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Defense was the difference for the Chicago Sky with their season on the line and facing elimination in Game 3 of its WNBA playoff semifinal Sunday against Los Angeles Sparks.The reward? Chicago earned a 70-66 win and another shot at Los Angeles in Game 4, set for Tuesday night at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill. Los Angeles still holds a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series, meaning everything the Sky accomplished on Sunday will be for naught if it cant replicate the effort at least one more time.Game 5, if necessary, will be played Thursday in Los Angeles.The Sky held Los Angeles forward Candace Parker, who came into the game averaging 25 points in the first two contests in the series, to just nine points on 3-of-14 shooting from the floor. The Sparks shot just 36.6 percent as a team and just 18.2 percent from three-point range.Los Angeles took a whopping 33 three-point shots in Game 3 after attempting 41 in the first two games of the series combined. Conversely, Chicago was just 1 of 3 from long-range and took 69 two-point shots.Parker did corral 15 rebounds, 11 of them on the defensive end, and league MVP Nneka Ogwumike scored a game-high 22 points for Los Angeles.Chicago got 17 points from Courtney Vandersloot and 13 points and 11 rebounds from rookie center Imani Boyette in Game 3. Vandersloot and Boyette scored Chicagos final 10 points of the game.The Sky is still playing without star forward Elena Delle Donne, who on Sunday missed her ninth straight game after undergoing right thumb surgery on Sept. 13.Los Angeles led by 15 points in the first half and by nine at halftime. Chicago outscored the Sparks 19-8 in the third quarter and clinched the game on a pair of free throws in the final seconds by Vandersloot.The Sparks won Games 1 (95-75) and 2 (99-84) and have captured five of the six meetings between the two teams this season, including twice on Chicagos home floor with Delle Donne in the lineup. Los Angeles has scored at least 93 points in four of those victories.The winner of this series will play defending champ Minnesota, who swept Phoenix in the other semifinal, in the WNBA finals beginning Oct. 9 in Minneapolis.Toronto Blue Jays Shirts . But by the time the game started, the Toronto Raptors forward felt even worse. And, for three quarters, it showed as Gay shot a woeful three-for-13 from the field. Stitched Blue Jays Jerseys . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . https://www.cheapbluejays.com/ . The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Lions have not announced the hiring, which was first reported by ESPN. Lombardi, the grandson of former Green Bay Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi, has been an offensive assistant on Sean Paytons New Orleans staff since 2007. Toronto Blue Jays Store . Pedro scored from a pass by Lionel Messi in the 33rd minute and added two more goals in the 47th and 72nd after Valdes saved his second penalty in four days following his stop in Wednesdays 4-0 over Ajax in the Champions League. Custom Toronto Blue Jays Jerseys . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human.As part of a series looking at the mind, body and soul of an athlete, ESPNs Prim Siripipat will speak to various tennis players throughout the US Open.NEW YORK -- A year ago, Roberta Vinci pulled off one of the most epic upsets in US Open history.The No. 43-ranked Italian stunned No. 1 Serena Williams in the semifinals, ending Williams 33-match winning streak in majors -- and her quest for the first calendar Grand Slam since Steffi Grafs feat in 1988.After the match, Vinci was emotional, calling it the best moment of her life. Beforehand, it was a much different story. Did she really believe she could beat Williams heading into it?No. Really! No ... Vinci said in her on-court interview. When I woke up, I said OK, I have the semifinals today. Try to enjoy it. Dont think about Serena. Play.Although it was a painful defeat, Serena acknowledged the 12-1 underdog played her heart out.I thought she played the best tennis in her career, Serena said. Actually, I guess its inspiring. But, yeah, I think she played literally out of her mind.Added Vinci: The power of the mind and the mental game is important for this kind of sport.This past Wednesday, that positivity was evident again when Vinci, 33, was down a break in the second set of her second-round match.With American Christina McHale, 24, leading 3-2, the now No. 7 seed maintained her focus and turned a difficult moment into an opportunity. Vinci won four straight games on her way to a 6-1, 6-3 victory.Vinci faced another test of will Friday in her three-set win over Carina Witthoeft, 21, of Germany. Despite dropping the second set, the Italian kept her concentration and made only five unforced errors in the third set, winning 6-0, 5-7, 6-3.Up next in the fourth round, she will face Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine.Indeed, it was the fiery Italians mind that enabled her to take down the most intimidating player on the WTA Tour in Serena Williams last year.She offered espnW these mental tips on how to handle a daunting opponent:1. Forget your opponent.Dont think about whos on the other sside of the net.dddddddddddd Forget their name. Forget their ranking. Forget their résumé and who theyve beaten. Shift your focus from your opponent to you. Think about your game, Vinci said. Dont think about the opponent. Just play your game and be aggressive.2. Focus on your breath.As in yoga teaching, breathing helps a player stay in the present moment, which prevents them from thinking about past mistakes or looking too far ahead into the match. Slow, deep breaths also help with nerves and pressure, which happens to all players.When asked how often she gets nervous, Vinci said, Always. I always feel the pressure. Im always nervous ... every single match and especially at the beginning. Then, step by step, I try to calm down, focus and the pressure gets low, and then I get back into the match.3. Forget about the future.This means dont worry about winning or losing. Yes, as a competitor, of course you want to win. However, getting too wrapped up in results can cause more stress and cause an athlete to lose focus on the things that will help them earn a victory.Stay focused every single point and dont think about the results, Vinci said. Just play your game.4. Think positive.Her belief may have fluctuated, but Vinci stayed positive throughout the entire match regardless of what was happening.With that said, it begged the question to ask Vinci one more time about the trust in herself. Did she really not believe she could beat Williams? Not even a little bit?OK, a little bit. A little bit ... yes, Vinci said.Just a little bit of belief. Thats all it takes.Prim Siripipat joined ESPN as an anchor in 2011 after spending three years in Miami covering the Dolphins, Heat and Marlins. She has appeared on SportsCenter, First Take, NBA Tonight and ESPN Radio. She played tennis at Duke University and, shortly after, began a career in broadcasting in Raleigh, North Carolina. Follow her on Twitter @ESPNPrim. ' ' '