Lahaina, Hawaii ? Gonzaga’s offense and zone defense both started working really well in the second half.

Once the eighth-ranked Bulldogs stopped turning the ball over, their matchup zone was even more effective and they pulled away to an 88-76 victory over No. 23 Maryland on Monday in the opening round of the EA Sports Maui Invitational.

“I was really apprehensive about this game, and the key is we took care of the ball in the second half, and that’s not easy against Maryland,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “We battened down the hatches and really settled down in the second half.”

Preseason All-America Adam Morrison scored 25 points, Derek Raivio had 24, and J.P. Batista added 21 for Gonzaga (2-0). The Bulldogs advanced to today’s semifinals where they will play No. 12 Michigan State, which beat Chaminade, 89-67.

After committing 12 turnovers in the first half, Gonzaga only had five in the second.

The Bulldogs’ matchup zone was really effective over the final 10 minutes of the game, holding Maryland (1-1) to four field goals in that span, three of them coming in the final 1:14.

Chris McCray had 18 points for Maryland.

No. 12 Michigan State 89, Chaminade 67

Lahaina, Hawaii — Michigan State’s second game in Hawaii was a lot better than its first. Maurice Ager scored 23 points to lead the 12th-ranked Spartans over Chaminade just two days after the then-No. 4 Spartans lost, 84-62, at the University of Hawaii. The Spartans (1-1) weren’t bothered by leg cramps against Chaminade (0-1) like they were against Hawaii when four starters were forced from the game, including Shannon Brown being carried from the court on a stretcher.

No. 18 Iowa 67, No. 7 Kentucky 63

Kansas City, Mo. — Greg Brunner had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Iowa made a flurry of clutch defensive plays and free throws to beat Kentucky in the semifinals of the Guardians Classic.

Mike Henderson went 7-for-9 from the line and added 15 points for the Hawkeyes (3-0), who will meet No. 2 Texas in tonight’s championship game.

Point guard Rajon Rondo had a career-high 19 rebounds for the Wildcats (2-1), a Guardians Classic record, but was held to five points — 13 below his season average.

No. 20 Indiana 100, Florida A&M 63

Bloomington, Ind. — Marshall Strickland scored 18 of his 20 points in the first half, and Roderick Wilmont added 17 to help No. 20 Indiana (2-0) rout Florida A&M (1-1).

No. 24 Wake Forest 79, UNC-Asheville 63

Winston-Salem, N.C. — Justin Gray paced a balanced offense with 16 points, Trent Strickland scored 14, and Wake Forest finally got a breather with a victory over pesky UNC-Asheville. The Demon Deacons (4-1) finished third in the 2K Sports College Hoop Classic, and their run of four games included two that went to overtime.