Nelson touched

TUCSON, Ariz. Discount Jerseys Authentic . -- Arizona coach Sean Miller rose from his seat every time Roberto Nelson touched the ball and yelled "Shooter!" He could have been talking about his own team, too. Playing with confidence at both ends, No. 2 Arizona found its shooting touch and hounded Nelson, the Pac-12s leading scorer, into a rough night to race past Oregon State 76-54 on Sunday. "Overall, it was a very good team performance," Miller said. "We did it at both ends." Arizona looked hesitant against Oregon on Thursday night, its first game since forward Brandon Ashley went out for the season with a right foot injury. The Wildcats (23-1, 10-1 Pac-12) had no such trouble against Oregon State, finding answers for their shooting woes while dominating in nearly every aspect. Arizona shot 50 per cent for the first time in six games, had a 40-12 advantage in the paint and 15 assists with eight turnovers. The Wildcats also outrebounded the Beavers 39-24, including a 15-4 advantage on the offensive glass that led to 13 points. Aaron Gordon led Arizona with 17 points and fellow freshman Rondae Hollis-Jefferson provided his usual hustling spark while scoring 16. T.J. McConnell added 11 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Wildcats, who bounced back from their grinding victory over the Ducks with a terrific all-around effort for their 30th win in the last 31 games against the Beavers at McKale Center. "We played well tonight," McConnell said. "We were clicking on offence and I felt like we were playing well on defence." They sure were, particularly against Nelson. The Beavers (13-10, 5-6) rallied in the second half against Arizona State in their previous game behind Nelson, but had little chance against the athletic Wildcats, unable to spring him or chip away at Arizonas 10-point halftime lead. The nations 10th-leading scorer, Nelson was held to 10 points -- 12 below his average -- on 3-of-12 shooting. The rest of the Beavers did little to pick up the slack, shooting 8 of 24 in the second half and 39 per cent overall. Angus Brandt led the Beavers with 14 points. "Its disappointing that we didnt play better, especially since we have been playing better," Oregon State coach Craig Robinson said. "I dont think we came out with our best effort and I want to take the blame for that." Shooting has been Arizonas problem in recent weeks. The Wildcats shot 37 per cent over the past four games and hit 18 of 70 (25 per cent) from 3-point range. Arizona won four of those five games behind its defence, particularly with big stops late. The Wildcats did it against Oregon in their last game as they struggled offensively without Ashley, shutting down the Ducks in the final 3 minutes to win 67-65 on Thursday after trailing most of the second half. Arizona had some shooting woes early against Oregon State, but rallied quickly behind Gordon and Hollis-Jefferson. Gordon scored in a variety of ways, getting a tip-in, a coast-to-coast drive after a steal and dropping in his first 3-pointer since Dec. 19, a no-hesitation shot from the corner. He had 11 points at the half. Hollis-Jefferson scored on a turnaround in the post to open the game and scored nine points by halftime behind his always-on-the-gas style. Arizona closed the first half on a 12-3 run and hit 16 of 29 shots to lead 37-27. Gordon opened the second half with an ill-advised toss that went off the top of the backboard in an attempt to dunk that sent Miller sprawling back in his seat in disgust. Gordon followed with the kind of move that has him projected as one of the top NBA draft picks when he leaves Tucson: a behind-the-back dribble through the lane that left his defender flatfooted and led to an easy layup. The rest of the Wildcats kept rolling, too, stretching the lead while showcasing what they can do even without Ashley in the lineup. "Today, we couldnt stop them," Robinson said. "This is a good team. Its fun to watch when you arent getting beat by them." Oregon State rallied behind Nelson against Arizona State on Thursday night before losing in overtime. The Beavers had no comeback in them this time, and Nelson struggled all night He scored 24 of his 26 points in the second half against Arizona State, but had a hard time finding room to shoot against Arizona. Hounded by Johnson and McConnell, who got plenty of help on screen switches, Nelson had four points on 2-of-8 shooting in the first half. He continued to labour against Arizonas pressure, going more than 10 minutes of the second half before getting off his first shot attempt. He missed all three of his 3-point tries in the game. "It was a team effort on Nelson and we did a great job on him," McConnell said. And just about everyone else. Clete Boyer Jersey Braves . -- The court fight over NFL concussions should heat up soon as a judge in Philadelphia weighs the fairness of the proposed $765 million settlement. Javy Lopez Jersey Braves .com) - The Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics both entered Wednesday nights game riding lengthy losing streaks.PITTSBURGH -- When Daniel Alfredsson pulled off the stunner of the NHL off-season by leaving the Ottawa Senators as a free agent, the rationale he gave was simple: He thought the Detroit Red Wings offered him a better chance to win the Stanley Cup. At the time, skeptics looked at the Senators and questioned if that was true. They had just overcome injuries to Jason Spezza, Erik Karlsson and Craig Anderson to reach