of his comeback and picked up his first wicket of the season in a

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Josh Perkins helped keep No. 11 Gonzaga close in the first half before Silas Melson came up big during the final 20 minutes.Perkins had 18 points and Melson scored 10 of his 12 during a second-half rally as Gonzaga beat Florida 77-72 on Friday night in a semifinal at the AdvoCare Invitational.Silas stepped up, Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. Ive been on him and on him to do that. I think hes a more confident player this year. I dont think we were shocked by that.After getting down by 11 points in the opening half, Melson hit two 3s during a 15-2 run that put Gonzaga ahead 68-59 with 5 1/2 minutes left. He made two free throws with 22.9 seconds remaining to make it 76-70.He didnt start off the game very well, Few said. He was extremely tentative, and just kind of fumbling, stumbling around there. And then he set his feet and played with some pride.The Bulldogs (5-0), who will play No. 21 Iowa State in Sundays final, got 16 points from Johnathan Williams, while Nigel Williams-Goss added 14.Devin Robinson led Florida (5-1) with 18 points and KeVaughn Allen had 15.It seemed like every time we made a mistake (defensively) they made us pay, Florida coach Mike White said.Robinson had 13 points, including Floridas first nine, as the Gators went up 37-32 at halftime.We should have got the win, Robinson said. We played hard and took a step forward, but we still lost. Work on the things we didnt do tonight and come out Sunday and try to get another win.The Gators will face Miami for third place.Gonzaga, which trailed by 11 points with 4 1/2 minutes left in the first half, had a late surge keyed by three of Perkins 15 first-half points. Zach Collins had a slam that got the Bulldogs within 31-27 right after Floridas Canyon Barry, the son of NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry, misfired on a breakaway dunk attempt.Rick Barry was at the game.BIG PICTUREFlorida beat Seton Hall 81-76 on Thursday in a matchup of teams that received votes in this weeks AP poll. The Gators came up short in a bid to start a season 6-0 or better for the 10th time.Gonzaga improved to 8-0 in the Thanksgiving tournament at Disney formerly known as the Old Spice Classic. The Bulldogs won the event in 2008 and 2012.POLL IMPLICATIONSThe Bulldogs could continue to bolster their argument to move into the Top 10 by sweeping all three of their games in the invitational. It should also give them momentum heading into the upcoming week that includes a game Dec. 3 against No. 8 Arizona.COMING OFF THE BENCHBarry, who entered leading the Gators with a scoring average of 14.6 points, had 12 Friday. Collins, who also began play as the Bulldogs top scorer (13.8) was held to four.UP NEXTFlorida will go against Miami in Sundays third-place game.Gonzaga and No. 21 Iowa State will play for the championship on Sunday. A veteran crew that knows how to win, Few said of Iowa State. Theyll go small and theyre very comfortable playing that way. Theyre very difficult to guard. Cheap Air Max Shoes Australia .500 on the season. The Jets are now 0-5-1 in the second game of back-to-backs. The game started the same way the Vancouver game started the night before, with the Jets taking the first two penalties of the game and killing off the first, but the Oilers getting on the board first, scoring on the second man-advantage. Cheap Nike Air Max Australia . I cant pinpoint a date, but I do remember a player from my youth. Brian Downing was with the Chicago White Sox at a time when I listened to every game I possibly could on the radio. That particular season the late great Harry Caray was calling the White Sox games. http://www.cheapairmaxaustraliasale.com/ .J. -- Pitcher Carl Pavano is retiring after 14 major league seasons. Nike Air Max Shop Australia . Pert has formerly spent time as an assistant coach with Cardiff City, Coventry City, and Bahrain mens national team. "Martyn is a highly-respected coach with experience at the top levels in England," said Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson. Nike Air Max Shoes Australia . Any real chance at payback wont come until the playoff. Still, Pittsburgh knows its taut 3-2 win over the Bruins on Wednesday night is a pretty good place to start laying the groundwork. "They are a very good defensive team," Penguins forward Brandon Sutter said. Eddie Jones, the England rugby coach, was in attendance at Lords as the countrys cricketers prepared for the first Test against Pakistan. Jones and his assistant, Steve Borthwick, watched on as England trained indoors at a rain-soaked Lords and assessed the fitness of a number of players in and out of the squad.James Anderson and Ben Stokes bowled in the nets as they continued to recuperate from shoulder and knee injuries respectively. Both hope to feature in Championship matches for their counties starting at the weekend. Mark Wood, who has been added to the Lions squad, was also in attendance, although he decided not to bowl indoors.Steven Finn took part in the session despite a badly bruised right knee. Finn sustained the injury when he fell in his follow through while bowling at Scarborough a few days ago. He has had a scan, which showed nothing untoward, and was able to train with strapping over the bruise on Tuesday.Chris Woakes missed training, however. He felt unwell and remained at the team hotel. A spokesman insisted he would be fine for the Test and said he was expected to train on Wednesday.Jones and Borthwick had invited the England management - Trevor Bayliss, Andrew Strauss and Paul Farbrace - to dinner before the rugby union sides successful tour of Australia and the cricket management reciprocated here with a view to sharing ideas and experiences. The knowledge of Baylisss fellow Australian Jones might be worth tapping into when England head Down Under to defend the Ashes in 2017-18.Also invited to the session was the 19-year-old Lancashire legspinner, Matt Parkinson, who last month claimed five wickets on debut against Warwickshire at Old Trafford and has played just three first-class game. Thhe England management hope that, by monitoring and encouraging the best county spinners, they can accelerate their progress in the game.ddddddddddddWood was added to the England Lions squad for the Tri-Series against the A teams of Sri Lanka and Pakistan, which starts in Cheltenham next Monday, after coming through a practice session at Lords ahead of Thursdays first Test.Wood, who underwent an operation on his left ankle in April, is in the early stages of his comeback and picked up his first wicket of the season in a NatWest T20 Blast fixture for Durham against Leicestershire on Sunday.He has claimed 26 wickets in eight Tests to date, and played a significant role in Englands 3-2 Ashes win last summer. He will play in a second Blast game for Durham at home to Northants at Chester-le-Street on Friday night before linking up with the Lions.The England medical staff have been working closely with Mark and Durham throughout, and a series of 50-over matches with the Lions offers a good opportunity for him to take the next steps in his return to cricket, explained James Whitaker, the National Selector.He is a great example of a player who came through the Lions with an outstanding tour of South Africa in the winter of 2014-15 to make his Test debut last summer, and his inclusion should give a boost to this Lions squad, as well as giving him the chance to work with the younger bowlers in the squad.Meanwhile, the Lions are monitoring the fitness of Jamie Overton, who suffered a back injury when bowling for Somerset in their Specsavers County Championship game against Middlesex on Monday. ' ' '