Fanshops » fourth as the Bobcats continued running

DURHAM, N.C. -- If this was Jabari Parkers last home game at Duke, what a farewell it was. The freshman phenom scored a season-high 30 points and added 11 rebounds in the fourth-ranked Blue Devils 93-81 win over No. 14 North Carolina on Saturday night. In leading Duke in both scoring and rebounding all season, he hasnt looked like a first-year player very often. And he doesnt want to be called one, either. "No more freshman," he said. "I dont like getting in that category anymore because my team needs me more than just an 18-year-old. They need somebody with experience through the whole game. ... Its time to grow up." Rodney Hood added 24 points to help Duke (24-7, 13-5) end the Tar Heels 12-game winning streak and clinch the No. 3 seed in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. Duke never trailed, shot 51 per cent -- 57 per cent in the second half -- and dominated the ACCs best team on the glass, outrebounding North Carolina 34-20. "I think at the end of the day, it just came down to our want-to against their want-to, and it just wasnt there -- the sense of urgency," North Carolina big man James Michael McAdoo said. Marcus Paige -- who led UNCs second-half comeback two weeks ago -- finished this one with 24 points, while Brice Johnson had 15 and McAdoo added 13 for the Tar Heels (23-8, 13-5). They shot nearly 60 per cent but couldnt overcome their disadvantage on the glass and are locked into the No. 4 seed in the league tournament. Leslie McDonald added 12 points for North Carolina, which was denied its fourth win over a top-five team, but briefly made things tense in the final minutes when Paige converted a four-point play to make it 81-73 with 2:50 left. But the Tar Heels point guard missed 3s on the next two possessions -- with Parker blocking the second of those with 2 1/2 minutes left. Quinn Cook hit two free throws, Amile Jefferson added another and Parker hit two foul shots with 2:03 left to push the lead to 86-73 and effectively end it. Cook finished with 11 points and Rasheed Sulaimon added 10. And in what might have been his finale at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Parker put on quite a show. "Its hard to say what it is," North Carolina coach Roy Williams said, referring to an intangible quality coach Mike Krzyzewski had chided Duke for being without in its loss to UNC. "But whatever the hell it is, Jabari found it," Williams added. Parker hit 10 of his 17 shots, cracked his previous high of 29 points set last month at Boston College and showed off all the skills that have him as a likely high NBA draft pick -- should he decide to forgo his final three seasons of college eligibility and turn pro. But he says he has time to make that decision. "Mostly what Im focusing on is to do as much as possible with these guys (during) my time here," Parker said. Parker set the tone early by converting repeatedly around the rim, and he hit two of his four attempts from 3-point range -- including one from the corner that gave Duke its largest lead, 74-55, with 8 1/2 minutes left. "I just thought he had his best spirit to score tonight that hes had all season, because theyre really good, and at times he just wasnt going to be denied," Krzyzewski said. "And then, boom, boom, boom, you hit those 3s (and) that lead can go to double digits quick." Indeed, when those 3s are falling, the Blue Devils are tough to beat. When theyre not, Duke is usually in trouble. The Blue Devils were only 5 of 22 from long range in their 74-66 loss in Chapel Hill. They made just 6 of 27 from beyond the arc in a 10-point loss at Wake Forest on Wednesday night. In this one, Duke missed 12 of its first 14 3-pointers and held a tenuous 47-39 lead when pesky senior guard Tyler Thornton picked up his fourth foul with 17:11 left. Cook came on to replace him and immediately hit a straightaway 3 that started the Blue Devils big burst. "It was good to see the ball go in for the first time," Cook said, adding that Parker "told me he was going to hit me as soon as I came in the game. Thats just the trust we have in each other." Andre Dawkins followed with another one from the corner to help the Blue Devils open up a 53-41 lead. Parker then added a jumper and two free throws before Cook hit and up-and-under layup. And Hood then followed that with a 3 with 14 minutes left to give Duke its largest lead to that point, 62-46. That shot whipped an already amped-up Cameron crowd -- which included Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett and his quarterback, an apparent Blue Devils fan, Tony Romo cheering enthusiastically from behind the scorers table -- into an absolute frenzy. There were plenty of famous faces in the crowd for the latest renewal of college basketballs fiercest rivalry: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell -- wearing a Duke sweater -- watched from one baseline, while former Oklahoma coaches Barry Switzer and Billy Tubbs sat on