the second round of the playoffs, and even Alfredsson saw a bright future ahead. Playing into his 40s, Alfredsson just didnt "have the time to wait for that." As a disappointing season unfolded in Ottawa, it became clear the longtime Senators captain was right, and on Wednesday night the Red Wings validated his decision to sign in Detroit by making the playoffs and giving him another opportunity to chase the Cup. "Thats what you play for: to get into the playoffs," Alfredsson said after the Red Wings clinched with a shootout loss in Pittsburgh. "I played a long time in this league, I played a lot of playoff games but I havent won the Stanley Cup, and thats what you dream about. Thats the only reason Im still playing." The easy move, as Alfredsson acknowledged July 5, wouldve been to re-sign with the Senators and play out a career that would then include his No. 11 being raised to the rafters and maybe a statue being built outside Canadian Tire Centre. Leaving immediately clouded his legacy. In the wake of Alfredssons departure, the Senators couldnt seem to get out of a fog early and were never able to catch up. They missed the playoffs for the third time in six years, but even from afar the former face of that franchise didnt get any satisfaction in watching the Sens struggle. "I was hoping that they would do well, theres no question," Alfredsson said Tuesday in Buffalo. "Other than that, my focus is solely on this team and on the present and finishing out this season strong." Led by Alfredsson and fellow Swede Gustav Nyquist, the Red Wings made a strong push to qualify for the playoffs on the night they played their 80th game of the season. And they did so despite missing stars Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg for almost half the season due to injuries, while Alfredsson, himself, missed 13 games. Thanks to major contributions from young players like Nyquist and Tomas Tatar, Detroit overcame those and many more injuries to make a 23rd consecutive playoff appearance. The Red Wings also leaned heavily veteran defenceman Niklas Kronwall, Alfredsson and coach Mike Babcock to steady the ship. "I think theres a few factors: goaltendings been consistent for us, I think Kronwall has pulled a really heavy load throughout the year on and off the ice for this team," Alfredsson said. "And (the) coaching staff, as well, adjusting to the team we have and giving us a chance and a game plan to win every night. Theyve been pushing us hard. Its been hard-fought to get here, but it feels great." A sseason full of injuries putting a coach in line for a Jack Adams Award -- sound familiar? Ottawas Paul MacLean won it last year, and Babcock will be a serious candidate given how many Red Wings regulars missed time this season. Brian McCann Jersey Braves. Of course someone has to score to make that happen. Alfredssons 49 points on 18 goals and 31 assists have him tied with Kronwall for the team lead with two games left. Alfredsson was all smiles in the visiting locker room Wednesday night after helping Detroit pick up the one point it needed to make it. And while clinching a playoff spot was a proud accomplishment, he didnt deny doubts crept in when the Red Wings learned Datsyuk and Zetterberg would be out for a while. "We knew it was going to be tough," Alfredsson said. "We had a similar situation in Ottawa last year where we lost Spezza, Karlsson, (Milan) Michalek and Anderson for longer periods of time. "If you get something going and you get a good feeling within a locker-room, you can accomplish a lot of things, and I think thats what weve done. Were a good group, we have fun and we know how to work for each other. Its kind of contagious when you see everybody going. Everybody kind of drags along and knows that they have to pull their share, as well." Taking a step back from the situations, Alfredsson didnt see much more of a correlation between the triumphs of the 2013 Senators and the 2013-14 Red Wings. In his estimation, this year was worse. "I think in Ottawa it was more right away we knew a few guys were out for longer periods of time," he said. "It wasnt as much guys coming back, guys coming out. Weve been shuffling lines for most of the year but still found ways to get everybody contributing." Alfredsson was one of 34 skaters to dress for the Red Wings this season, second only to the Penguins (37) among playoff teams. Beyond Nyquist and Tatar, Detroit likely wouldnt have extended its NHL-best playoff streak were it not for minor-league call-ups Riley Sheahan, Luke Glendening and Tomas Jurco. The kids -- a couple of whom werent even alive the last time the Red Wings missed the playoffs -- are all right in Alfredssons eyes. But he also believes Babcock and his staff deserve some credit. "They gave them that chance and didnt make it a big deal," Alfredsson said. "Its just, You can do this. I think that gave them confidence. They definitely made the most of it. I think Coach gave them a chance, and they repaid him with solid play." Anything less than solid play wouldve meant an early summer for the Red Wings and a quicker start to the retirement questions for Alfredsson. Instead, the 41-year-old winger gets to compete in the playoffs for the 15th time in his NHL career. This time is extra special because of how difficult it was. "I think we worked extremely hard to get to this point, and it feels great," Alfredsson said. "This group has overcome a lot of adversity and that makes it even more fun." ' ' '