UConn pummels Sacred Heart

from staff reports

   Top-ranked UConn combined a dazzling fast break and a strong game from its big three of Ben Gordon, Emeka Okafor and Denham Brown on Saturday in a 111-64 rout of Sacred Heart.
   Gordon scored 27 points, Okafor had 23 and Brown 20 for Connecticut (3-0), which shot 71 percent in the first half in bolting to a 60-28 lead. It was the Huskies' largest margin of victory since a 50-point win over UNC Asheville last December.
   Rashad Anderson added 18 points for the Huskies and freshman Marcus Williams had 13 assists, one short of the school record.
   Sacred Heart, playing its season opener, was led by guards Omar Wellington and Maurice Bailey with 15 points each.
   No. 19 Wake Forest 97
   Elon 55
   Eric Williams scored 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting to lead the Deacons past overwhelmed Elon.
   Jamaal Levy and Justin Gray added 13 points each for the Deacons (2-0) and freshman Kyle Visser scored 12 as Wake Forest won its 15th consecutive home opener.
   Jackson Atoyebi scored 11 for Elon (0-3) and Carlos Moeira added 10.
   Friday's Games
   No. 3 Michigan St. 64, Bucknell 52
   Paul Davis scored 21 points and No. 3 Michigan State took advantage of atrocious foul shooting by Bucknell to pull away for a victory.
   Playing the highest ranked team in its history, Bucknell missed an incredible 16 of 17 free throws.
   Bucknell's Kevin Bettencourt scored 21 points, including five 3-pointers, but was 0-for-3 from the line.
   Michigan State was 12-for-17 from the line.
   No. 6 Kansas 90, Tennessee-Chattanooga 76
   Bill Self won in his Kansas coaching debut after replacing Roy Williams, with 6-11 freshman David Padgett warming up in the second half to finish with 13 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks.
   Keith Langford scored 24 points and Wayne Simien had 21 points and eight rebounds to lead Kansas. The host Jayhawks trailed 24-14 before rallying for a 42-30 halftime lead.
   No. 10 Kentucky 65, Winthrop 44
   The Wildcats opened the second half with a 16-3 run for an easy home victory.
   Erik Daniels scored 15 points, and Chuck Hayes and Gerald Fitch added 12 points apiece for Kentucky, which forced 29 turnovers.
   No. 14 Oklahoma 69, E. Washington 59
   DeAngelo Alexander scored 18 points for Oklahoma in the first round of the Sooner Invitational.
   Oklahoma, which trailed by 13 in the first half, will face Oral Roberts in the championship game Saturday night. Josh Barnard scored 17 points for the Eagles.
   No. 15 Wisconsin 64, Penn 53
   Devin Harris scored 16 points, including a three-point play with 2:55 left, to lead the Badgers at the Palestra.
   Jeff Schiffner led Penn with 20 points.
   No. 16 Gonzaga 84, Idaho 63
   Ronny Turiaf scored 18 points, and Gonzaga used an 18-0 run to pull away for the home victory.
   Blake Stepp, the West Coast Conference player of the year, was held to 11 points, but finished with 13 assists for the Bulldogs (1-1). Tyrone Hayes led Idaho (1-2) with 20 points.
   No. 23 Marquette 79, Savannah State 41
   Scott Merritt scored 17 points to lead the Golden Eagles in the first round of the Blue & Gold Classic in Milwaukee.
   Savannah State coach Ed Daniels was a member of Marquette's 1974 team, which lost to North Carolina State 76-64 in the NCAA championship game.
   No. 24 North Carolina State 71, North Carolina-Asheville 46
   Julius Hodge had 24 points and 11 rebounds, leading the Wolfpack in a season opener.
   Hodge, a first-team all-ACC pick last season, was 9-for-12 from the field. Scooter Sherrill added 14 with four 3-pointers while Marcus Melvin had 11 for NC State.
   No. 25 Oklahoma State 90, Northwestern State 62
   Tony Allen scored 18 points and Ivan McFarlin added 15 for the Cowboys in the season opener for both teams.
   OSU's defense forced 27 turnovers and Janavor Weatherspoon and Joey Graham each had 13 points. The Cowboys won their 29th straight nonconference game at home.