By Stephen Ur
UConn 95, Northern Arizona 52
Four starters scored in double figures for the defending national champs as they start off a new season with a win. Alex Karaban led UConn with 22 points on 8 of 12 shooting.
Siena 73, Holy Cross 71
Giovanni Emejuru scored the game-winning layup with 18 seconds left in a two-point opening win for Siena. Bo Montgomery led the way with 17 points for the Crusaders.
Yale 102, Vassar 53
Yale got out to a 10-0 lead and never looked back in their 49-point opening victory. Nick Townsend led Yale with 13 points.
Rhode Island 81, Central Connecticut State 70
Despite being outscored 39-34 in the second half, Rhode Island used their strong first half to help lead them to an opening win over the Blue Devils. Jaden House scored 25 points to lead the Rams in the win.
Harvard 78, UMass Boston 50
Harvard’s shooting was key for them in their victory as they outshot UMass Boston 51.6 percent to 29.4 percent. Manny Zayas was the leading scorer in the game for UMass Boston, however, scoring 20 points.
Syracuse 83, New Hampshire 72
Adrian Autry took over the Orange in place of the legendary Jim Boheim, and his team outlasted New Hampshire to open a new era with a win. New Hampshire outscored Syracuse 40-39, but it wasn’t enough.
Vermont 67, Merrimack 55
The teams were evenly matched in almost all categories, but Vermont was able to best Merrimack in rebounding, 39-29 en route to the win. Shamir Bogues scored 19 points, going a perfect 4/4 from the free throw line.
Northeastern 67, Boston University 58
It was a closely-contested game between the two Boston-based schools, but it was Northeastern outscoring BU 36-24 in the second half to knock off the Terriers to open the season. Luka Sakota led the way with 17 points.