Ames, Iowa ? Curtis Stinson ignored an injured back and turned in a career-best performance.

Stinson, who has been bothered by a bulged disc and turned in subpar performances in Iowa State’s two exhibition games, came through Sunday with 35 points and seven assists as the Cyclones defeated NAIA team Mountain State, 101-82, in No. 25 Iowa State’s season opener.

Stinson hit 15 of 24 shots and had seven assists for the Cyclones, who surpassed 100 points for the first time since Jan. 31, 2001, when they lost to Missouri, 112-109, in four overtimes.

“He plays even better when he’s hurt,” said Will Blalock, Stinson’s running mate at guard who had 13 points and 11 assists. “Maybe we should keep hurting him and keep him out there and bandage him up. He’s a warrior.”

Stinson said Mountain State kept leaving him open, sometimes on the perimeter.

“The guys got me the ball in the right spots,” Stinson said. “Coach told us to get out and run and we’d get easy baskets.”

Freshman Shawn Taggart scored 16 points, and Rashon Clark added 13 for Iowa State, while freshman Jiri Hubalek had 11 points and 10 rebounds.

No. 11 Boston College 70, Shawnee State 51

Boston – Craig Smith had 14 points and 13 rebounds and then sat out the last seven minutes of Boston College’s rout. Jared Dudley added 18 points and nine rebounds.

No. 15 Alabama 105, Alabama St. 68

Tuscaloosa, Ala. – Freshman Richard Hendrix scored 22 points and had 14 rebounds as Alabama rebounded from its loss to Memphis in the second round of the preseason NIT.

No. 17 Illinois 71, Texas-Pan American 59

Champaign, Ill. – Dee Brown scored 20 points as Illinois bounced back from a poor-shooting first half. Brown hit five three-pointers for the Illini (2-0), who trailed by 10 points with 8:19 to go in the first half before their shots started to fall.

Big 12 Men

Missouri 81, Northwestern St. 72

Columbia, Mo. – Thomas Gardner scored 25 points to help Missouri rally. Gardner made a three-point play with 4:18 left to give Missouri a 68-65 lead, the Tigers’ first lead in the second half. Missouri (1-1) didn’t trail again. Jimmy McKinney sparked the rally, scoring all 15 of his points in the second half. The Demons went on a 20-5 run midway through the first half and led 35-27 at halftime. With the win, the Tigers avoided losing two straight games at home to open the season for the first time since the 1960-1961 season. Missouri lost to Sam Houston State 80-77 on Monday. Only 5,755 fans attended, the lowest regular-season game attendance at Mizzou Arena since it opened last year.

Nebraska 59, La. Tech 56

Lincoln, Neb. – Jamel White hit a three-pointer with 2:02 left to help Nebraska beat Louisiana Tech in the John Thompson Foundation Basketball Challenge.

Texas A&M 88, Southern 44

College Station, Texas – Acie Law scored 18 points, and Eddie Smith added 15.

Oklahoma State 94, Jackson State 53

Stillwater, Okla. – Mario Boggan scored 18 points, and David Monds added 17 as Oklahoma State defeated Jackson State in the first round of the Las Vegas Holiday Invitational.

Big 12 Women

No. 9 Connecticut 82, No. 25 Oklahoma 62

Storrs, Conn. – Charde Houston scored 22 points, and Mel Thomas added 20 to lead Connecticut to its third Women’s NIT title.