TUCSON, Ariz.
LeBron James Team USA Jersey . -- Aaron Gordon went on wild, fruitless drives to the basket, repeatedly shook his head
in frustration and shot a free throw that had a better chance of bouncing off
the floor into the basket. The talented freshman never stopped hustling, though,
and came through with some of the biggest plays of the night. Gordon overcame a
difficult night on the offensive end with his relentlessness, providing
top-ranked Arizona with a huge boost down the stretch of a 65-56 victory over
Utah Sunday night that extended the Wildcats winning streak to a school-record
20 games. "Ive learned from a young age that when its not going your way, you
have to try to turn the tide and make it go your way," Gordon said. "The ball
wasnt going through the rim tonight, but I picked up my play in other aspects."
Its a good thing for the Wildcats that he did. Arizona (20-0, 7-0 Pac-12)
struggled early, falling into an early 10-point hole as they struggled to figure
out Utahs variety of defences. The Wildcats eventually managed to decipher what
the Utes were doing and wore them down with relentless defensive pressure and a
dominating performance on the glass. Arizona shot 3 of 14 from 3-point range and
40 per cent overall, but made up for it with 20 offensive rebounds that led to
19 second-chance points. The Wildcats had a 40-29 rebounding advantage overall
and outscored Utah 38-24 in the paint. Nick Johnson had 22 points, hitting some
big shots down the stretch to help Arizona pull away. Gordon scored 10 points on
3-of-13 shooting, but had seven of his 12 rebounds on the offensive glass and
blocked two shots, including one during Arizonas decisive run. Fellow freshman
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson also provided a lift with his hustle, scoring 10 points
while grabbing five of his seven rebounds on the offensive end. No, it wasnt
easy, but the Wildcats pulled it out just like they have all season. "To set a
record at Arizona, its so meaningful because of the history here," Arizona coach
Sean Miller said. "Its special." Utah (14-6, 3-5) remained winless on the road.
Delon Wright led Utah 19 points and Jordan Loveridge added 13 on 3-of-14
shooting. "To use a football analogy, its a team that runs the ball," Utah coach
Larry Krystkowiak said of Arizona. "They grind on you and grind on you and
eventually the defence gets tired of being on the field at the end of the game.
Theres a lot to be said for the way they play." Utah has been good at home,
earning all 14 of its wins in Salt Lake City, including a 74-69 victory over
then-No. 25 UCLA on Jan. 18. The road has been a different story for the Utes.
But Utah clearly wasnt intimidated by Arizona or the atmosphere of playing the
nations top-ranked team in one of college basketballs most difficult road
arenas. The Utes opened with a 12-2 run, punctuated by Wrights steal and
fast-break layup, and the Wildcats couldnt get anything to go in, missing shots
at the rim and perimeter while starting 1-for-12. "We jumped out early and came
out with a lot of energy like coach wanted," Utah forward Dakaral Tucker said. A
hustle play by Hollis-Jefferson got Arizona rolling. Scrambling after his own
missed free throw, the freshman dived on the floor and hit the ball off Wright
before falling out of bounds. With the crowd cheering instead of groaning with
every possession, the Wildcats found their rhythm, using a 12-0 run to take the
lead. Both teams settled down after that and traded baskets and physical play
the rest of the half. Arizona went up 33-26 at halftime after Kaleb Tarczewski
threw down a two-handed rebound slam at the buzzer. The Utes didnt back down,
scoring the first six points of the second half and hitting seven of their first
11 shots while the Wildcats managed to it close despite struggling on offence.
Gordon helped turn the tide for the Wildcats. The freshman missed 10 of his
first 12 shots, but he broke Arizona out of its funk with a two-handed dunk over
Dallin Bachynski, followed with a blocked shot on a jumper by Loveridge, and
then grabbed an offensive rebound to keep possession alive, leading to a runner
by Johnson. Johnson added two more baskets, one a dunk on a baseline drive, to
cap a 12-2 run that put Arizona up 59-49 "Those two guys bring a lot to the
table," Miller said of Gordon and Hollis-Jefferson. "Their athleticism and
physicality and just big-moment plays. The bigger the game, the more competitive
the game, those guys are first-year players but theyre really at home when its
like that."
Scottie Pippen Team USA Jersey . You can watch the game on TSN at 7pm et/4pm pt and listen to the game on TSN Radio 690
in Montreal. After starting the month of November on an 0-3-1 slide, the
Canadiens have recorded wins in three of their last five outings (3-1-1).
Russell Westbrook Team USA Jersey . This has become the Raptors mantra as they embark on a new era with a new regime and, in
the not-so-distant future, a new image.To put it bluntly, were spoiled. We
really are. There have been 36 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships and Canada
has won gold 15 times. No country has won more. We are used to greatness. We
expect it as Canadian hockey fans. In the 10 years from 1988 to 1997, led by the
likes of Eric Lindros, Scott Niedermayer and Jarome Iginla, Canada won eight
gold medals, including five straight. Then, from 2005 to 2009, Canada won
another five straight with teams featuring future NHL All-Stars in Dion Phaneuf,
Carey Price and Sidney Crosby. But heres the rub: since that gold medal triumph
in 2009 won by a team coached by the Pat Quinn and including PK Subban, John
Tavares and Evander Kane, Canada has not won the tournament again. Sure, Canada
has medaled in three of those four years (silvers in 2010 and 2011 and a bronze
in 2012,) but for a country where hockey is king, you dont celebrate being
anything but the best. Is it time to worry? Yes, there have beeen droughts
before.
Magic Johnson USA Jersey. . Upon the WJHCs inception in 1977, Canada didnt win gold until its sixth year. Granted, in those
days, Canada typically sent that years Memorial Cup champions to the tournament,
rather than the teams filled with the nations best junior players that were used
to seeing now. After Canadas five straight triumphs ending in 1997, the country
went seven years without a gold. Even players the calibre of Vincent Lecavalier,
Roberto Luongo and Rick Nash couldnt bring home the title. The nation fretted
then and that unease is starting to return with this current dearth of titles.
Is that fair, though? Every December, many assume these young men will bring
home the gold. But if Brent Sutters team doesnt hear "O Canada" on January 5th
of next year, it will be another six-year drought. As a Canadian hockey fan, how
concerning is it that Canada hasnt won world junior gold recently? As always,
its Your! Call.
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