OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. – Southern Connecticut State University put eight scorers in double figures in its 123-81 non-conference men's basketball victory over Felician College on Friday evening at Recreation Hall. The match-up comprised the opening game of the two-day, four-team Bears Invitational, hosted by New York Institute of Technology.

Southern Connecticut State was the 2014 NCAA Division II East Region champion, and returns 12 players from that squad. The Owls (4-0) are ranked No. 2 in the national D-II preseason coaches' poll.

Felician senior forward Jeyvi Miavivululu (Paterson, N.J.) led all players on the night with 23 points. Junior DeShawn Murphy (Hamden, Conn.) topped SCSU with 18 points, and senior Tylon Smith (Manchester, Conn.) turned in 16 points and eight assists in 18 minutes.

The Owls scored at a blistering pace for most of the night, with Murphy's three-point field goal on their first possession setting the tone. Leading 10-5, SCSU needed only one minute, 25 seconds to mount a 13-0 run and open up a comfortable advantage. By the mid-way point of the first half, the Owls had created a 42-21 bulge, which increased to 72-42 by halftime. Southern Connecticut shot 63 percent from the floor and canned seven three-pointers in the first 20 minutes.

The SCSU lead never dropped below 30 in period two. The Owls assumed their largest edge, 118-69, with 4:48 remaining following consecutive threes by Michael Bozzuto (Wolcott, Conn.). SCSU played 13 players on the night, and all saw between 11 and 21 minutes of action. It finished with rates of 59 percent from the floor and 44 percent (15-34) behind the arc.

Senior J.R. Pringley (Elizabeth, N.J.) totaled 16 points for the Golden Falcons (0-4). Teammate Tim Massado (Wilmington, Del.) posted a season-high 11 points and four assists. Felician committed 22 turnovers, which the Owls turned into 39 points.

The 123 points were the most ever given up by Felician, surpassing a 114-52 loss to New Hampshire College on Jan. 29, 2000. They were one short of the single-game scoring record for Southern Connecticut.

Felician returns to Old Westbury on Saturday to take on the host Bears at 4:30 p.m.