WASHINGTON — What's supposed to be a special season for Georgetown sure got off to a slow start.

Jeff Green scored 17 points and Roy Hibbert added 16 to help No. 8 Georgetown pull away from Hartford for a tougher-than-expected 69-59 victory yesterday in the opener for both teams.

The Hoyas trailed in the second half and didn't gain any separation until Hibbert's three-point play with 4:59 left put them up 59-54. Until then, Georgetown's problems on offense (the Hoyas shot 42 percent from the field) and Hartford's reliance on 3-pointers kept things interesting.

"I don't think our guys have any illusions of anything. I honestly do not. I think our guys know exactly where we stand. They know that we have to improve," coach John Thompson III said. "No. 8 or No. 80 does not enter our consciousness."

Hartford led 39-38 on Alex Zimnickas' drive with 13:56 remaining and then was within 54-53 with under seven minutes left, before Georgetown began to take control.

It wasn't supposed to be that close. As one courtside Hoyas fan yelled, "This is Hartford, guys!"

Hartford went 13-15 last season and was picked to finish last in the America East. Dan Leibovitz was in his first game as a head coach after 10 seasons as an assistant to Temple's John Chaney, and Hartford deployed various zones that would have made the mentor proud.

Since moving up to Division I in 1984-85, Hartford has played 17 season openers on the road — and won twice.

Zimnickas and Joe Zeglinski led Hartford with 14 points apiece, combining to make seven 3-pointers.

NO. 3 KANSAS 91, NORTHERN ARIZONA 57

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Preseason All-American Brandon Rush scored 21 points and the Jayhawks got their season off to a roaring start by beating the Lumberjacks (0-1).

Northern Arizona was outclassed from start to finish as the Jayhawks hit 10 of their first 12 shots and seized a 41-17 lead with a 19-4 run culminated by freshman Sherron Collins' driving layup.

NO. 7 OHIO STATE 87, LOYOLA OF CHICAGO 75

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ron Lewis scored the first seven points of each half, finishing with 27 to lead the Buckeyes (2-0) over the Ramblers (1-1) in the BCA Classic.

Ohio State will face Kent State (2-0) in the title game today. The Golden Flashes beat IUPUI, 81-74, yesterday.

NO. 20 SYRACUSE 78, PENN 60

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Eric Devendorf and Terrence Roberts each scored 16 points and Matt Gorman had a career-high 12 points to lead the Orange (2-0) over the Quakers (0-2).

The game was the second of a doubleheader in the Black Coaches Association Invitational, a round-robin at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse will play UTEP today, while St. Francis of New York will meet Penn.

Ibrahim Jaaber led the Quakers with 18 points.

WAC

WYOMING 94, BOISE STATE 79

LARAMIE, Wyo. — Brandon Ewing scored 32 points and Brad Jones had 24 to lead the Cowboys over the Broncos in the season opener for both.

With the Cowboys down 51-50 early in the second half, Ewing went on a tear, scoring 12 unanswered points to start a 15-0 Wyoming run. A basket and free throw by Chris Anderson made it 65-51 with just under 13 minutes left.

FRESNO STATE 73, SOUTHERN ALABAMA 63

FRESNO, Calif. — Ja'Vance Coleman scored 17 points and Dominic McGuire had 10 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks as the Bulldogs (2-0) pulled away for victory over the Jaguars (1-1).

ELSEWHERE

WASHINGTON STATE 74, WIS.-MILWAUKEE 54

MILWAUKEE — Ivory Clark scored 20 points to lead the Cougars (2-0) over the Panthers (1-1) in the John Thompson Foundation Classic. 'Iolani alum Derrick Low added 10 points for Washington State, which shot 60.4 percent (29 of 48) for the game to only 28.6 percent (18 of 63) for Milwaukee (1-1).

WOMEN'S TOP 25

NO. 6 DUKE 102, NORTHEASTERN 49

DURHAM, N.C. — Bridgette Mitchell had 18 points and 13 rebounds in her first college game as the Blue Devils rolled over the Lady Huskies in the season opener for both.