WEST HARTFORD, Conn. — Blanca Millan scored 33 points, and the Maine women’s basketball team improved to 4-0 for the first time since 1986 as the Black Bears rolled to an 85-57 victory over Hartford in their America East conference opener Tuesday afternoon.

The Black Bears, who have won 14 straight games dating back to last season, shot 48 percent from the field (30 of 62) and made 13 3-pointers, including six by Dor Saar, who finished with 24 points. Saar also had nine assists. Anne Simon contributed 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Millan also recorded a double-double, grabbing 10 rebounds while going over 30 points for the third time this season.

Saar helped Maine take control late in the first quarter, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers. The Black Bears led 21-14 after one quarter, then stretched their advantage to 42-22 by halftime.

It was the first game of the season for Hartford, which was led by freshman Paula Maurina with 12 points.

The teams play again at 1 p.m. Wednesday in Maine’s final game of 2020.

(3) UCONN 90, VILLANOVA 52: Paige Bueckers and Olivia Nelson-Ododa scored 19 points apiece to lead the visiting Huskies (5-0, 4-0 Big East) past the Wildcats (7-1, 2-1).

(15) NORTHWESTERN 79, EASTERN KENTUCKY 50: Veronica Burton scored 17 points to pace the Wildcats (4-0) to a win over the Colonels (3-3) in Evanston, Illinois.

(20) SOUTH FLORIDA 73, CINCINNATI 61: Sydni Harvey scored 21 points, Bethy Mununga had 13 points and 14 rebounds and South Florida (5-1, 2-0 American Athletic) pulled away late to defeat the Bearcats (1-5, 0-2) in Cincinnati, spoiling another 30-plus-point performance by IImar’I Thomas.

(25) MICHIGAN STATE 94, OAKLAND 56: Nia Clouden led a balanced attack with 15 points as the Spartans (7-0) beat the Golden Grizzlies (3-4) in East Lansing, Michigan.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

BOSTON COLLEGE 78, MAINE 62: Jay Heath had 16 points, CJ Felder scored 11 of his 14 points in a big first half, and the Eagles (2-5) snapped a four-game losing streak with a win over the visiting Black Bears (0-3).

Boston College built a 43-24 halftime lead by closing on a 12-2 run – with six points from Felder. BC’s lead didn’t go below 16 points in the second half.

The Eagles forced Maine into 24 turnovers, scoring 28 points, and Makai Ashton-Langford tied his career high with four of BC’s season-high 15 steals.

Wynston Tabbs and James Karnik, a Lehigh transfer, each had 10 points for BC.

LeChaun DuHart scored 17 of Maine’s first 32 points and finished with 19 points and five 3-pointers. Steph Ingo had 15 points and six rebounds.

(1) GONZAGA 95, NORTHWESTERN STATE 78: Drew Timme had 25 points and nine rebounds, and the Bulldogs (6-0) beat Northwestern State (1-9) for the second night in a row, extending the nation’s longest home winning streak to 41 games.

(3) KANSAS 79, (7) WEST VIRGINIA 65: Christian Braun hit six 3-pointers and scored 22 points as the Jayhawks (8-1, 2-0 Big 12) cruised past the Mountaineers (6-2, 1-1) in Lawrence, Kansas.

(4) IOWA 70, PURDUE 55: Luka Garza scored 22 points, Joe Wieskamp added 17 and the Hawkeyes (7-1, 1-0 Big Ten) defeated the Boilermakers (6-3, 1-1) in Iowa City, Iowa.

(6) HOUSTON 76, TEMPLE 50: Quentin Grimes had 22 points and seven rebounds, and the Cougars (6-0) routed the visiting Owls (1-1) in the American Athletic Conference opener for both teams.

(9) WISCONSIN 67, NEBRASKA 53: Brad Davison had 15 points and a career-high seven assists, and the Badgers (7-1) overcame a dreadful start to beat the Cornhuskers (4-4) in the Big Ten opener for both teams in Madison, Wisconsin.

(14) MISSOURI 54, BRADLEY 53: Jeremiah Tilmon’s three-point play with a second left capped a 6-0 run that gave the Tigers (6-0) a win over the Braves (6-3) in Columbia, Missouri.

(15) TEXAS TECH 69, OKLAHOMA 67: Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 21 points and Marcus Santos-Silva had 18 to help the Red Raiders (7-2, 1-1 Big 12) beat the Sooners (5-2, 1-1) in Norman, Oklahoma.

