sed a bit of a stir in the off-season by sayi

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Arizonas offence was disjointed, the shots werent falling, the free throws clanging one after another. Playing without injured forward Brandon Ashley for the first time, the second-ranked Wildcats looked out of sorts on the offensive end, leaving them in jeopardy of their first losing streak of the season. Good thing they know how to play defence, particularly when the game is on the line. Digging in over the closing minutes, Arizona overcame a rough shooting night to win in their first game without Ashley, grinding out a 67-65 victory over Oregon on Thursday night. "Our defence down the stretch is what we rely on," said Nick Johnson, who led Arizona with 18 points. "We have all year." The Wildcats needed it against Oregon. Coming off its first loss of the season, Arizona (22-1, 9-1 Pac-12) laboured offensively without Ashley, who is out for the season with a foot injury suffered last Saturday in a loss at California. The Wildcats went 4 for 16 from three-point range, missed 16 free throws and had a tough time even getting into their set plays. They turned up the pressure with the game on the line and, as they have for much of the season, found a way to make the big plays when they needed to. Point guard T.J. McConnell missed seven of his first eight shots before dropping in a three-pointer with 90 seconds left to give Arizona the lead. Johnson went 5 of 16 from the field, but kept fighting his way through it and hit 5 of 6 free throws in the final 47 seconds. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson provided the Wildcats with a big lift, too, finishing with 14 points, 10 rebounds and all kinds of not-in-the-box score contributions with his hustle in his first start in place of Ashley. "Our offence was a little out synch play-wise, but we battled back," McConnell said. "Weve done that so many times this year, been in games like that before, so I think were a battle-tested team." Oregon (15-7, 3-7) held its composure in one of college basketballs toughest road arenas, keeping the Wildcats at bay well into the second half. When Arizona turned up the pressure and the fans in the McKale Center turned up the noise, the Ducks had no answer. Oregon had a couple of key turnovers late and missed 3 of 4 free throws while shooting toward the raucous Arizona student section in the final 23 seconds. Joseph Young and Jason Calliste had 14 points each and Damyean Dotson added 12 for the Ducks in another oh-so-close loss. "Theyre hurting," Oregon coach Dana Altman said. "This is their third two-point loss. I just told them weve got to be resilient. It hurts having an opportunity and not being able to finish." Arizona had to shuffle its lineup with Ashley out, moving Hollis-Jefferson into the starting lineup and long-range shooter Gabe York into his sixth-man role. The new-look rotation was solid early, dropping in 3-pointers and flying in for dunks while Kaleb Tarczewski had his way inside for 10 points and five offensive rebounds. After that, it was a struggle. With the Ducks double-teaming Tarczewski in the post and McConnell out with his third foul late in the first half, Arizona could only find an offensive rhythm in stretches. The Wildcats didnt help themselves at the free throw line, either, making 11 of 19 in the first half. Arizona got off to a slow start in the second half and trailed most of the way as the shots continued to bounce away. The Wildcats have proven to be strong-minded most of the season -- their only loss was on a last-second shot by Cal -- and again found a way to pull out a not-so-pretty victory. "Tonights game is a real tribute to the team that we have in that it took a lot of resiliency on our part, a lot of belief and toughness because things werent going our way," Arizona coach Sean Miller said. Oregon, the defending Pac-12 tournament champion, has been in a downward spiral since conference play started, losing five straight after being ranked as high as 10th. The Ducks bounced back with two wins in their previous three games, but still needed to start winning to have a chance at returning to the NCAA tournament. After a slow start, Oregon started dropping in shots to lead 38-37 at halftime. The Ducks pushed the lead to seven points midway through the second half, but faltered down the stretch. Oregon fell behind by four after a shot-clock violation and a wild three-point attempt by Young, yet still had a chance in the closing seconds. The Ducks pulled within 64-62 on Dominic Artis shot in the lane, but he missed two free throws and Calliste hit 1 of 2 as Arizonas fans waved wildly in the background. "I thought we were in pretty good shape, but didnt finish it," Altman said. Arizona did, just as it has most of the season. Air Jordan 4 Discount . The 21-year-old Canadian earned a spot in his third career ATP final on Saturday thanks to his first Top 10 victory of the new tennis season, a 6-4, 6-4 win over world no. 10 Nicolas Almagro of Spain. Air Jordan 4 Sale Cheap . The pair ended pointless droughts when they each scored two goals in a 6-4 victory over the Winnipeg Jets that halted a two-game losing skid for the Stars (15-11-5). http://www.airjordan4discount.com/.com) - The Vancouver Canucks hope an upcoming stretch of home games will be enough to get the club into the postseason. Cheap Air Jordan 4 Retro . He also had some help Monday night.Hibbert scored a season-high 