team All-League selection posted 18 points and 11 rebounds.
The 13th-youngest team in the country, Terry Johnson backed up Brown's effort with 15 points in 14 minutes in his first action since sitting out last season as a transfer. Green Bay’s freshmen combined for 23 points, with Greg Mays leading the way with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Aaron Armstead and Keifer Sykes added seven and six points, respectively. Sykes, the first true freshman to start at a guard position since Rahmon Fletcher in 2007, also totaled three steals in the victory.
Valparaiso 90, Georgia Southern 81
In a rugged affair that featured 57 personal fouls, Valparaiso (1-1) pulled away midway through the second half and won a war of attrition over Georgia Southern, 90-81. The win was the first for new head coach Bryce Drew.
Ryan Broekhoff led the way with 22 points, with 13 of those coming at the free throw line. Will Bogan rebounded from a difficult shooting night in Monday's season opener at Arizona by going 8-for-12 from the field to add 19 points before becoming one of two Crusaders to foul out. Six Crusaders finished with four or more fouls in the game, with two fouling out.
Both Richie Edwards and Matt Kenney added 12 points, while Kevin Van Wijk backed up an 18-point outburst at Arizona with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting.
Eastern Michigan 68, UIC 57
UIC (0-1) led Eastern Michigan throughout the second half before a 21-10 closing run for the Eagles pushed them past the Flames, 68-57, at the Convocation Center in Ypsilanti, Mich.
Paris Carter was a force in the post for the Flames, picking up his second career double-doubles with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
UIC opened the second half on a 12-4 run to open a 38-31 lead, but Eastern Michigan worked its way back, tying the game with 8:25 to play. However, a dry spell kept the Flames off the scoreboard and helped the Eagles take control of the game from the 7:37 mark to the finish.
Illinois 67, Loyola 49
Closing within 38-34 eight minutes into the second half, Loyola (0-1) could not hold back Illinois in the final 10 minutes of play, dropping a 67-49 contest in Porter Moser's debut as head coach of the Ramblers.
Walt Gibler and Ben Averkamp shared the majority of work, taking 28 of Loyola's 51 shots in the game. Gibler finished with 19 points, while Averkamp was limited to nine on the evening.
#3/3 Ohio State 73, Wright State 42
The youthful Wright State (0-1) squad was doomed by 25 turnovers and 27 fouls as Ohio State knocked off the Ramblers, 73-42, in both teams' season opener.
The sixth youngest team in the country, Wright State committed 16 turnovers in the first half as the Buckeyes were able to build an insurmountable early lead. Still, some positive signs emerged for the Raiders, as Reggie Arceneaux finished with 11 points in his collegiate debut, while AJ Pacher led Wright State with 13 points.
