~~**PINNWAND**~~ » heir tournament opener. They trai

NEW YORK -- DeAndre Daniels UConn teammates were going to keep passing him the ball until he cooled off. By the time that happened, it was too late for Iowa State. Daniels scored 19 of his 27 points in the second half, and the Huskies hung on for an 81-76 victory Friday to reach the East Regional final a year after UConn was barred from the NCAA tournament. "DeAndres a scorer, and once you feel that you have that confidence, the next shots going to go in," said senior Shabazz Napier, who knows a thing or two about scoring himself. "We kept feeding him, and he got super hot." Daniels hit his first six shots after halftime, the only Husky to make a field goal for over 8 1/2 minutes. His 3-pointer gave seventh-seeded UConn a 49-32 lead. The third-seeded Cyclones rallied late, pulling within 67-63 with 2 1/2 minutes remaining. But senior Niels Giffey hit a 3 in the corner for his first points since the games opening moments, and when the Huskies (29-8) made their free throws in the final minute, the UConn fans packing Madison Square Garden could celebrate. The Huskies will face fourth-seeded Michigan State on Sunday for a trip to the Final Four after the Spartans beat top-seeded Virginia 61-59 in the late game. Dustin Hogue scored a career-high 34 points for Iowa State (28-8), but Big 12 player of the year Melvin Ejim was 3 of 13 for seven points, more than 11 below his average. The Cyclones, in the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2000, were playing their second game without third-leading scorer Georges Niang, who broke his foot in their tournament opener. They trailed by 16 with less than 7 1/2 minutes to go but nearly came all the way back behind Hogues scoring inside. "Thats who these guys are, theyre fighters," coach Fred Hoiberg said. With UConn clinging to a 70-65 lead and less than a minute left, Iowa States Naz Long missed a 3-pointer, and the 6-1 Napier pulled down the rebound and was fouled by Hogue. The guard calmly drilled both free throws. UConn was 20 of 22 from the foul line, while Iowa State was 6 of 15. Napier, the American Athletic Conference player of the year, drained four early 3-pointers, then made only one more field goal the rest of the way. But the quick start by Napier and backcourt mate Ryan Boatright opened up space for the 6-foot-9 Daniels, an inconsistent junior who can score all over the court when hes on. Since a stretch in late February and early March when he failed to reach double figures in four straight games, Daniels had averaged 15 in his last six outings before Friday. Then against Iowa State, he shot 10 of 15 and pulled down 10 rebounds. "With our seniors on this team, I just want them to go out with a bang," Daniels said. Ejim and DeAndre Kane, Iowa States top scorers, were a combined 9 of 31. But Hogue, from nearby Yonkers, found plenty of space, shooting 15 for 19. "To play in the Garden, its something I dreamed about as a kid," he said. After Napiers difficult early 3-pointers -- he was falling away on two of them and stepping back to open a sliver of space on a third -- Boatright and Daniels took over. The three combined for all but six of the Huskies points as they built a 36-26 halftime lead. Second-year coach Kevin Ollie is now 3-0 in the NCAA tournament after taking over for mentor Jim Calhoun, who gave him a big hug after this one was over. The last time UConn made it this far, the Huskies won a national title when Napier and Giffey were freshmen. The current upperclassmen could have transferred after the programs low scores on the NCAAs academic progress measure kept UConn from last years Big East and NCAA tournaments. "We were banned from a lot of things," Ollie said. "We couldnt come here for the tournament, but they werent banned from loving and pushing and encouraging each other, and thats what its all about. Those dark times, if you dont give up in the dark times, it will reverse, the wind will start going in your favour, your direction. "And I think thats whats happened now." Cheap Nike Sb Shoes . Toronto (11-12) gave up leads in 10-8 and 11-4 losses to the Baltimore Orioles this week. It was never close Friday as the Boston Red Sox got to Mark Buehrle early en route to an 8-1 win. Cheap Wholesale Nike Sb Shoes . The Indians scored twice in the top of the ninth, getting the go-ahead run on a wild pitch by closer Matt Lindstrom. Axford (0-1) came in seeking his fifth save in as many chances. http://www.cheapnikesbaustralia.com/. CBS Sports Jon Heyman is reporting that Santana will sign a one-year deal, likely in the next two days with one of a trio of suitors, with the Toronto Blue Jays believed to be heavily involved. Nike Sb Sale . After two months of mediocrity, perhaps the Washington Nationals have turned the page. Strasburg struck out 11 in seven innings Wednesday night and the Nationals kept the Philadelphia Phillies bats quiet yet again in an 8-4, rain-interrupted win. Cheap Nike Sb Shoes Australia .Michael Briscoe is serving a life sentence for sexual assault, kidnapping and first-degree murder in the death of 13-year-old Nina Courtepatte in 2005.The biggest and most important curling event since Kevin Martin won Olympic gold in Vancouver will take place at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg from Dec. 1-8. The Roar of the Rings will determine who will represent Canada at the 2014 Olympic Games in February. For the men, the eight-rink field should bring some intriguing competition with Brier, World and Olympic champions among them. Which rink will emerge to represent Canada in Sochi? Martin, alongside his new third Dave Nedohin, will try to get his Edmonton rink back to the Games to defend their title. John Morris was the vice for Martin back in 2010, but he moved on to join Jim Cotter and his rink from British Columbia, who will also be in Winnipeg. Team Morris, which sees Cotter throws final stones, went undefeated at the Pre-Trails in Kitchener. Shortly after the shakeup, Martin said that teams cant stay together forever and hes happy to have Nedohin on the team. "Obviously in this situation, once the change in our team was inevitable, Dave was obviously our first choice for so many reasons," said Martin. In a somewhat surprising move, Brad Gushue of Newfoundland and Labrador will spare for Martin in Winnipeg. Gushue, the 2006 Olympic champion, failed to qualify for the Trials. Coldwater, Ontarios Glenn Howard will look to cross off another accomplishment in his storied career. The four-time Brier and world champion has yet to qualify for an Olympic Games. Being one off the older skips in the game, at the age of 51, this might be his last chance he has to do it.dddddddddddd "Its on my bucket list to get to an Olympics," said Howard, who won the first Grand Slam event of the season in early November. Brad Jacobs and his Sault Ste. Marie rink are the defending Brier champs and also one of the youngest and fittest squads in curling. Now they want to take the next step. "The Olympics and the Brier for me as far as goals, wanting to win and importance is 50/50. Weve won the Brier; this [Olympics] is the next step. We want this really bad," Jacobs told TSN.ca. "You etch your mark in history when you win the Brier, but I think you do that even moreso when you win an Olympic gold medal." Jeff Stoughton will play in front of a home crowd at the Trials. The 50-year-old Winnipegger is a three-time Brier champion and a two-time world champion. Edmontons Kevin Koe and his foursome is another talented rink looking to appear in the Olympic Games for the first time. The 38-year-old won the Brier and world championship in 2010. He also won the second Grand Slam event - the Canadian Open - earlier this season. Winnipegs Mike McEwen and Ontarios John Epping round out a strong field and hope to surprise at the Trials. So which rink do think has what it takes to win the Roar of the Rings and represent Canada at the Olympic Games in February? As always, its Your! Call. ' ' '