Julius Hodge scored 19 points, Josh Powell added 14 and both were major contributors at the defensive end as North Carolina State beat Mount St. Mary's, 84-60, in the opener for both teams last night in Raleigh, N.C.
N.C. State won its ninth straight opener and seventh in as many years under coach Herb Sendek, forcing 27 turnovers. Mount St. Mary's coach Jim Phelan, wearing his customary bow tie and sports jacket, began his 49th season, passing Phog Allen for the most years as an NCAA basketball coach.
Phelan, 73, mostly sat on the bench with his hands folded as his team committed 18 first-half turnovers. His record is 819-509.
Hodge was 11-for-14 from the foul line, while the 6-foot-9 Powell grabbed seven rebounds and blocked three shots.
The Mountaineers turned it over on seven straight possessions in the opening half and had as many points (14) as turnovers at one juncture.
Mount St. Mary's pulled within 14 early in the second half, but Hodge then made two free throws, Clifford Crawford and Powell added layups and Marcus Melvin hit a three-pointer to push the Wolfpack's lead back to 20.
Freshman Landy Thompson (Archbishop Spalding) led Mount St. Mary's with 28 points.
Marquette 64, Coppin State 46: Dwyane Wade scored 24 points and Robert Jackson had 13 as the 16th-ranked Golden Eagles (2-0) defeated the Eagles in the Pepsi Blue and Gold Classic in Milwaukee.
Jimmy Boykin led Coppin with 18 points.
Northwestern 64, UMES 36: Aaron Jennings had 16 points and seven rebounds as the Wildcats (1-0) defeated the Hawks (0-1) in Evanston, Ill.
Alvernia 88, Salisbury 58: Cornell Merricks had 18 points as the Crusaders dominated the Sea Gulls in the second game of the Dr. Kleppinger Tip-off Classic.
Johns Hopkins 94, Emory & Henry 84: Senior forward Steve Adams recorded career highs of 29 points and 20 rebounds to lead the Blue Jays to the victory over the Wasps in the first round of the Blue Jay Invitational at Goldfarb Gymnasium.
Frostburg State 88, Waynesburg 77: Sophomore Kamillo Rosenthal tied his career high with 21 points to go along with nine rebounds to lead the Bobcats to a season-opening win over the Yellow Jackets in the FSU Tip-Off Tournament.
Bowie State 110, Glenville State 68: Six Bulldogs were in double figures as host Bowie State opened the season by trouncing the Pioneers in the opening round of the Best Western Invitational in Bowie.
Washington College 66, Averett 63: Guard Andrew Gentile hit a game-winning three pointer with 11 seconds to go as the Shoremen won their season opener over the Cougars in the first round of the Washington & Lee Southern Tip-Off Tournament in Lexington, Va.