Tradeskills » ," off reliever Todd Redmo

TUCSON, Ariz. -- The Arizona Wildcats are poised to become the top-ranked basketball team in the nation, and they can thank T.J. McConnell for the opportunity. The transfer point guard from Duquesne had 13 points, six assists and seven rebounds, making critical plays down the stretch, and No. 2 Arizona escaped with a 63-58 victory over UNLV on Saturday. Brandon Ashley also had 13 points, and Nick Johnson and Kaleb Tarczewski added 12 apiece for the Wildcats. However, Johnson shot just 4 for 15. With No. 1 ranked Michigan State falling to North Carolina, Arizona (9-0) seems a safe bet to move to No 1. "I think its something we feel like weve earned," Wildcats coach Sean Miller said. "We know that being ranked No. 1 doesnt mean that we won the championship or the seasons now over, but Im not going to play the negative card at all. ... To be ranked No. 1 is maybe the greatest compliment you can have." Bryce DeJean-Jones scored 16 points, Khem Birch had 12 and Roscoe Smith 10 for the Rebels (3-4) in their first road game of the season. Smith entered the game as the top rebounder in the country at 16 per game. He finished this one with six rebounds, just one on offence as Arizona outrebounded UNLV 41-29, 18-5 on the offensive boards. "There were times I felt that I was boxing out three guys," Smith said. "Arizona is ranked No. 2 and now will be No. 1, so they didnt just get there with no one." There were 18 lead changes and neither team led by more than six points. McConnell sank a 15-footer with 3:10 to play to put Arizona up for good, 58-57. After Dejean-Jones missed a 3-pointer, McConnells pretty bounce pass to Rondae Hollis-Jefferson for a dunk made it 60-57 with 2:20 to play. UNLV managed one field goal in the final six minutes, Birchs rebound basket that gave the Rebels their last lead at 57-56 with 3:30 to play. Birch made one of two free throws with 1:52 to go to cut Arizonas lead to 60-58, but McConnell found Ashley for a basket with 27 seconds to go to make it 62-58. McConnell made one of two free throws with 15.3 seconds to go to wrap up the scoring. "Hes in many ways the heart and soul of what we do," Miller said, "and I think you saw that in many ways in the second half." McConnell said he "just tried to slow the game down, let it come to me." "I kind of live for those moments," he said, "and I know we all do." There were 30 turnovers in the game, 16 by UNLV and 14 by Arizona. The Rebels shot 64 per cent in the first half (16 for 25) to Arizonas 52 per cent (17 of 33) and led 42-39 at the break. The scoring dropped drastically in the second half, with Arizona outscoring UNLV 24-16. The Rebels shot 28 per cent (7 for 25) in the second half while Arizona was at 32 per cent (11 of 34). Miller said that was the emphasis at halftime, to get back to his teams identity -- defence and rebounding. He praised the UNLV effort, saying he saw a bunch of talented players playing together as a team. Thats the way Rebels coach Dave Rice saw it, too. "We were a confident group coming in here and we felt we had a great week of practice," Rice said. "We spent most of this season getting to know one another and we have made major strides." There were 19 turnovers in the first 20 minutes, 10 by UNLV and nine by the Wildcats. Every one of the seven Arizona players who played in the first half had at least one turnover. The Wildcats led 37-31 on McConnells reverse layup on a pass from Hollis-Jefferson with 3:35 to play. Arizona was up 39-35 on Hollis-Jeffersons spin move inside with just under two minutes to go, but Roscoe Smith sank a 17-footer, Kevin Olekaibe hit a 3 and Kendall Smith scored on a reverse layup to give UNLV its three-point halftime cushion. Arizona scored the first six points of the second half to go up 45-42, but the Rebels scored the next six to lead 48-45 on Dejean-Jones 16-footer with 15:36 to play. A 5-0 spurt regained the lead for Arizona, Aaron Gordons emphatic dunk on a pass from Ashley made it 52-49 with 12:05 to go. Again, the Rebels responded, scoring the next six and the back-and-forth battle persisted. The capacity crowd at McKale Center was decked out in white for the teams annual "white out" promotion. Arizona had lost its previous two white outs, and this one was shaky. DeAndre Hopkins Jersey . Atletico Madrid made it three wins from three thanks to a double from in-form striker Diego Costa in a 3-0 victory at Austria Vienna, leaving the Spanish side on the brink of the last 16 already to continue its brilliant start to the season. Justin Reid Jersey .C. -- Colin Kaepernick raced into the end zone, then pretended to rip open his shirt with both hands imitating Cam Newtons Superman touchdown celebration. http://www.officialhoustontexanspro.com/...