Gaborik and the Kings will shoot for a 2-0 lead when

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Louisvilles final home game for nearly a month was especially memorable because of its precision in a lopsided victory against Missouri State. Certainly, the sixth-ranked Cardinals have room to improve in many areas as they prepare for four road contests over 23 days including a Dec. 28 showdown against in-state rival No. 19 Kentucky in Lexington. For now, the defending national champions look forward to building on its best overall performance of the season. Montrezl Harrell had 17 points and eight rebounds, and Louisville manhandled the Bears 90-60 on Tuesday night. The Cardinals (10-1) took control early and never let up against the Bears (8-2). They combined dominant rebounding and offensive accuracy during a 16-0 first-half run for a 19-4 lead in the first meeting between the schools since 2006. Harrell was among four Cardinals with at least eight rebounds each, a combination that alone outdid MSU in Louisvilles 51-30 domination of the boards including 20-10 offensively. They also outscored the Bears 46-28 inside and held them to 38 per cent shooting to close a 5-0 home stand. Asked if this was Louisvilles best effort to date, Harrell answered, "Id say so. It was a great win. The first half we really got into it, (and it) got us going." Senior guard Russ Smith added 11 points and eight assists, while freshman Terry Rozier had 11 points and eight rebounds. Forwards Stephan Van Treese and Mangok Mathiang combined for 17 rebounds for Louisville, which shot 34 of 66 from the field (52 per cent). Louisville coach Rick Pitino agreed that it was the best he has seen his team play, adding, "I dont know what was better, the defence, the offence or the offensive rebounding. It was just awesome in the first half." Jarmar Gulleys 14 points led the Bears, whose two-game winning streak was thoroughly halted by a Cardinals squad that controlled every facet of the game. MSU led Louisville 4-3 before the Cardinals seized the pace with the big run. The Bears never got closer than 17 after that, spoiling Paul Lusks 100th career game as a coach. "They just dominated us on the glass," Lusk said. "Theyve got a lot of talent but they also play so darn hard. We just simply couldnt keep them off the glass. That was the telltale of the game." Missouri State brought some impressive credentials into its second meeting against Louisville and first since losing to the Cardinals in the 2006 NIT. The Bears were runners-up to Virginia in the Corpus Christi Challenge, a four-game run that included a win over previously unbeaten Texas A&M. They also boasted an impressive scoring combination in Gulley and Marcus Marshall, who had combined for nearly 27 points per game coming in and were developing into a strong scoring duo in just four games together. Against the Cardinals, though, they combined for only 22 points as Marshall finished with eight. MSUs bench was outscored 32-26, 10 points below their average. Louisville welcomed back point guard Chris Jones from a one-game absence because of a sprained right wrist. Rozier started but the 5-foot-10 junior came in five minutes later with the wrist bandaged and finished with nine points in 19 minutes. The Cardinals were in the midst of their key run when Jones entered. The sequence was highlighted by Chane Behanans thunderous one-handed dunk off of Van Treeses long lead pass and Roziers steal of the inbounds pass and layup seconds later. Louisville continued to overwhelm MSU, which was outrebounded 20-5 through 13 minutes and 27-10 overall in the first half. That statistic offered the best indicator of Louisvilles defensive effort, which disrupted the Bears dribbling, passing and shot selection. The Cardinals nearly matched their per-game blocks average (4.6) by the break alone, finishing with seven and answering everything MSU attempted. "They switched defences a lot," said MSU guard/forward Keith Pickens, who had four points. "It was sometimes hard to read. I think it came down to rebounding early. They killed us on the offensive glass." Louisvilles offence was just as effective, as the Cardinals dissected MSUs zone and muscled their way for baskets. Louisville also had 14 assists and recorded seven blocks. "If we play defence like that, we can beat any team in the country," Rozier said. Swell Bottle Uk . The Marlies surrendered two power-play goals and failed to score on six man-advantage opportunities en route to a 4-1 defeat in American Hockey League action on Saturday. Swell Blue Marble Bottle . 