Dein erstes Forum » lder Chris Coghlan allowed t

Blacksburg, VA (SportsNetwork.com) - Pat Connaughton made five of Notre Dames 12 3-pointers and the eighth-ranked Fighting Irish cruised to an 85-60 road victory over Virginia Tech on Thursday. Connaughton finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds in the wire-to-wire win for the Irish (18-2, 6-1 ACC), whose only loss in the last 15 games came against No. 2 Virginia. Jerian Grant totaled 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists, Zach Auguste added 16 points and eight boards, and Demetrius Jackson scored 12 in the rout. The Hokies (8-10, 0-5) have been trending the opposite way and dropped their sixth straight overall, though the last three came against ranked opponents. Ahmed Hills 13 points paced Virginia Tech in the absence of leading scorer Justin Bibbs, who sat out a second straight game due to a concussion. Auguste was not in the starting lineup the previous two games due to an academic issue that has presumably been resolved. The 6-foot-10 forward wasted little time getting involved in his return with six points in the first four minutes, including a dunk that provided Notre Dame with a 12-4 lead. The margin grew to a dozen, 27-15, following a Grant 3-pointer, and it was a 38-28 difference at halftime. Jackson drained a pair from the long range in the first three minutes of the second half to keep the Irish in front by double digits, and Grant fueled an 8-0 run that extended the lead to 55-34. Grant assisted on a Connaughton 3-pointer, converted a three-point play and fed Auguste for a layup after picking Jalen Hudsons pocket at midcourt. The closest the Hokies got from there was 16 and the largest they trailed was 27. Game Notes Notre Dame is off to its best 20-game start since its 1973-74 team opened 19-1 ... The Irish, who came in second nationally in field goal percentage (.528) connected on 49.2 percent from the field... Notre Dame held a 43-29 rebounding advantage and posted a 3.2 assist-to-turnover ratio (19-to-6) ... Both teams play Sunday as Notre Dame visits NC State and Virginia Tech hosts Virginia. Alex Smith Jersey . The game was the first of two international friendlies that Canada is playing during the international break, with the second game against Slovenia set for Tuesday in Celje. Canada looked uncomfortable defensively throughout the game, and every free kick that came into Canadas penalty box looked like ending up in the back of the net. Paul Richardson Redskins Jersey . Van Slyke drove in a career-high four runs with two homers off struggling left-hander Tony Cingrani, and the Los Angeles Dodgers pulled away to a 6-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night, a rare comfortable win in their pitching-dominated series. http://www.authenticshopredskins.com/Aut...edskins_Jersey/. Sections of the British media reported Friday that Brooklyn Beckham, the son of United great David, was invited to a training session at the club on Thursday. Custom Washington Redskins Jerseys . But last years runner-up Jarkko Nieminen crashed out despite winning the first set against Denis Istomin. Istomin fired 10 aces and won 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-2 to even his career record against Nieminen at 3-3. Geron Christian Redskins Jersey .J. - The New Jersey Devils know the odds are against them as they chase a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs dont have the look of a team more interested in draft position than on-field success. One day after the Central Division cellar-dwellers couldnt have looked worse in a 13-3 embarrassment against the lowly San Diego Padres, they showed some grit in a come-from-behind, 7-6 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals, who suffered their fourth consecutive loss on Friday. A persistent wind at their backs, the division rivals treated the largest crowd at Wrigley Field this season to five home runs and 23 hits. "A good team win," said manager Rick Renteria, whose club trailed 3-0 before even getting a chance to bat. "The crowd was buzzing all day. It was a pretty neat environment. Obviously, the fans were into it." Luis Valbuena hit a decisive two-run homer in the seventh to decide the see-saw affair. Kevin Siegrist (1-2) hit Anthony Rizzo with a full-count pitch to start the inning. One batter later, Valbuena launched the first pitch into the centre-field bleachers, his first homer against a left-hander in 37 at-bats this season. "I was looking for a fastball, and I got a fastball right there," Valbuena said. "Thats why I got aggressive." "We had the match-ups we wanted right there," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "We wanted (a left-hander) in that situation, in that part of the lineup, and a lefty ended up getting him." The Cardinals tied the score 5-5 on solo homers by Matt Carpenter and Matt Holliday in the fifth inning. Pinch-hitter Oscar Taveras singled to break the tie in the sixth, but the lead was short-lived. Justin Grimm (3-2) pitched a scoreless inning for the win. Hector Rondon retired the side in the ninth for his 12th save in 15 chances. Cubs starter Travis Wood did well to survive five innings after a rocky start. He allowed five runs -- two earned -- and seven hits with one walk. Wood aided his cause with a solo homer off Joe Kelly in the fourth inning, his third of the season. He became the first Cubs pitcher since Carlos Zambrano (2009) with at least 10 RBIs in a season. "They fought off a lot of pitches andd made me work," Wood said.dddddddddddd "I was only able to go five, but luckily, I was able to keep it close and we were able to pull it out." Ryan Sweeneys three-run homer pulled Chicago even at 3-3 in the second inning. Kelly had not allowed an earned run in 18 1-3 innings against the Cubs before then. One inning later, Sweeney singled home Valbuena, who had walked, for a 4-3 lead. Kelly lasted 4 2-3 innings allowing eight hits and two walks. St. Louis struck first with three unearned three runs in the opening inning, when Wood was forced to throw 32 pitches largely because of two errors behind him. Carpenter and Holliday singled, then rookie second baseman Arismendy Alcantara threw away a potential double-play grounder that allowed a run to score. One out later, Jon Jay hit a two-run double, and when left fielder Chris Coghlan allowed the ball to get past him, the batter advanced to third base on the second error of the inning. NOTES: One night after his team played a 3-hour, 36-minute, nine-inning game, Renteria said there was no easy solution to quicken the pace. "The only thing that speeds up ballgames is good pitching and good defence," he said. "There are a lot of times, to be honest with you, when were ready to go and were waiting for the TV (signal). Sometimes you cant control the length of ballgames. They are what they are." ... Cubs RHP Edwin Jackson is not expected to miss a start. He left the game in the sixth inning on Thursday because of cramps in his pitching hand. ... OF Justin Ruggiano (groin) was not in the lineup for the second consecutive game but was available off the bench once again. ... St. Louis RHP Shelby Miller will make his first start since July 10 on Saturday. The veteran had been moved to the bullpen because of a minor back ailment and pitched one innings in his only appearance. "I felt a little tired (before), but at the same time, you always want to be out there," he said. "Right now, I feel really strong. My body is where it needs to be." ... The Cardinals have a 4-6 record since All-Star C Yadier Molina (thumb) was placed on the DL. ' ' '