ERST LESEN! » t season. Charlotte transfer and former Con

Michael van Gerwen was forced to settle for a draw as Robert Thornton boosted his own survival hopes on night eight of the Premier League. The world No 1 could not close out a win over Thornton, who snatched the final leg to earn a point, which was enough to move the Scot out of the bottom two after his earlier win over Michael Smith at the Echo Arena in Liverpool.Phil Taylor remains just behind leader Van Gerwen after he was held to a draw by Peter Wright, while Gary Anderson sits in third following his win over Dave Chisnall, his sixth straight victory of the competition. Robert Thornton collected three points to move out of the bottom two Chisnall joined bottom-placed Smith in the two-man drop zone and they will fight against elimination, along with Thornton, in next weeks Judgement Night in Cardiff.Earlier in the night, Thornton held his nerve in a tense clash with fellow struggler Smith, hitting double 20 to secure his first win of the campaign.But few expected The Thorn to unsettle Van Gerwen, who confidently collected the first leg with a 14-darter.A fantastic 140 checkout from Thornton gained the attention of Mighty Mike and the pair continued to swap legs, with Van Gerwen taking out 130 to move 4-3 up. Michael van Gerwen took out 130 just moments after Robert Thornton had the opportunity himself Victory appeared in the Dutchmans grasp when he nailed a 96 checkout to move one away, but Thornton stood firm, hitting tops for a precious point.Taylor was thwarted in his bid for top spot as he exchanged classy checkouts with the dogged Wright.A sizzling 130 on the bull from Snakebite was followed by a fantastic 141 from Taylor, who appeared to have the edge when he broke for a 6-4 lead. Peter Wright and Phil Taylor shared the spoils in Liverpool but one man was more grateful for the point than the other Wright refused to lie down, responding with an ice-cool 111 checkout, and pinned double 18 for the draw. But Anderson would not be denied and the defending champion cruised to a 7-4 win over Chisnall.The in-form player in the competition fired out a 144 finish and calmly took out double 10 to extend his winning run. Gary Anderson made it six wins in a row in the Premier League after beating Dave Chisnall Adrian Lewis was another winner as he held on for an entertaining 7-5 victory over Raymond van Barneveld.Earlier results meant that Barney was no longer in danger of an early exit, but his top four hopes were dented as Lewis landed his arrow in double eight to take the decider. Night eight results:Michael Smith 5-7 Robert ThorntonGary Anderson 7-4 Dave ChisnallAdrian Lewis 7-5 Raymond van BarneveldPhil Taylor 6-6 Peter WrightMichael van Gerwen 6-6 Robert Thornton Also See: Mardle: Robert on the rise Fixtures/Results On Sky TV Prem Table Stephen Curry 1 Low Shoes . -- There were so many positives from the Orlando Magics first victory of the season that it was hard for coach Jacque Vaughn to stop praising his players. Cheap Curry 3 Shoes . Halifax beat the Saint John Sea Dogs 7-5 on the strength of two goals apiece from Nikolaj Ehlers, Matt Murphy and Brent Andrews. Jonathan Drouin also scored and had three assists while Zachary Fucale made 17 saves for the Mooseheads (16-8-0), who led 6-1 after two periods. http://www.curryshoesclearance.com/ua-curry-one-basketball-shoes/low.html . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. Curry 2 Shoes Cheap . -- Matt Rupert scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the London Knights extended their win streak to nine games by defeating the Owen Sound Attack 4-3 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. Curry 6 Shoes For Sale . The defending champion beat Gael Monfils of France 7-6 (6), 6-3, while second-seeded Andy Murray of Britain dispatched Edouard Roger-Vasselin, also of France, 6-3, 6-3. Making his first appearance since injuring his wrist a month ago, Del Potro had difficulty with his service games in the first set. RALEIGH, N.C. -- Dennis Smith Jr. sure looks ready.North Carolina States prized freshman point guard is pushing through a workout in the practice gym on a hot July afternoon, and theres no sign of the knee injury that defined his past year.Hes sprinting along the baseline to bury a catch-and-shoot corner 3-pointer. Hes dribbling between chairs and stutter-stepping his way to a pull-up jumper. Hes launching himself at the rim for a dunk off the dribble.I dont expect to be rusty at all, Smith said in an interview with The Associated Press. I was feeling kind of nervous at one point, but I went in and did a workout and then I was thinking, `Im putting in all this work so all the nervousness should be out of my mind. I had no reason to be timid.I just have to go out there and perform, no excuses.A lot has happened for Smith in 12 months. The Fayetteville native suffered a torn left anterior cruciate ligament in a game during the Adidas Nations event featuring top prospects. He had surgery, picked N.C. State, graduated from high school early and enrolled in college in January to rehab and learn the Wolfpacks system before his debut later this year.Tuesday marks one year since the injury for the 6-foot-3 Smith, ranked by ESPN as the nations No. 1 point guard when he signed last fall.Weve tried to be real conservative with him as far as not letting him do too much too fast, coach Mark Gottfried said. At his age, he cant wait. Hes dying to play every day.Smith started earning his leadership role as soon as he arrived in Raleigh, pointing out instructions to teammates or calling them to the gym for extra work even though he couldnt play. He figures that time observing from the sideline has prepared him to replace high-scoring floor leader Anthony Cat Barber.I feel like Ive gotten smarter, definitely, Smith said. I see the game totally different now. I read pick-and-roll easier. I feel like Ive gotten more sound on defense because I understand angles better.The physical work to get back has been tougher.Roughly a year ago, Smith was lying in a bed after surgery trying to stay positive.dddddddddddd He asked trainer Ja-Rell Bailey to bring him some free weights for upper-body exercises even if he couldnt do much else, an example of why Bailey described Smith as a man determined.Smiths father said the rehab emphasized building leg strength to protect and stabilize the injured knee, something his son said he will keep doing in both legs for years to come. Smiths work has helped him go from 180 pounds to a college-ready 192-pound frame.Hes got his bounce back, so he can dunk and everything, Dennis Smith Sr. said. But what Junior has got, God gave it to him. . A lot of times you run into kids who are built off of hype because they do a fancy move or have a good game. Junior aint hype. Hes the real deal.Regardless, Gottfried expects Smith to have a learning curve.For me, he said, I think what you see in November is going to be much different than what you see in January.The Wolfpack will look much different, too, after missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five seasons. N.C. State welcomes Scout.coms No. 6-ranked recruiting class that includes five-star Turkish big man Omer Yurtseven. Senior guard Terry Henderson returns from an ankle injury that sidelined him 7 minutes into last season. Charlotte transfer and former Conference USA freshman of the year Torin Dorn Jr. will play after sitting out last year.Still, Smith is the guy stirring the most buzz for Wolfpack fans -- something he has no trouble embracing.I really dont feel that pressure though, Smith said. I feel like if you come in and you expect to play well, then you should have those expectations of people talking. Its just playing basketball to me. Ive been doing it my whole life.---Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap and the APs college basketball site at http://collegebasketball.ap.org ' ' '