1 Pete Sampras. Speaking ahead of an exhibition match against Andre Agassi in London on March 3, Sampras said on a conference call Wednesday that he is impressed by Federers longevity. http://www.ukswellbottle.com/. The right-hander pitched into the seventh inning and boosted Cincinnatis struggling offence by hitting a double and scoring as the Reds ended a seven-game losing streak by beating the Atlanta Braves 1-0 Saturday night. Swell White Marble Bottle . -- Cheyenne Woods, the niece of Tiger Woods, shot a 2-under 69 on Tuesday to finish first in stroke-play qualifying at the Womens U. Swell Bottle Uk Stockist . It was a loss. But it was also a learning experience. Deron Williams and Joe Johnson had 24 points each to lift Brooklyn to a 94-87 win over the Raptors, making their first playoff appearance since 08. "I thought we played a little bit as expected as it is our first playoff game," Toronto coach Dwane Casey said.ANAHEIM - The Los Angeles Kings were seconds away from falling behind 1-0 in the Western Conference second round until Marian Gaborik altered their fate. After a comeback victory in Game 1, Gaborik and the Kings will shoot for a 2-0 lead when they visit the Anaheim Ducks for Mondays Game 2 battle at Honda Center. You can see all the action on TSN beginning at 9:30pm et/6:30pm pt. Gaborik tied the game late in regulation and scored the winner 12:07 into overtime to help Los Angeles rally for a 3-2 win in Game 1 on Saturday. It was the first-ever playoff meeting between the longtime Pacific Division rivals, who are battling for Southern California supremacy and a right to play in the Western Conference finals. The Kings acquired Gaborik from Columbus for forward Matt Frattin and two draft picks at the trade deadline, and the move has paid off big so far in the postseason. With his two-goal effort on Saturday, the Slovakian sniper now has five tallies in the 2014 playoffs, placing him in a four-way tie for the league lead. The Kings were trailing 2-1 after Teemu Selanne scored earlier in the third period, and they pulled goaltender Jonathan Quick for an extra attacker. It appeared the Ducks were poised to win this one in regulation after Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller made stops on Anze Kopitar and a rebound chance by Justin Williams inside the final minute. However, Mike Richards threw the puck on net from the left boards in the dying seconds, and Gaborik was able to knock the rebound out of the air and between the pads of Hiller with just seven ticks showing to force overtime. "Its a playoff game so youre never going to see teams lay down," said Los Angeles head coach Darryl Sutter. "We were just working hard to tie the game." On the winning goal, Kopitar received the puck in the high slot and threw a hard pass to the left side for Gaborik, who tipped the puck on net where it went off the post and in for the winner and a 1-0 lead in this best-of-seven set. "We werent sharp in some parts of the game, we gave them some odd-man rushes and turned the puck over," said Gaborik. "But we came back and got a very important win for us.dddddddddddd" Gaborik, owner of 347 regular-season markers, now has 21 goals over 61 career playoff games. Kopitar had three assists and Alec Martinez scored the other goal for the Kings, who became the fourth team in NHL history to rally from a 3-0 hole as they defeated the San Jose Sharks in a seven-game matchup in the opening round. Kopitar leads all skaters in the playoffs with 13 points on four goals and nine assists. Quick made 33 saves in Saturdays victory, as the 2012 Conn Smythe Trophy winner improved to 34-24 in his playoff career. Saturdays win did come at a cost for L.A., which lost defenseman Robyn Regehr to an undisclosed injury. Regehr left the game midway through the first period and did not return. He is questionable for Mondays contest. The Kings are already without defenseman Willie Mitchell, who sat out Game 7 of the first round and the opener of this set with an undisclosed injury. Matt Greene has replaced Mitchell in the lineup and defenseman Jeff Schultz, who was recently recalled from the American Hockey League, could join the roster if both Mitchell and Regehr sit out Game 2. Selanne and Matt Beleskey scored for the Ducks, who took out the Dallas Stars in six games to advance to the semifinals. Hiller had 33 saves in the loss, while Anaheim captain Ryan Getzlaf had two assists. "Youre looking at a 3-2 overtime loss where both teams played evenly," said Anaheim head coach Bruce Boudreau. "It wasnt the other, its what two good hockey teams do, one wins and the other doesnt. like one team was dominant over. Maybe on Monday it will be reversed." Although the Ducks won all three of their games in Los Angeles this season, the club would like to even this series before it shifts to Staples Center for Games 3 and 4. The third tilt is set for Thursday in L.A. and will be followed with Game 4 on Saturday. Anaheim, the top seed in the West, finished 16 points ahead of Los Angeles in the Pacific Division standings and went 4-0-1 against the Kings during the regular-season series. However, a 3-0 win by Anaheim in L.A. on Jan. 25 marked the only encounter that was decided by more than one goal. ' ' '