The Associated Press

NEW YORK - Jameer Nelson lived up to the billing. The second-leading vote-getter on the AP's preseason All-America team had 20 points, eight rebounds, 10 assists and a ton of oohs and aahs in leading No. 17 Saint Joseph's to a 73-66 victory over No. 10 Gonzaga in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic on Friday.

The senior guard struggled with his shot in the first half but more than made up for it in the second as he seemed to come up with every big play the Hawks needed in the teams' season opener.

His best sequence came when he drew a charge at midcourt, then took the inbounds pass and made a drive through traffic that left the crowd at Madison Square Garden standing and cheering.

More than 4,000 Saint Joseph's fans bought tickets, and they turned the building in New York into Philadelphia's Hawk Hill for a night. The university with the enrollment of 3,800 was the big school for the night.

This was the third straight year these schools met.

SAINT JOSEPH'S (1-0)-Bryant 3-4 1-1 7, Carroll 4-6 1-2 12, Jones 2-5 0-0 4, Nelson 6-20 7-8 20, West 6-17 0-0 16, Barley 4-6 0-0 12, Lidzius 0-0 0-0 0, Lee 0-2 0-0 0, Surov 0-0 0-0 0, Stachitas 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 26-62 9-11 73.

GONZAGA (0-1)-Morrison 5-10 0-0 10, Violette 5-11 2-2 13, Fox 2-6 1-2 5, Skinner 2-9 2-2 6, Stepp 2-12 3-4 8, Knight 3-7 0-0 7, Turiaf 1-3 0-0 2, Mallon 3-5 0-0 8, Bankhead 1-1 0-0 3, Raivio 0-2 4-4 4. Totals 24-66 12-14 66.

Halftime-Gonzaga 38-34. 3-Point goals-St. Joseph's 12-25 (Barley 4-5, West 4-7, Carroll 3-5, Nelson 1-6, Lee 0-1, Stachitas 0-1), Gonzaga 6-15 (Mallon 2-2, Violette 1-1, Bankhead 1-1, Knight 1-2, Stepp 1-4, Morrison 0-2, Skinner 0-3). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-St. Joseph's 32 (Nelson 8), Gonzaga 47 (Violette 11). Assists-St. Joseph's 17 (Nelson 10), Gonzaga 12 (Stepp 4). Total fouls-St. Joseph's 13, Gonzaga 15. A-NA.

No. 22 Pittsburgh 71, Alabama 62

NEW YORK - Carl Krauser, replacing four-year starter Brandin Knight at point guard, scored a career-high 21 points and No. 22 Pittsburgh beat Alabama Friday night in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.

Jamie Dixon got the win in his first game as head coach of the Panthers. He replaced former boss Ben Howland, who went to UCLA after four seasons at Pitt.

The Panthers struggled from 3-point range, missing their first 13 tries before Krauser finally hit one from beyond the arc to give the Panthers a 39-35 lead with 11:08 to play. They didn't quite catch on fire from long range, but they did make three in a 2:40 span to go up 59-53 with 2:10 left.

The last of the 3-pointers was by Jaron Brown, and that was Pittsburgh's last field goal of the game. The Panthers made the lead stand up by going 12-for-16 from the free throw line the rest of the way.

The win was Pittsburgh's fourth straight at Madison Square Garden, where it won the Big East Tournament for the first time in March. Chuck Davis, one of Alabama's young players looking to claim one of the four starting spots left open from last season, had a career-high 20 points.

ALABAMA (0-1)-Brock 0-3 2-2 2, Winston 1-4 1-2 3, Davis 9-15 2-4 20, Pettway 5-12 5-5 17, Shelton 3-12 5-7 11, Davidson 2-7 0-3 4, Smith 0-1 0-0 0, Thomas 2-3 0-0 5. Totals 22-57 15-23 62.

PITTSBURGH (1-0)-Brown 4-11 2-5 11, Troutman 5-8 3-5 13, Morris 4-6 0-0 8, Krauser 6-15 7-9 21, Page 2-8 3-6 8, Taft 2-5 4-6 8, Demetris 0-3 0-0 0, Graves 0-1 0-0 0, McCarroll 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 23-57 21-33 71.

Halftime-Tied at 24. 3-Point goals-Alabama 4-20 (Krauser 2-8, Brown 1-4, Page 1-5, Graves 0-1, Demetris 0-2), Pittsburgh 3-14 (Pettway 2-6, Thomas 1-1, Winston 0-1, Smith 0-1, Shelton 0-5). Fouled out-Troutman, Brock. Rebounds-Alabama 38 (Davidson 10), Pittsburgh 43 (Taft 12). Assists-Alabama 8 (Shelton 5), Pittsburgh 11 (Brown, Krauser 3). Total fouls-Alabama 27, Pittsburgh 21. A-NA.

Michigan 90, Fayetteville 59

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Bernard Robinson Jr. scored 18 points in Michigan's 90-59 exhibition victory Friday night over Fayetteville of the National Basketball Development League.

Lester Abram added 16 points and freshman Brent Petway had 13 for the Wolverines, 5-0 in exhibition play. Jason Collier had 11 points and Omar Cook added 10 for the Patriots.

IOWA: Glen Worley will be sidelined indefinitely by a broken bone in his left hand, the university said Friday.

Worley, a 6-foot-7 senior, injured the hand in practice Thursday. Iowa plays Athletes in Action in its final exhibition game Sunday and opens the season Nov. 23 against UNC-Asheville.