Archiv » That was hardly the most disappointing part

ST. LOUIS -- The longest winning streak in Saint Louis history ended Thursday night with a surprising loss at home to Duquesne. That was hardly the most disappointing part of it as far as forward Dwayne Evans was concerned. "The streak didnt really mean much to us," Evans said. "Its a tough loss because theres a championship on the line, not just because it broke the streak." Micah Mason had 22 points and Jerry Jones added 19, leading Duquesne to a 71-64 victory. Saint Louis (25-3, 12-1 Atlantic 10) had won 19 straight since dropping a 70-65 decision on Dec. 1 to unbeaten Wichita State, now ranked No. 2 in the country. With a win, the Billikens could have clinched at least a tie for the Atlantic 10 regular-season title. But it was the Dukes who looked like title contenders Thursday. "They did a really nice job and we just didnt play well enough," Saint Louis coach Jim Crews said. "Weve played well and weve been fortunate. Tonight, we didnt play well enough. "We have no license that were going to win. One teams going to win and one teams going to lose. Whoever plays the best (wins). Thats how it is, and they played better than us." Mason, who entered leading the nation in 3-point shooting percentage (.554), hit four of five from behind the arc for Duquesne (12-15, 4-10), which beat a top-10 opponent on the road for the first time since defeating No. 6 Bradley 73-72 on March 5, 1962. Duquesne improved to 5-28 on the road against top 10 teams. The Dukes, who were 14-point underdogs, are 25-55 overall against teams ranked in the top 10. Although it looked like a mismatch on paper, Jones said he and the Dukes could feel this one coming. "Really, this team was ready to get beat and I just wanted to be a part of it and so did everybody else," he said. Evans had 10 points and 12 rebounds for Saint Louis. Mike McCall Jr. led the Billikens with 18 points, while Jordair Jett (13 points) and Rob Loe (12 points) also were in double digits. Saint Louis will try to rebound Saturday when it visits VCU. Crew said the team will not vary its approach after losing for the first time in nearly three months. "We do the same thing whether we win or lose," he said. "We just try to clean up what we did wrong. We address those things we did wrong, we keep working on our fundamentals and try to get better and move on with the next team. It doesnt make a difference win or lose. Our routine is pretty much the same." The Billikens appeared to be in good shape after Jetts layup with 13:44 remaining gave them a 42-35 lead. But the Dukes took command with an 18-2 run capped by a 3-pointer and then a layup by Jones that made it 53-44 with 7:41 left. Saint Louis fought back and had a chance to cut it to a one-possession game with under a minute remaining. Loe, however, missed a free throw and that led to Jones layup at the other end with 52 seconds left that made it 63-57. The Dukes played Saint Louis tough in their first meeting, losing 76-72 at home on Jan. 22. Duquesne was up for the challenge again Thursday and showed it early as Mason hit his first two shots from behind the arc to help the Dukes grab a 13-8 advantage. Mason was called for his second foul shortly thereafter and went to the bench, and the Billikens began to take advantage of his absence. Saint Louis went 1 for 7 from 3-point range in the first half, but Jake Barnetts 3 with 44 seconds left gave the Billikens a 29-25 halftime lead. Custom Wales Soccer Jerseys .com) - James van Riemsdyk had two goals with one assist to help the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 5-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night. Ashley Williams Jersey . Hes coming back to fulfil them. One of Europes top coaches, Blatt was hired Friday by the Cavaliers, who ended a sweeping, 39-day search with an out-of-the-box selection they hope changes their fortunes. http://www.soccerwalesstore.com/gareth-bale-wales-UEFA-EURO-jersey/ . -- The Grand Rapids Griffins scored three goals in 33 seconds of the second period en route to defeating the Hamilton Bulldogs 6-1 in American Hockey League action on Friday. Wales Soccer Jerseys . THE THUNDER & PACERS BENCHES: In a nutshell, not impressive at all. Joe Ledley Jersey .Y. -- Syracuses streak lives on -- barely.LISBON, Portugal -- Cristiano Ronaldo sat out Portugals exhibition match against Greece on Saturday and his flair was sorely missed as the two World Cup-bound teams produced a tedious 0-0 draw. The muted game at the National Stadium in Lisbon did little to brighten the hopes of the two European teams ahead of the tournament in Brazil that begins June 12. The under-strength Portuguese lacked a spark that could have translated their sporadic forward moves into goals. As well as Real Madrid star Ronaldo, who is recuperating from a series of leg injuries and sore muscles, Portugal felt the absence of playmaker Joao Moutinho in midfield and Pepe in the central defence. Greece, though initially fielding its strongest team, looked ordinary and rarely got out of first gear. "One situation we have to be prepared for is not having our regular players available," Portugal coach Paulo Bento said. "Wee paid the price of our lack of effectiveness in attack.dddddddddddd" Portugal will start the World Cup in Group G with Germany, Ghana and the United States. Greece is in Group C with Colombia, Japan and Ivory Coast. With Nani busy on the right flank as the Manchester United player tried to make his mark after an injury-hit league season, Portugals best chances came in the first 10 minutes as Greek goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis tipped over a Bruno Alves header and dived low to his right to deny Ricardo Costa. A series of second-half substitutions sapped the games fluency. The Portuguese dominated possession but couldnt break down the solid Greek defence. Hugo Almeida found Nani unmarked on the right of the Greek penalty area in the 67th but the winger took too long to set up his shot. In the final minutes, Giorgos Karagounis slammed a close-range shot against goalkeeper Betos legs. ' ' '