Pirate Galaxy » second half of a loss at Portland last week with

WACO, Texas -- Manu Lecomte had 19 points and Al Freeman scored 18 as Baylor survived a late run by Florida Gulf Coast for an 81-72 win on Friday night.Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. had 12 points and five blocks -- including two key swats late in the game -- for Baylor (3-0). Johnathan Motley scored 12 and Terry Maston had 10 points.Brandon Goodwin scored 22 for FGCU (1-2). Zach Johnson had 17 points, Christian Terrell came off the bench to score 16 and Antravious Simmons had 10 points.Baylor hit the first shot of the second half to take a 12-point lead but the Eagles used a 9-2 run to cut the advantage to 46-41 with 17:44 to play. FGCU eventually tied the game at 53 when Simmons hit a short turnaround jumper on the baseline with 11:41 remaining. The Eagles took their first lead -- 58-55 -- on a 3 by Johnson at the 10:13 mark.In Baylors 66-49 win over No. 4 Oregon on Thursday, the Bears led 33-23 at the half, and the Ducks whittled that down to 1.Thats twice in a row weve come out with 10-point leads and had those evaporate, Baylor coach Scott Drew said. We were sluggish against Oregon coming out in the zone, so we came out (tonight) in man. They made their first seven. That didnt really work, either. So I dont know what defense well come out in the second half next time.Florida Gulf Coast went scoreless for more than 4 1/2 minutes midway through the second half, and Baylor took advantage with a 9-0 run that put the Bears up 64-58 with 6:24 remaining. The Eagles pulled to within a point three times, but another 9-0 run from Baylor left the Bears up 77-67 with 37 seconds left.Baylor shot 65 percent (13-of-20) from the field in the first half, and was 12-of-28 (42 percent) in the second.I think we regrouped a little bit in the second half, FGCU coach Joe Dooley said. We got our defense a little bit more situated and got into a better offensive flow.Baylor made 27 of its 31 free throw attempts, and the Eagles were 10-of-11 from the line and 10-of-19 on 3-point attempts.We talked to our guys about taking what they give us, Dooley said. Baylor pushed and sort of crowded the inside a little bit. I thought the guys did a good job of penetrating and passing.BIG PICTUREWith Florida Gulf Coasts leading returning scorer and rebounder Marc-Eddy Norelia out with a broken hand, junior guard Brandon Goodwin has taken over the scoring, averaging 20 points in the Eagles first three games.Baylor should get a look from some voters in next weeks poll. The Bears notched a 66-49 home win over No. 4 Oregon on Tuesday. Baylor didnt receive any preseason poll votes this year for the first time since the 2009-10 season.TURNING POINT: After Florida Gulf Coasts Goodwin hit a 3 to tie the game at 24 with 7:09 left in the first half, Baylor went on a 12-2 run that left the Bears up 36-26 with 3:51 remaining. Lual-Acuil had a block and a dunk during the stretch.TIP-INS: Baylor won the NIT in 2013, the same year Florida Gulf Coat advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 at what was then Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, 101 miles from the Bears home arena.HIGHLIGHT REEL: In the final 3 1/2 minutes, Lual-Acuil, the 7-footer from Melbourne, had two blocks, a put-back, a dunk and two offensive rebounds.UP NEXTFlorida Gulf Coast faces what could be its toughest opponent of the season when it plays at No. 13 Michigan State on Sunday in the Battle 4 Atlantis Mainland. However, the Spartans will likely drop in the next poll, as theyre winless this season after losing to Arizona in Hawaii and to Kentucky in Madison Square Garden.Baylor will continue in the Battle 4 Atlantis and face VCU on Wednesday at Paradise Island, Bahamas. Sabres Jerseys China .Y. -- Paul Byron and Matt Stajan scored as the Calgary Flames started a five-game road trip with a 2-1 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday afternoon. Stitched Sabres Jerseys . - After leading the Saints to a fourth playoff appearance in five seasons, Drew Brees expressed confidence in the direction of his team and, perhaps more importantly, showed a willingness to listen to contract proposals if the team needs his help getting under the NFLs salary cap. https://www.cheapsabres.com/ . -- Ryan Getzlaf grabbed the three pucks wrapped in tape and held them up to his chest in the Anaheim Ducks dressing room for a celebration nine seasons in the making. Custom Buffalo Sabres Jerseys . PETERSBURG, Fla. Buffalo Sabres Gear . The news was first reported on Gonzalezs Twitter account and confirmed by the Rockies. Gonzalez has a six-week window before position players have their first workout at spring training in Arizona. The first-place Philadelphia Union are looking to put an inconsistent stretch behind them, when they head to Houston to play the last-place Dynamo on Saturday at BBVA Compass Stadium.The Union (7-5-5), with 26 points, lead second-place New York City by two points in the Eastern Conference table. The top six teams above the red line in the Eastern Conference are separated by six points.Philadelphia has been one of the biggest surprises of the early season, after finishing near the bottom of the standings last year. The Union have been led by a trio of goal scorers. Chris Pontius leads the Union with six goals, and Roland Alberg and C.J. Sapong each has five. Alberg has scored five goals in the last three games.Sapong is expected to return to action Saturday for the first time since suffering a sprained right ankle on June 1. Union coach Jim Curtin told reporters this week that Sapong will be a factor against Houston.Defense has been a recent concern for the Union. They have surrendered nine goals in their three previous MLS games, including a 3-2 home loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps last week.The Union rebounded with a 2-1 win ovver the New York Red Bulls in U.ddddddddddddS. Open play on Wednesday. Pontius had both goals in the win.The Dynamo (3-8-5) rebounded from squandering a two-goal lead in the second half of a loss at Portland last week with a 3-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City in the U.S. Open Round of 16 on Wednesday. Rising young forward Mauro Manotas had two goals in the win. But, overall, this has been a difficult season for Houston, which already has endured a coaching change and remains in last place in the Western Conference with 14 points.Wade Garrett, a longtime Dynamo assistant, was named Houston interim coach in early June, after former coach Owen Coyle stepped down. The loss to Portland was the Dynamos first defeat under Barrett, but it was disappointing. The Dynamo seemed to be in control, up 2-0 in the second half, before Portland rallied and scored the winning goal on a penalty kick on a controversial call.The Union won last seasons meeting, 2-0, snapping a six-game winless streak versus the Dynamo. ' ' '