Thabeet, UConn tower over Western Carolina

Hasheem Thabeet scored 23 points and pulled down 17 rebounds to lead No. 2 Connecticut to a season-opening 81-55 win over Western Carolina last night in Storrs, Conn.

The 7-foot-3-inch junior, who towered at least 7 inches over any defender for the Catamounts, also blocked five shots. He was 7 of 11 from the field, with most of his attempts from inside 5 feet.

Jerome Dyson also scored 23 points for the Huskies, and Jeff Adrien added 14 points and seven rebounds.

The Huskies extended their winning streak at Gampel Pavilion to 46 games in November and December, dating to the opening of the arena in 1990.

Brandon Giles led Western Carolina with 16 points. Harouna Mutombo, nephew of NBA star Dikembe Mutombo, added 11 points.

UConn opened with a 13-0 run. It included a tomahawk dunk from Dyson, who took a steal and went the length of the court, drawing a foul. The Catamounts didn't score until Jake Robinson hit a 3-pointer just over five minutes into the game.

UConn's A.J Price was ejected in the second half after punching Western Carolina's Joey Parker in the stomach.

George Washington 63, BU 58 - Damian Hollis scored 5 straight points as the visiting Colonials overcame an overtime deficit to defeat the Terriers.

The Colonials blew an early 10-point lead and trailed by 6 in the second half, but they led by 2 in the closing seconds. BU's Corey Lowe, who suffered through a 2-for-15 shooting night, forced overtime on a layup with 2.1 seconds left.

John Holland led BU with a game-high 23 points and had eight rebounds.

Pittsburgh 86, Fairleigh Dickinson 63 - DeJuan Blair was overpowering inside with 17 points and 13 rebounds in slightly more than a half and the No. 5 Panthers got a big lift from point guard Levance Fields's return from a broken foot, breezing past the Knights in Pittsburgh.

The 265-pound Blair scored 8 points during a 16-2 surge in the first 6 1/2 minutes as Pittsburgh won its 12th consecutive season opener. Pitt maintained comfortable leads the rest of the way, and coach Jamie Dixon began emptying his bench with the Panthers up, 61-36, with 12 minutes remaining.

Texas 68, Stetson 38 - A.J. Abrams scored 21 points, hitting five 3-pointers, and the No. 7 Longhorns defeated the Hatters in Austin, Texas.

Purdue 82, Detroit Mercy 50 - E'Twaun Moore scored 18 points, and the No. 11 Boilermakers beat the Tigers in West Lafayette, Ind.

Oklahoma 83, American 54 - Blake Griffin had 24 points and a career-high 18 rebounds to lead the No. 12 Sooners over the Eagles in Norman, Okla.

Arizona St. 80, Miss. Valley St. 64 - James Harden had 24 points and 10 assists to lead the No. 15 Sun Devils over the Delta Devils in Tempe, Ariz.

Marquette 95, Houston Baptist 64 - Wesley Matthews scored a career-high 27 points and the No. 16 Golden Eagles rolled past the Huskies in Milwaukee in Buzz Williams's debut as Marquette's coach.

Florida 80, Toledo 58 - Dan Werner scored 19 points, Nick Calathes added 16 points and seven assists, and the No. 19 Gators opened the season with a victory in Gainesville, Fla.

Davidson 107, Guilford 83 - Stephon Curry scored 29 points and set career highs with 10 assists and 9 steals in Davidson, N.C., to lead the No. 20 Wildcats past the Division 3 Quakers.

Wake Forest 94, N.C. Central 48 - Freshman Al-Farouq Aminu had 21 points and the No. 21 Demon Deacons routed the Eagles in Winston-Salem, N.C. Wake Forest led by 31 before N.C. Central made its second field goal.

Villanova 78, Albany 60 - Scottie Reynolds scored all 13 of his points in the second half, Corey Stokes and Dante Cunningham added 13 apiece, and the No. 23 Wildcats had six players reach double figures en route to its victory over the visiting Great Danes.

VMI 111, Kentucky 103 - Virginia Military Institute handed the host Wildcats an early-season stunner as Travis Holmes led six Kewdets in double-digits with 30 points. Unranked Kentucky plays No. 1 North Carolina next week.

Stanford 75, Yale 67 - Lawrence Hill had 22 points and 11 rebounds to help the Cardinal beat the Bulldogs in New Haven to give new coach Johnny Dawkins his first victory.

Quinnipiac 63, Hartford 62 - James Feldeine finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds for the visiting Bobcats.

Maine 77, N. Illinois 64 - Gerald McLemore scored 24 points and Mark Socoby added 16 more to help the Black Bears defeat the Huskies in the 100 Club Classic in Kennesaw, Ga.

Holy Cross 67, Sacred Heart 58 - R.J. Evans scored 15 points in Worcester to lead the Crusaders over the Pioneers.