ERST LESEN! » a shock exclusion from Mal

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.Air Max Plus Ingrosso . Carey Price didnt, but he still came out on top against one of his rivals for the No. 1 job at the Sochi Games. The Anahim Lake, B.C., native was stellar in making 39 saves in his home province and Lars Eller got credit for a bizarre short-handed winner as the Canadiens defeated the Canucks 4-1. Air Max 270 Prezzo Basso . -- The plastic that was taped across the lockers in Oaklands clubhouse came down and the champagne that was on ice went back into the cooler. http://www.airmaxshoponlineitalia.it/scontate-max-270-outlet.html .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Kd Scarpe Basket Scontate .35 million, one-year contract that avoided salary arbitration. Plouffe batted .254 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs in 477 at-bats last season, his second as a regular in the lineup. Air Max 97 Italia . -- Jacksonville wide receiver Cecil Shorts will likely be a game-time decision whether hell play Sunday in the Jaguars home game against the San Diego Chargers.He can barely remember his way to the locker room but James Tamou knows exactly where he wants to end up with new NRL club Penrith next season.Week one of the Panthers pre-season hasnt even finished but the big-name signing is already talking a big game, saying only a premiership will bring success to the club in 2017.From what I saw last (season), theres only room to grow. We had a couple of video sessions and Ive been excited to watch what the boys can produce, Tamou said.A premiership - thats the number one goal and thats on everyones mind.Tamou was knee-deep in a push for back-to-back titles with North Queensland in 2016 but admitted he had kept a close eye on the Panthers since signing a lucrative deal in June.And the 27-year-old couldnt help but be enamoured with their high-octane play that fell two games short of a fairytale grand final appearance.Ive been saying for a while, Ive been very excited to come in, he said.Their last 12 weeks of the season I was very impressed. Obviously because I had signed and knew I was coming here, I was keeping an eye on them.They were definitely premiership contenders. The way they went about the Bulldogs (elimination final), who are nothing short of walkovers.Obviously a bit of bad luck against Canberra (in the semi-final, but) just goes to show how young aand resilient this side can be.ddddddddddddItll be good for the club for everyone to stick around. It adds to the dynasty they can build.Tamou met his new teammates for day one of pre-season on Monday, almost two months before the former Kangaroos representative expected to arrive at the foot of the mountains.He was a shock exclusion from Mal Meningas Australian squad for the current Four Nations tournament and while he admitted the axing hurt, was glad to help uproot the family to Sydney.I wouldve went away feeling not well leaving the wife there with the kids. Im happy to be here. We can do some really good things here and day one is where it starts, he said.I know why I missed out. It just puts a bit more fire in the belly for next time.And already hes taken confidence from the way new teammate Trent Merrin experienced a career resurgence after a similar high-profile move from Wollongong last summer.I was reading something about him, he thought he was over representative-wise. We all know the valuable player he is, Tamou said.He came here and went to another level. Thats a bit of a goal for me. But first things first, get through a good pre-season and be injury-free. ' ' '