-texans-jersey/. -- Canadian womens amateur golf champion Brooke Henderson is a little less starstruck as she prepares for her second career appearance at an LPGA Tour major event. Custom Houston Texans Jerseys . - The Washington Redskins have signed free agent offensive lineman Mike McGlynn. Arian Foster Jersey . The team of Lars Nelson, Daniel Richardsson, Johan Olsson, and anchor Marcus Hellner cruised to victory in the 4x10 km event, winning in a time of one hour, 28 minutes, and 42.DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Carlos Beltran homered for his first hit this spring, leading the New York Yankees past the Toronto Blue Jays 8-2 on Sunday. Jose Bautista hit his second homer in exhibition play for the Blue Jays. Beltrans solo home run came in the third off reliever Todd Redmond and landed far over the right-field fence. It capped a four-run inning that included a two-run homer by Eduardo Nunez. Beltran signed a three-year, $45 million contract with the Yankees in the off-season. He batted .296 with 24 homers and 84 RBIs with the St. Louis Cardinals last year. "You want to see guys swinging the bat well, obviously, but its really important at the end," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "It doesnt really matter sometimes. You can be swinging the bat horrible at the end of spring training and get off to a hot start and vice versa. But its always nice to see." Bautista connected off Vidal Nuno in the first. Nuno struck out three and gave up two hits in two innings. Toronto starter Esmil Rogers tossed two innings and allowed an earned run. The right-hander gave up three hits and struck out one. Jose Reyes, Edwin Encarnacion, Melky Cabrera and Adam Lind each doubled for the Blue Jays. Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter did not play. STARTING TIME Blue Jays: Rogers threw 36 pitches and worked almost-exclusively on his changeup, which he said is progressing well. "Thats what I was working for," Rogers said. "Down in the Dominican (Republic) during winter ball, I worked on my changeup and now I feel more comfortable. I got it before. The only reason is I didnt have too much confidence to throw that. Right now, I can throw anything I want." Rogers was 5-9 with a 4.77 ERA in 44 games with the Blue Jays last season. He is a candidate for the fifth spot in the rotation. Yankees: Nuno said he felt as if he "got a little happy with the fastball," which led to Bautistas home run. Nuno, who is a contender for the fifth spot in the rotation, appeared in five games with the Yankees last season and made three starts. He finished 1-2 with a 2.25 ERA. "Overall, Im just pleased a little bit with how the outcome came," he said. "It was just one pitch and Bautista just hit it out.dddddddddddd Location was good and everything. (My fastball) just got overused a little bit and I wasnt using my secondary (pitches) like I was supposed to do." TRAINERS ROOM Blue Jays: Colby Rasmus was scratched from Sundays lineup because of a stiff neck. Rasmus was set to bat seventh, but opted to sit as a precaution. He does not expect it to be a long-term issue and hopes to return in a "couple days." "I feel all right, I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Rasmus said. Anthony Gose took Rasmus place in centre field and was 0 for 3 with a strikeout. Manager John Gibbons said closer Casey Janssen had an MRI on his sore right shoulder, but it did not show any damage. "Its just inflamed," Gibbons said. "Theres a lot of wear and tear on a guy over the years. Hes smart, backed off and well give him a little breather. Theres still a full month (of spring training) left. Hell be ready to go." Janssen, who saved 34 games for the Blue Jays last season, said he plans to rest and start throwing again in a few days. Yankees: Girardi said first baseman Mark Teixeira, limited to 15 games last season because of a right wrist injury, might play in his first spring training game on Thursday or Friday. Alfonso Soriano, recovering from flu-like symptoms, went through a workout Sunday morning that included batting practice and defensive drills. The outfielder/designated hitter could play in his first exhibition game in the next few days. FIRE DRILL The Yankees dealt with a minor scare before the game when a towel inside of a dryer caught fire in the grounds crew clubhouse located next door to the teams clubhouse. Girardi joked that "it got a little smoky" and said some players evacuated. There was no reported damage or injuries. PINEDA PITCHES Yankees fifth starter candidate Michael Pineda, who missed the past two seasons after right shoulder surgery, threw 21 of 35 pitches for strikes in a simulated game. He faced 10 batters, allowing two hits, striking out one and walking his final two hitters. Pineda and Hiroki Kuroda are scheduled to pitch in Fridays game against the Tigers in Tampa. 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