Connecticut 91, Quinnipiac 72

STORRS, Conn., Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Ben Gordon scored 22 points and Taliek Brown added 16 Saturday night as 14th-ranked Connecticut cruised to a 91-72 victory over Quinnipiac in the season opener for both teams.

Gordon began his sophomore season as the Huskies' starting shooting guard and shot nine of 19 from the floor as he nearly matched his career high of 23 points, established on Feb. 9 against St. John's.

Brown, who drained an amazing three-pointer in double overtime to lift the Huskies to the Big East Conference title, had 12 points at halftime as Connecticut (1-0) held a 48-33 lead.

Sophomore center Emeka Okafor collected 16 and 12 rebounds as he had an easy time against the Bobcats, whose tallest starter was 6-9 forward C.J. Vick.

Connecticut turned the game into a rout in the opening minutes of the second half as Tony Robertson made three of eight consecutive jumpers for the Huskies to open a 70-48 advantage with 12:30 left.

Rob Monroe -- the reigning Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year -- paced the Bobcats (0-1) with 15 points.