re left knee, and the Lakers elected to rest their point guard out of caution. He w

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Just a few games into the season, its clear 11th-ranked Xavier has some work to do closing out games.The Musketeers nearly let a 16-point second-half lead disappear, but Trevon Bluiett hit some clutch free throws late to help them pull away from Northern Iowa for a 67-59 victory in the Tire Pros Invitational championship game Sunday night.The Panthers came within five points with 1:35 left while Xaviers offense struggled, but then the Musketeers (5-0) hit 9 of 10 free throws in the final 57 seconds. That stalled the rally by Northern Iowa, which seemed poised to overcome a double-digit deficit for the second time in as many games.Id like to have those last four or five minutes back, but its so early, Xavier coach Chris Mack said. Were a little bit better in terms of finishing the game, but we still have a ways to go in that department.Bluiett converted 5 of 6 free throws after missing some critical shots earlier that helped open the door for the comeback attempt.We kind of base everything on a next-play mentality, so you cant really worry over the past plays, said Bluiett, who finished with a game-high 21 points. My teammates do a good job of kind of helping me forget about that.After going into halftime with the game tied 30-30, the Musketeers started the second strong with Bluiett and Edmond Sumner leading the way. Sumner scored 11 of his 17 points in the final 20 minutes.But once the Panthers (3-1) found their rhythm against Xaviers 1-1-3 zone and man-to-man defense, the game began to turn late. Jordan Ashton and Klint Carlson hit some big shots to bring Northern Iowa back, but the Musketeers showed poise just in time to pull away.Sometimes you get into the game and teams are maybe not what they seem like on film, but Xavier is every bit as good and in some ways even better, UNI coach Ben Jacobson said. We had a tremendous amount of respect for them even before this game and Ive got more now because they have so many ways they can beat you, offensively everybody can make plays.Now the two teams get to do it all over again when they meet Saturday at Xavier.Honestly, Im pretty excited, Bluiett said. They are good team and I think they are going to bring their A-game when they come back. They kind of have some motivation now and I think we will be ready for it, as well.BIG PICTUREN. Iowa: The Panthers are great 3-point shooters, but their shots were not falling consistently against Xavier. Morgan was the only shooter to show up on Sunday.Xavier: The Musketeers showed a variety of defenses to keep the Panthers off balance, switching from a 1-1-3 zone to man-to-man. Xavier has plenty of fire power on offense with J.P Macura and Quentin Goodin hitting big shots throughout the game.POLL IMPLICATIONSXavier: A win over previously unbeaten Northern Iowa could help the Musketeers standing.DOUBLING DOWNXavier consistently sent double teams at Northern Iowas Bennett Koch in the post in order to limit him, and it worked.Koch was just 4 of 8 from the field for 11 points and turned the ball over six times in the paint.ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMUNIs Jeremy Morgan joined Bluiett and Macura on the all-tournament team along with Oklahomas Jordan Woodard and Davidsons Jack Gibbs. Bluiett was the tournament MVP after scoring 56 points, grabbing 16 rebounds and getting seven assists over the three games. Morgan led UNI with 20 points in this one.UP NEXTN. Iowa: The Panthers travel to Cincinnati to face Xavier again on Saturday.Xavier: The Musketeers host Northern Iowa on Saturday. Authentic Michael Jordan Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Michael Jordan Jersey Nike . Louis Blues absence from top spot in the TSN. https://www.sportsstarsjerseys.com/michael-jordan-jersey/ . R.J. Umberger scored twice to lead the Blue Jackets to a franchise-record for consecutive wins with a 5-3 victory Tuesday night over the Los Angeles Kings. Womens Michael Jordan Jersey .C. -- Rodney Hood connected from all over the court while freshman Jabari Parker was busy swatting shots and scoring in transition. Custom Sports Jerseys . Newcastle dominated in the early stages but City weathered the storm and then raised its game in extra time. Negredo broke the deadlock from close range after a simple move in the 99th minute before Dzeko took the ball round goalkeeper Tim Krul to seal the victory in the 105th. LOS ANGELES -- Gregg Popovich emerged from his first look at the revamped Los Angeles Lakers with enormous respect for the work of fellow coach Luke Walton.Popovichs veteran San Antonio Spurs also showed Waltons Lakers just how far theyve still got to go.LaMarcus Aldridge scored 23 points and Kawhi Leonard added 23 points and 12 rebounds in the Spurs fifth straight victory Friday night, 116-107 over the Lakers.Tony Parker had 16 points and seven assists for the Spurs, who improved to 7-0 on the road this season. Theyve won six straight over the Lakers, but this back-and-forth victory bore little resemblance to San Antonios regular demolitions of the Lakers over the previous few seasons.Luke has done a great job of making them believe and playing aggressively, and you can really see it, said Popovich, who earned his 1,099th win to pass Larry Brown for seventh place on the NBAs career list. They came back and stuck it to us. ... We got after it and executed better, but I am just so impressed with what (Walton) has done with this group.Pau Gasol scored 16 points in his first trip to Staples Center with the Spurs, who went 18 for 19 at the free throw line to hang on after the Lakers rallied late. Parker hit a clinching 17-foot jumper with 33.6 seconds left.Theyre talented, Parker said of the Lakers. They play hard for Luke. They play with great energy, and they have a lot of pieces. Now its all about chemistry and how theyre going to gel.Lou Williams scored 24 points and Nick Young added 20 for the Lakers, who played without injured leading scorer DAngelo Russell for the first time this season. Los Angeles still kept it close until the final minutes, when Aldridge and Leonard took turns hitting big shots before Parkers big bucket.We cooled off a little bit (in the third quarter), and they just continued to go, which is what they do, Walton said. The important thing to take away is how we come back from this, how we respond.BENCH CHARGEJordan Clarkson scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half while the Lakers rallied. Williams also came off the bench in another enormous game by the teams reserves, who lead the league in bench points per game.ddddddddddddTheyll need all that depth: The Lakers began a stretch of 18 games in 30 days with only their third loss in nine games.BIG RALLYThe Spurs blew an early 13-point lead, but took control in the third quarter while making 11 consecutive shots. San Antonio stretched its lead to 91-76 while scoring 39 points in the third quarter on 14-for-19 shooting, but the Lakers chipped it down to four points before succumbing.Last year, we would have been out of this game if we were down by that much, Clarkson said. Were out here to compete every night now. Were not OK with any loss.D-LO OUTRussell has a sore left knee, and the Lakers elected to rest their point guard out of caution. He wont practice Saturday, either. Walton doesnt expect the injury to be a long-term problem, although the Lakers brutal schedule over the next month wont help. The second-year pro leads the Lakers balanced lineup with 16.8 points and 4.7 assists per game.Jose Calderon started in Russells place, scoring five points while playing only 14 minutes.TIP-INSSpurs: Gasol got another warm ovation in Los Angeles, where he won two NBA championships as Kobe Bryants right-hand man in 2009 and 2010. The 7-foot Spaniard was booed late in his Lakers career, but has been welcomed back enthusiastically since his departure as a free agent to Chicago. ... Former USC big man Dewayne Dedmon has a sprained left knee and didnt make the trip with San Antonio.Lakers: Los Angeles recalled center Ivica Zubac from its D-League affiliate, but the rookie didnt dress for this game. ... Lakers rookie Brandon Ingram had a rough night. The No. 2 pick missed his first seven shots before finishing with four points on 1-of-9 shooting.UP NEXTSpurs: A weekend off and a visit from rival Dallas on Monday.Lakers: The homestand continues with a visit from Dwyane Wade and the Chicago Bulls on Sunday night. ' ' '