the other one. And Hood and Parker kept them entertained all night. "Jabari was sensational, and so was Rodney," Krzyzewski said. "This is the first game where the two of them were sensational together. Theyve both been good together, but they were sensational together." Ricardo Sanchez Mariners Jersey . According to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger, the New York Rangers winger skated with extras and goalies today. Mike Blowers Mariners Jersey . They started shooting the puck. Joe Pavelski had a hat trick to move into a tie for second in the NHL in goals and the Sharks beat Philadelphia 7-3 Thursday night in the first game for both teams following the Olympic break. https://www.cheapmariners.com/735k-kyle-...y-mariners.html. After Andrew Romine served up two monster home runs in the inning, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said he thought Romine was one of the bright spots on the night, showing just how bad the series opener against the last-place Minnesota Twins went for the Tigers. Tim Beckham Mariners Jersey . The agreement comes a little more than one week after the video game manufacturer agreed to a $40 million settlement in a similar but separate case, bringing the total payout planned for athletes to $60 million, said Steve Berman, an attorney for the plaintiffs, and the NCAA. Dee Gordon Jersey .J. -- After getting permission from his 7-year-old daughter, New York Giants offensive lineman David Diehl has retired after an 11-year career that included two Super Bowl championships.CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- After watching Jeffery Taylor lead Charlotte to its latest win, Bobcats coach Steve Clifford was full of praise for his young star. Taylor matched a career high with 20 points, leading six teammates in double figures, and Charlotte beat the Philadelphia 76ers 105-88 on Friday night. "Hes a talented guy," Clifford said of the 24-year-old Taylor. "Hes at that age where guys make the biggest jump. Certainly he has the size, athleticism and intelligence to get his game to the next level. And hes a hard worker." Subbing for injured starter Michael Kidd-Gilchrist at small forward, Taylor mixed mid-range jumpers with athletic drives and cuts to the basket to scored nine of Charlottes first 22 points. "I was just trying to take the opportunities as they came to me," said Taylor, a second-round draft pick in his second NBA season. "A lot of the same shots I made tonight havent been going in for me lately. I just tried to stay aggressive and take what the defence gave to me." Gerald Henderson and Kemba Walker added 18 apiece, and Walker also had a season-high 10 assists. Al Jefferson had 14 points and 12 rebounds, Ramon Sessions added 13 points and rookie Cody Zeller chipped in with 10. Philadelphia was led by Tony Wrotens 21 points. Evan Turner added 16, Hollis Thompson scored 12 and Spencer Hawes had 10 points and 13 rebounds. The Sixers played without starting point guard Michael Carter-Williams, who came in averaging 17.7 points. The rookie sat out because of a sore right knee. Taylor impressed even Philadelphia coach Brett Brown. "Hes a good player," Brown said. "You look at his length and you look at his toughness and thats a rare combination. ... He had perssonal pride in attacking us.dddddddddddd" In addition to playing without Kidd-Gilchrist, out four to six weeks after breaking his left hand during a loss at Dallas last Tuesday, the Bobcats lost backup centre Bismack Biyombo to a right ankle sprain in the first half. In a matchup of defensive-minded teams, the opening quarter was an up-and-down affair that ended with the Bobcats leading 36-33 after shooting 56 per cent from the field (14 of 25). They never trailed again, eventually leading by as many as 18 points in the fourth quarter while shooting 46 per cent for the game. The Bobcats have held opponents under 100 points for 13 consecutive games, most in the NBA. The Sixers cooled off after hitting seven of their first 12 shots, but Charlotte shot 54 per cent (25 of 46) in the first half. The Bobcats took a 62-51 halftime lead on Jeffersons tip-in of a missed layup by Walker at the second-quarter buzzer. "I feel like the whole first half was not very good for us defensively," Brown said of the Sixers. Wroten added: "Weve got to start the game off better defensively. We played better on defence in the second half, but weve just got to play defence like that for the whole 48 minutes." Jefferson scored the first two baskets of the third to give the Bobcats the first of what would be multiple 15-point leads in the quarter. The lead swelled to as much as 18 in the fourth as the Bobcats continued running and scoring almost at will in transition, evidenced by the 22-10 edge they held in fast-break points for the game. The 105 points represented a season high for the Bobcats, only the second time they surpassed the 100-point mark. The only other time came in a 102-97 win at New York on Nov. 5. ' ' '