(16) VIRGINIA 76, WILLIAM & MARY 40: Trey Murphy III scored seven of his 15 points during a 13-0 first-half run, and the Cavaliers (4-1) returned from a long coronavirus-related pause to beat the Tribe (2-3) in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The Cavaliers were playing for the first time since they beat Kent State on Dec. 4.

NORTH CAROLINA STATE 79, (17) NORTH CAROLINA 76: Devon Daniels scored eight straight points in the second half and finished with 21 to help the Wolfpack (5-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) defeat the Tar Heels (5-2, 0-1) in Raleigh, North Carolina.

FLORIDA: Forward Keyontae Johnson is being released from the hospital, 10 days after collapsing on the court in a game at Florida State and needing emergency medical attention.

The school released a statement from his family saying, “We continue to be amazed at the pace of his recovery and look forward to spending Christmas together as a family.”

The family added that it will share “any information we think could help others” regarding the cause and extent of Johnson’s illness.

Johnson crumpled to the floor coming out of a timeout on Dec. 12. He was moved to a stretcher and carried to a waiting ambulance as teammates, coaches, staff, fans and others watched in disbelief. He spent two nights at Tallahassee Memorial before being transferred to Gainesville via helicopter with his mother by his side.

Like many of his Florida teammates, Johnson tested positive for COVID-19 during the summer. Although the cause of Johnson’s collapse has not been revealed, the coronavirus can lead to myocarditis, a viral infection of the heart muscle. At its most severe, myocarditis can lead to sudden cardiac arrest and has been a documented cause of death for young, otherwise healthy athletes.

The SEC mandates strict protocols, including rigorous heart testing, before players can be cleared to return to play following positive COVID-19 tests. Florida has postponed four basketball games since Johnson’s collapse. The team is next scheduled to next play on Dec. 30 at Vanderbilt in the SEC opener for both schools.

FOOTBALL

AUBURN: The Tigers hired Boise State’s Bryan Harsin as their head coach, luring him away from his alma mater.

Harsin, 44, is 69-19 with three Mountain West titles in seven seasons at Boise State, but winning in the SEC affords greater chances for playoff berths and national titles.

BOCA RATON BOWL: Zach Wilson threw for 425 yards with three touchdown passes and two rushing scores to lead 13th-ranked BYU (11-1) to a 49-23 win over Central Florida (6-4) in Boca Raton, Florida.

Wilson, considered a top NFL prospect, completed 26 of 34 passes in what likely was his final college game.

The Cougars led 35-10 at halftime and finished with 655 yards of offense to UCF’s 411.

POTATO BOWL: Carson Strong threw for 271 yards and five touchdowns, Devonte Lee and Toa Taua each rushed for over 100 yards, and Nevada (7-2) earned a 38-27 win over Tulane (6-6) in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise, Idaho.

GASPARILLA BOWL: The game between South Carolina and UAB was canceled after South Carolina withdrew because of COVID-19 issues within the program.

The Gasparilla Bowl’s executive director, Scott Glaser, said organizers tried to find an opponent for UAB for Saturday’s game in Tampa, Florida, but came up empty.

South Carolina, which finished 2-8, opted out because of positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing within the program.

MAXWELL AWARD: Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Alabama stars Mac Jones and DeVonta Smith are the finalists for the award given to college football’s top player.

The winners of nine awards, including those honoring the top defensive player, quarterback and running back, will be announced Jan. 7 during ESPN’s college football awards show. Lawrence and Jones are also finalists for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award, along with Florida’s Kyle Trask.

FLORIDA: The Gators received a year of probation and Coach Dan Mullen was sanctioned after the school and the NCAA agreed to resolve an infractions case involving impermissible contact with recruits last year.

None of the infractions was deemed Level I, the most serious, but the NCAA said the head coach did not promote an atmosphere of compliance. It did not name Mullen, who has been Florida’s coach since 2018.

Many of the penalties, including reduced evaluation days and number of permissible phones calls to recruits, were implemented earlier this year.

The case went through negotiated resolution, used when the school, individuals involved and NCAA enforcement staff agree on the violations and penalties. In this case, the group agreed infractions occurred between January and March of 2019.

An unidentified assistant coach and Mullen had impermissible in-person contact with a prospect at the prospect’s high school in Seattle, according to the report. The prospect had not yet completed his junior year, making it a Level II violation.

BUFFALO: Jaret Patterson is expected to play against Marshall in the Camellia Bowl on Friday, a week after one of the nation’s leading rushers hurt his right knee.

Coach Lance Leipold said Patterson should be “ready and able to go” after the junior worked out individually on the sideline during practice Tuesday.