29 points to help Indiana beat the Utah Jazz 97-86 Monday night, ending the Pacers six-game losing streak. Air Jordan 4 Wholesale . - Kobe Bryant and LeBron James traded hugs, big shots and verbal jabs all night with warmth and humour.NEW YORK -- The stands were filled and the fences were much closer. Chris Young and the New York Mets certainly enjoyed the cozy confines across town. Young hit a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning, Jenrry Mejia provided a jolt after his reluctant move to the bullpen and the previously punchless Mets went deep four times to rally past the banged-up Yankees 9-7 Monday night in the Subway Series opener. The crowd of 46,517, chanting back and forth, included Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra -- who received a warm hand on his 89th birthday -- and a large throng of Mets fans in left field wearing orange shirts that read "Bronx Invasion." "It was like a big party out there in the outfield, and it keeps you in the game," said Young, who played centre and left. "I was saying that I was having the most fun that Ive had even before the home run." After going 4-0 last year for their first season sweep of the Yankees, the Mets picked up right where they left off last May. Curtis Granderson connected in his return to Yankee Stadium, and the Mets also got long balls from Eric Young Jr. and Travis dArnaud while overcoming a pair of three-run deficits. Lumbering first baseman Lucas Duda turned in two spectacular defensive plays, starting a game-ending double play with runners at the corners by making a diving stop of Brian McCanns sharp grounder. Taking full advantage of a hitter-friendly ballpark, rather than the vast dimensions back home at Citi Field, the Mets hit four home runs in a game for the first time since May 3, 2013, in Atlanta, according to STATS. They began the day ranked 29th in the majors with 22 homers. "Part of it is being here," Mets manager Terry Collins explained, referring to both the fences and the environment. "This atmosphere creates intensity and creates focus, and guys are excited about being here." Brett Gardner hit an early grand slam off ex-Yankee Bartolo Colon, and Derek Jeter had three hits for the first time since Sept. 30, 2012, in Toronto. Carlos Beltran left in the seventh with a hyperextended right elbow and was scheduled to have an MRI. Beltran, the designated hitter, got hurt working in the indoor cage between at-bats. "Im concerned because it was enough to take himself out of the game," manager Joe Girardi said. Bumped into a struggling bullpen before the game, Mejia (4-0) entered in the seventh for his first relief appearance since September 2012. He struck out Alfonso Soriano on three pitches and worked a scoreless eighth. Mejia sure seemed to relish the role -- even though he made it clear he wanted to stay in the rotation because he was concerned about injuring his surgically repaired arm again.dddddddddddd The right-hander excitedly pumped his fist after a double play and then backed his way off the mound following a called third strike that ended the eighth. "It feels pretty good. Ive got to enjoy it," a smiling Mejia said. "If they need me in the bullpen Ive got to be there because I never play for myself." Kyle Farnsworth pitched a shaky ninth for his third save -- aided by Mark Teixeiras nagging groin injury. Teixeira laced a pinch-hit single to right that went to the wall and sent Jeter to third base. A gimpy Teixeira had to stop at first, though, and was pulled for a pinch-runner. That kept the double play in order and Duda turned a rare 3-5-3 gem with third baseman David Wright, who was shifted near shortstop against McCann. Pinch-hitter Eric Campbell, enjoying his third day in the majors, got the Mets started in the eighth by hustling for a double after his sharp grounder caromed off third baseman Yangervis Solarte and into left field. Duda blooped a single to centre off Matt Thornton (0-1), and Campbell barely beat Jacoby Ellsburys accurate throw with a nifty slide at the plate. Chris Young greeted Preston Claiborne with a two-run shot to left, giving the Mets a 9-7 lead. "We really struggled today," Girardi said. "We didnt make pitches." The Yankees snapped a 4-all tie with three runs in the sixth off Colon, who gave up 11 hits for the second time this season. Young Jr. trimmed it to 7-6 with a two-run homer off Alfredo Aceves, who relieved starter Hiroki Kuroda in the seventh. In the first inning, Granderson turned and greeted fans in right field. The slugger signed a $60 million, four-year contract with the Mets in December after spending four seasons with the Yankees. He caused a bit of a stir in the off-season by saying, "A lot of the people Ive met in New York have always said that true New Yorkers are Mets fans." "The Mets fans came out in droves," Granderson said. NOTES: Mets President Saul Katz denied a report by The New York Times that he has expressed an interest in selling his share of the team. "I have no intention of selling my share of the Mets nor have I ever had any intention of selling my share," Katz said in a statement released by the club. ... The Mets plan to promote touted pitching prospect Rafael Montero from Triple-A Las Vegas to start Wednesday night at home against the Yankees in place of Mejia. It will be Monteros major league debut. ... Sorianos second-inning single made him the seventh player to get 1,000 hits in the American League and National League. ' ' '