Originally published Sunday, November 16, 2008 at 12:00 AM

Men's Basketball | Cougars score first 28 points in opener

Washington State scored the first 28 points of the game and the Cougars mauled Mississippi Valley State 76-25 in its season opener on Saturday...

By The Associated Press

Game stats

PULLMAN — Washington State scored the first 28 points of the game and the Cougars mauled Mississippi Valley State 76-25 in its season opener on Saturday.

Five freshmen played for Washington State, but the Cougars looked good despite graduating the heart of a team that put together consecutive 26-win seasons.

Mississippi Valley (0-1), which lost just 80-64 at No. 15 Arizona State on Friday, looked virtually helpless.

The 25 points they scored was one lower than in last year's 71-26 loss to WSU, and is the lowest point total by a WSU opponent since 1948.

Center Aron Baynes scored 14 points to lead the Cougars.

Other Pac-10 games

At California 68, Pacific 56

Jerome Randle scored 24 points, half on four three-pointers, and the Bears ushered in the Mike Montgomery coaching era with a hard-fought victory, holding off the Tigers in the season opener for both schools.

Patrick Christopher added 18 points for the rebuilding Golden Bears, picked to finish eighth in the Pac-10 in Montgomery's first season.

Cal fans packed Haas Pavilion for the Bears' first game under Montgomery, who returned to the college coaching ranks after two years doing television work on the heels of two losing seasons coaching the NBA's Golden State Warriors. That was after 18 successful seasons at Cal's biggest rival — Stanford.

At No. 18 USC 78,

UC Irvine 65

Taj Gibson scored 17 points, including six straight in a decisive second-half run, and the Trojans defeated the Anteaters to win their first season opener in four years.

DeMar DeRozan added 14 points in his college debut as the Trojans' highly touted replacement for top scorer O.J. Mayo, who was a first-round NBA draft pick after one season.

Dwight Lewis had 18 points, Taj Gibson had 17 points and had five of USC's six steals, and Daniel Hackett had 10 points for the Trojans, who lost openers to Cal State Northridge and South Carolina, both in overtime, and Mercer in coach Tim Floyd's first three seasons.

"I kind of liked it for the fact we hadn't beaten anybody in three years," Trojans coach Tim Floyd said.

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