LARNACA, Cyprus -- Diana Matheson, Adriana Leon and Kaylyn Kyle scored for Canada in a 3-1 victory over Italy at the Cyprus Cup on Friday.
[b]Anfernee Simons Jersey[/b] . Canada improved to 2-0 with the win after shutting out Finland 3-0 in the tournament opener two days earlier. Matheson opened the scoring against the Italians by converting a cross in the 33rd minute. She then fed Adriana Leon for a tap-in goal 10 minutes later. Early in the second half, Rhian Wilkinson crossed the ball to Kyle who scored from close range to make it a three-goal game. "We just started to press them more and once we started pressing them, we were able to win the ball higher up the field," Matheson said. Cristiana Girelli scored Italys lone goal in the 51st minute. The game was chippy at times. Canadian midfielder Sophie Schmidt was bloodied after appearing to take an elbow to the face but was in good spirits afterwards with a bandage on her cheek. Italys Elisa Bartoli was handed two yellow cards by the referee. The first came after she tripped up Canadas Christine Sinclair and the second came later in the game after she plowed into Matheson. Canadian coach John Herdman was pleased with how his team responded to the aggressive style of play. "The Italians were relentless with their pressure and when you skip a tackle, theyll leave a foot in and bring you down," he said. "And I was pretty pleased with how the girls got a bit testy as well and decided to try and match that pressure and physical intensity." Canada, which is currently ranked seventh in the world, will wrap up preliminary-round play Monday against No. 11 England at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia. A tie puts Canada into the final and will see England relegated to second in the group as Canada has more goals scored. Canada has won this tournament three times but has lost in the final the last two years: 1-0 to England last year and 2-0 to France in 2012.
[b]Jusuf Nurkic Jersey[/b] . Quarterback Drew Willy appeared to injure his throwing hand on the third last play of practice Thursday.
[b]Anfernee Simons Blazers Jersey[/b] .com) - Oklahoma quarterback Trevor Knight was carted off the field in the fourth quarter of 16th-ranked Sooners 48-14 loss to No.NEW YORK -- Paul Pierce called the Miami Heat a juggernaut. He insisted they are still the team to beat. So yes, the Brooklyn Nets have plenty of respect for the two-time defending NBA champions -- and no fear. Pierce made that clear again Sunday, a day after the Nets Game 3 rout that cut Miamis lead to 2-1 in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Brooklyn will try to even the series at home Monday night. "Youve got to have that type of mental ego against a juggernaut. You go against the best, a lot of series are won on fear factor, like, or non-belief. When you have that non-belief, then you have no chance," Pierce said after practice. "What I try to do in this locker room, or with my teammates, is just try to give them belief that we can beat this team. Theyre not unbeatable." The Heat had been in these playoffs until the Nets 104-90 victory on Saturday night. Miami hadnt even faced a fourth-quarter deficit, but was out of the game long before then after Brooklyn dominated the third quarter to build a huge lead. "The defeat was complete," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "It was both sides of the basketball. "It was like trying to plug in holes in a leaking dam. There was so many things that were not in our favour really on both ends of the court." The Nets made 15 of 25 3-point attempts, outrebounded Miami 43-27, and limited LeBron James to two baskets over the final three quarters after he had 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting in the first. Brooklyn swept the regular-season series, though none of the games was anywhere near as easy as Game 3. Yet the four victories gave the Nets a confidence against the Heat that some other opponents may not have. "We just had a little success against them during the regular season. We played them well and we feel like we match up well wiith them," Nets guard Deron Williams said.
[b]Georgios Papagiannis Jersey[/b]. "And if were on top of our game, were playing defence the way were capable of playing, like we did the last game, we put ourselves in a good position to win." Pierce did his part after the Nets were routed in Game 1, asking coach Jason Kidd to switch up the defence so he could guard James. And after he and the Nets did such a good job of it over the final three quarters of Game 3, Pierce said the Nets wanted to show the Heat that they werent scared of them. "Why should it be a fear factor?" James said. "Its just basketball. Were not trying to win a war here, its just basketball. Thats all it is. Were all grown men, who cares about whos fearing who? "Weve never been a team that talks. We dont get into that, and weve never been a bulletin board team. We just want to play the game the right way and we give ourselves a good chance to win if we play our type of basketball and last night we didnt do that." Miami had won its previous eight post-season games and followed every loss with a victory last year. To do that in this series, Spoelstra said the Heat would not only need better effort and urgency, but also more attention to the little details. Pierce is expecting that, as well as in Game 5 back in Miami on Wednesday night. Even though the Heat didnt look it Saturday, he believes they are just as good as the recent versions that ended his seasons in Boston. "Definitely. Theyre well-seasoned now. They know how to win," Pierce said. "Theyve won two championships, theres nothing they havent been through. So the one thing you always hear, its kind of a cliche, is never underestimate the heart of a champion, and you know thats what they have under their belts. So you know, theyre the team to beat." ' ' '
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