Falker, SIU win tournament opener
Randal Falker had trouble finishing in the first 20 minutes. He kept going at the basket, though, and it paid off with repeated trips to the line.
Falker scored 21 points, and No. 19 Southern Illinois dominated the second half in a 63-41 victory over Chattanooga in the opening round of the inaugural Anaheim (Calif.) Classic on Thursday.
Bryan Mullins added 10 points for the Salukis, who reached the Round of 16 at the NCAA Tournament last season. Falker and Mullins are among three returning starters from that team.
"Our older guys were very special," SIU coach Chris Lowery said. "We totally dictated flow in the second half. Defensively we said, 'We're going to take away all their favorite things,' and we did."
Falker went 11-for-14 from the free-throw line after getting double-teamed inside.
"We wanted Randal to finish a little bit better, but when he goes to the free-throw line and does that, we'll take it," Lowery said.
SIU (2-0) advanced to today's game against Mississippi State, which beat UC Irvine 68-53. The Mocs (1-2) will play Irvine today.
Stephen McDowell was the only player in double figures with 13 for Chattanooga, which fell to 2-12 on a neutral court against ranked opponents.
"We've played the No. 19 team in the country and the No. 8 team in the country (losing 99-79 to Indiana), so we're not going to hang our heads," Chattanooga coach John Shulman said.
SIU cruised in the second half after opening on a 22-9 run that ended with consecutive 3-pointers by Matt Shaw, who hit 2, and Carlton Fay. It was the Salukis' second straight blowout win, having beaten Northern Illinois by 20 points in their season opener.
Villanova 76, UCF 68: Scottie Reynolds scored 19 points and Corey Fisher 18 to lead No. 20 Villanova (3-0) over Central Florida (2-1) in the opening round of the Old Spice Classic at Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
Reynolds made 5 free throws in the final 1:42, and Fisher and Reggie Redding also delivered clutch second-half performances for the Wildcats, who led by 12 in the first half and were up 10 in the second half before UCF rallied to keep the outcome in doubt until the closing seconds.
George Mason 87, Kansas St. 77: John Vaughan scored 21 points, and Folarin Campbell and Will Thomas each added 18 apiece to lead George Mason (4-0) to an upset of No. 18 Kansas State (3-1) in the opening round of the Old Spice Classic at Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
The Patriots have won four straight to start a season for the first time in school history. They advanced to today's second round against No. 20 Villanova.