NEU » a regroup moment for NaVi. NaVi w

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Baskets fell when Louisville needed them, but coach Rick Pitino was more pleased by the defense that created those timely opportunities against Purdues fierce rally.Nearly every Cardinal had a hand in the effort, literally and figuratively, to gut out a tough win.Ray Spalding and Mangok Mathiang each scored 11 points and Donovan Mitchell had critical points and rebounds down the stretch to help No. 14 Louisville hold off No. 15 Purdue 71-64 on Wednesday night in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.Seeking a rebound from their second-half collapse against Baylor in the Battle 4 Atlantis championship when they lost a 22-point lead, the Cardinals held Purdue to a season-low 36 percent shooting but needed key baskets in the final minutes as the Boilermakers cut a 51-33 deficit to four with 14.4 seconds left.Ryan McMahons 3-pointer with 4 minutes remaining helped along with Mathiangs layup with 2:30 left, but Mitchells late scoring, including a jumper then two free throws with 2 seconds left, helped the Cardinals (6-1) escape with their first win over Purdue since 1996. Mitchell finished with five rebounds with the final one setting up his game-clinching free throws.Louisvilles 32-18 advantage in the paint was big with Anas Mahmoud adding nine points. He fouled out with 1:41 left. Spalding had nine rebounds and Mathiang eight as the Cardinals edged the Boilermakers 36-34 on the boards.I definitely think our length and athleticism bothered them, Spalding said after recording season highs in points and rebounds. They were really big guys, really good basketball players. ... We just had to use our quickness against them.Caleb Swanigan had 14 second-half points and 11 rebounds and P.J. Thompson scored 13, but the Boilermakers (5-2) had their four-game winning streak stopped along with a conference-record seven-game winning streak in the Challenge. Swanigans scoreless first half symbolized Louisvilles effectiveness that carried over into getting the needed late stops as Purdue cut into its lead.We trapped. We fronted. We went after it really hard, Pitino said. The guys really focused on the game plan. We knew how tough they are and they wanted to stay in the game, but Ray is the length guy. When Ray pressures the ball up top, they cant get the high-low.THE BIG PICTUREPurdue: The Boilermakers entered ranked seventh in assists at nearly 20 per game but had just five in the first half and finished with 13. A perimeter game that started just 4 of 12 in the first half improved to 6 of 11 in the second en route to finishing above 43 percent for the fifth straight game. Their 17 turnovers led to just 11 Louisville points, but coach Matt Painter wasnt happy with the mistakes.Just a lack of concentration with those 10 (first half) turnovers, he said. We have experienced players turning the basketball over. We have to do a better job of concentrating and making easy plays and getting good shots in the half court.Louisville: The Cardinals pushed the tempo from the start and their defense forced 10 first-half turnovers against Purdues height. They forced 17 turnovers overall and shot 48 percent. ... Pitino used his bench early, playing 12 in the first half alone. That depth was really important because of the style we play, graduate transfer guard Tony Hicks said. If were able to play 12 guys, that just means were able to work harder and thats important in speeding teams up and turning them over on the defensive end.POLL IMPLICATIONSLouisville figures to remain the same depending on what happens at Grand Canyon. Purdue shouldnt drop much with a loss to the No. 14 team.UP NEXTPurdue: The Boilermakers will face their second straight Kentucky school when they host Morehead State on Saturday in their first meeting since 1985.Louisville: The Cardinals travel Phoenix to face Dan Majerle-coached Grand Canyon on Saturday night. They won last years inaugural meeting 111-63.---More AP College Basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.orgDaniel Alfredsson Jersey . Most important, perhaps, it went off without a hitch. Organizers poked a little fun at the now-infamous opening ceremony gaffe that saw only four out of five snowflakes open up into rings, leaving the Olympics logo one ring short. Mikkel Boedker Jersey .Y. - General manager Billy King says the Brooklyn Nets are looking to add a big man and confirmed the team worked out centre Jason Collins, who would become the first openly gay active NBA player if signed. http://www.senatorssale.com/authentic-christian-jaros-senators-jersey/ . -- Timbers coach Caleb Porter didnt stray from his business-like approach to the season even after Portland downed the two-time defending league champion Los Angeles Galaxy to gain crucial playoff position. Mark Borowiecki Jersey . While hell be dialed in to that tournament on a course he loves, you can forgive him if his eyes glance down the calendar just a bit, towards April. Bobby Ryan Jersey . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers.Natus Vincere claimed victory at the ESL One New York Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament over Virtus.pro with its new star-studded lineup. The team came together and played to its infinite potential over a very stacked field of teams from around the world.Only four teams could emerge out the five round Swiss format to represent the finals for the tournament. The four teams, Team Liquid, Natus Vincere, SK Gaming, and Virtus.pro, were considered in one way or another a candidate to advance to the top of the heap. In the list, two were considered the top-two best in the world (SK Gaming and Virtus.Pro) and two were underdog lineups with new additions. SK Gaming was the defending ESL One champion and came into the tournament with plenty of expectations on its shoulders.In the end, NaVi ended up proving they are a force to be reckoned with.Grand finals: NaVi against Virtus.ProThe grand finals that few predicted pitted two exciting and equally-matched teams with very different narratives. VP was the old reliable team with a roster thats been together for two years with excellent and consistent results and NaVi, the team that added troubled superstar talent Oleksandr s1mple Kostyliev, was a team that needed to jell. Both teams have signature styles, with VPs ultra-aggressive nature and aim-reliaant setups, earning the plow nickname, and NaVis unorthodox and aggressive peeks due to world-class AWPer Ladislav GuardiaN Kovács.ddddddddddddP opened up the first map on Cobblestone with a signature plow victory. The team even added insult to injury by winning its share of clutch rounds regardless of the number deficit. When the dust settled, it was a 16-3 drubbing and a regroup moment for NaVi. NaVi would return the favor with a dominating effort on train, 16-8, using a combination of superior aim and patient setups. Although VP was still known to be strong on train, NaVi outplayed and shot the opposition to make a rather difficult comeback effort after the thrashing on the first map. With the combination of s1mple, GuardiaN, and Denis seized Kostin, it was a three-headed monster that wreaked havoc.The final map was befitting of the tournament quality because it was back-and-forth action with no clear favorite. Every lead was matched and every clutch round was equalized. On NaVis side, it was s1mple and GuardiaN leading the way, while VP relied on a balanced attack behind Janusz Snax Pogorzelski. In the end, NaVi took down VP in overtime for the nail-biting victory. ' ' '