Toonstruck 2 - The Fan Project
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g left to prove. It becomes hard to k
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03.09.2019 15:56
Zitat FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. Adam Frazier Pirates Jersey . -- Jaylen Barford was accustomed to pretty much scoring at will a season ago in junior college when he led the nation with an average of 26.2 points per game.The junior guard is starting to look right at home in his first season at Arkansas, scoring a career-best 17 points in helping the Razorbacks (3-0) rally for a 71-67 win over Texas-Arlington on Friday night.Barford added six rebounds, but it was his three second-half steals -- two of which ended with dunks -- that sparked a 20-2 run to open the second half by Arkansas. The 6-foot-3 guard averaged 9.5 points in his first two games for the Razorbacks, but Friday was nothing short of his coming-out party.I know my team needed me, Barford said. In the first two games, it probably looked like I was very bad, but I think Im getting comfortable and acclimated to the team. Im just having fun and playing free.Anton Beard added 12 points off the bench and Dusty Hannahs added 11 for Arkansas, which shot 50 percent (12 of 24) in the second half after a disappointing 9-of-29 effort (31 percent) in the first half.Erick Neal had 15 points to lead the Mavericks (1-3), who have now lost three straight games after leading at halftime. Drew Charles also finished in double figures with 11 for Texas-Arlington, while Jalen Jones had 10.The Mavericks committed 12 of their 18 turnovers in the second half, and they hit only 8 of 28 shots (28.6 percent) in the second half.They did a great job of creating some steals in the halfcourt, Texas-Arlington coach Scott Cross said. ... Theyre a good basketball team, and our guys hung with them for 40 minutes.After a pair of convincing wins to open the season, Arkansas appeared anything but convincing in the first half against the preseason pick to win the Sun Belt Conference.The Mavericks, after back-to-back losses at Minnesota and Florida Gulf Coast, led the Razorbacks by as many as 17 points in the first half before settling for a 43-32 edge at halftime. Texas-Arlington hit 8 of its 15 3-point attempts in the half, with Charles connecting on all three of his shots from behind the arc.Arkansas, meanwhile, hit just 5 of its first 21 shots and finished 9 of 29 (31 percent) in the half.The Razorbacks used their fast second-half start to build a 52-45 lead midway through the second half, with Barford scoring three times after steals and Beard capping the run with back-to-back 3-pointers.Arkansas led 69-67 in the final minute when Barford was fouled. The junior make both free throws to put the Razorbacks up 71-67, and they kept Texas-Arlington from scoring on the other end as time expired.I think eventually he will (be a leading man), Arkansas coach Mike Anderson said about Barford. I think you kind of saw him take command out on the floor ... I think hes a guy who can facilitate and make plays, whether it be for himself or for others.BIG PICTUREOn a night when Southeastern Conference preseason Player of the Year Moses Kingsley struggled with foul trouble and had only five points, Arkansas might have found the co-leading man it was looking for -- on both ends of the court -- in Barford. The 6-foot-3 guard averaged 26.2 points per game in junior college last season, but his defensive activity is what the Razorbacks desperately needed.BEARD IS BACKAfter missing the first semester last season and following his arrest on forgery charges and struggling when he returned, Beard appears to have regained the form that made him an All-SEC freshman performer two seasons ago. The junior finished with 12 points off the bench for the second time in three games, and he hit several shots with the shot clock winding down to help Arkansas rally for the win on Friday.UP NEXTAfter a three-game road trip, Texas-Arlington returns home to host St. Francis on Monday night.The Razorbacks play their first road game of the season at Minnesota on Tuesday night.---More AP college basketball: http://collegebasketball.ap.org Erik Gonzalez Pirates Jersey . William Carrier opened the scoring for Cape Breton (6-4-2), but Andrew Ryan tied the game and Brent Andrews put the Mooseheads (8-6-0) in front for good with a short-handed goal at 13:49 of the second period. Starling Marte Pirates Jersey . "I dont know that were close," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "I just think, right now, the acquisition cost just doesnt work for us right now. I dont know if I can quantify how far off or things like that that they might be but I would say we continue to have dialogue. http://www.pittsburghpiratesprostore.us/...pirates-jersey/ . -- There were a lot of firsts for the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. NEW YORK -- Between her strong serve and how rested she was compared to her opponent, a perfect storm of factors propelled 10th-seeded Karolina Pliskova into her first Grand Slam final thanks to a 6-2, 7-6 (5) win over top-seeded Serena Williams at Arthur Ashe Stadium on a humid Thursday evening.The lean 24-year-old from the Czech Republic had been tempered for the task of meeting Williams before the partisan New York crowd by a harrowing but ultimately triumphant clash with Williams sister, Venus. Serena, meanwhile, had been run ragged less than 24 hours earlier in a grueling 2-hour, 14-minute clash with jackrabbit-quick Simona Halep.Williams, 34, has been in 33 Grand Slam semis. Pliskova was playing her first. Williams visage throughout the match was that of a weary, careworn veteran. Pliskovas eyes were sunken in dark sockets but they burned with ambition. Williams was hampered by an undefined left knee injury that only seemed to become a factor as the match wore on. Pliskova, by contrast, moved swiftly and economically.Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Williams had finally come face to face with a rival who had the tools and intent to outduel her from the service notch.Pliskova smacked seven aces to just five by Williams, whose serve is considered the most potent weapon ever produced in the womens game. The 6-foot-1 Pliskova, also the WTAs ace leader, put a higher percentage of first serves into play (56 to 53 percent) and won more of those vital first-serve points (84 to 66 percent). She put 65 percent of her returns into play compared to Williams 54 percent.My serve is my biggest weapon, Pliskova said. It doesnt matter if I am playing [the] No. 1 or No. 10 player. I can hit any serve I want.Pliskova did to Williams what the 22-time Grand Slam champion usually does to her opponents. The double-fault Williams hit to end the match provided a sad and surprising coda to a match that once again reminded us that those who live by the sword are often fated to die by it as well, usually at the hand of a younger rival.Because shes so tall, [the serve] bounces high, Williams said. Im shorter, so my serve goes through the court. Hers goes a little higher. So I think thats the difference.The result raises an obvious question: How did Pliskova do it?Certainly, her tactical decision to skip the Olympic Games in favor of training for the big summer tournaments played a part. But Milos Raonic did the same thing and we saw where it got him. Unlike Raonic, Pliskova made the most of her choice. She banked wins over No. 3 Garbine Muguruza and new No. 1 Angelique Kerber to win the major US Open tune-up in Cincinnati. The confidence dividend launched her run here.Its all about those last two, three weeks here in States, Pliskova said. I won good matches. If you believe in yourself, you can beat anyone. Its not only about aa game and tennis, but its more about the mental things sometimes. Chad Kuhl Jersey. Ironically, the mental thing that helped Pliskova the most against Williams was the preview provided by No. 6 seed Venus. Their fourth-round battle was Pliskovas first appearance at Arthur Ashe Stadium.Obviously after I knew what it was [like] to play one of the sisters [and] against all the people there [on Ashe], so I was prepared for it, Pliskova said. I was prepared for a fast game, for great serving. Thats why maybe I won the match today.Venus is either a great teacher or Pliskova is a quick study despite passing the third round at a major for the first time in 18 opportunities. But you can cram a lot of learning into a wild and wooly three-setter decided by a third-set tiebreaker. Pliskova survived a match point in that match, which is partly why she said, Maybe it was a little bit tougher to play Venus.That earlier match also conditioned Pliskovas nerves. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach before the match, but once it started she said she felt no anxiety at all. She avoided the common temptation of trying hard to enjoy her first Grand Slam semifinal, the way some Slam whisperers counsel.[I wanted to] not just enjoy, she insisted, but to win.Williams didnt win, nor did she enjoy. That was evident from the start, and the reason why is something of a mystery. When some suggested that scheduling her matches on successive days was unfair, especially in light of her knock-down, drag-out tussle with Halep in the quarterfinals, she snapped.OK, Im not going to repeat myself. I wasnt tired from yesterdays match, Williams said. Im a professional player; been playing for over 20 years. If I cant turn around after 24 hours and play again then I shouldnt be on tour.Admire her for taking full ownership of the loss, but the answer left many questions hanging. The knee certainly was a factor. As she said, When youre hampered youre thinking of other things. I was missing simple, simple shots that at other times I would make.Its hard to know or say exactly how much of an impact that injury had, but it was clear from the very start that Williams game and mood were flat. She seemed to be lost somewhere within herself, her facial expression sometimes stony, sometimes distraught, sometimes anguished; many things, but never fiery, alert or eager.Theres a price to play when youre 34 and have been walking around with a giant bulls-eye on your back for two decades. It becomes hard to meet every challenge with burning intensity when theres nothing left to prove. It becomes hard to keep fending provocations off when theres so much to defend: titles, rankings, streaks, records.Sometimes, that sword just gets too heavy to lift. ' ' ' |
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