Pirate Galaxy » ars to secure back-to-back wins against

With two games to play before taking a monthlong break for the Summer Olympics, the Connecticut Sun and the Dallas Wings square off in a Wednesday matinee with a few things in common.They both struggled the past four games. They both had a chance at notching upset wins Sunday. They both lost, and both now must try to rebound and close out the first part of the season on a positive note.That next step comes at Wednesday at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.How the Wings respond coming off a crushing overtime loss to the Minnesota Lynx will say a lot about the mental toughness of the team. Dallas (9-14) fought back from a 13-point, fourth-quarter deficit only to lose 98-87 in overtime to the team with the second-best record in the WNBA.On Sunday against the New York Liberty, the Sun fell behind early, then scored 19 of 22 points in the second period to take a seven-point, third-quarter lead. Connecticut (6-16) led midway through the fourth until running out of steam and falling 83-76.Even though the Sun have lost three of four, they have shown signs of life. Before they were unable to close out the Liberty, they took a 16-point lead in the third quarter Friday against the Los Angeles Sparks, the team with the best WNBA mark, before succumbing.Alex Bentley continues to lead the Sun in scoring at 14 points a game. Three others of her teammates also are in double figures: Alyssa Thomas (11.1), Chiney Ogwumike (10.2) and Jasmine Thomas (10.0).The Wings have lost four straight. However, throw out a 37-point loss to the Lynx, and they dropped the other three games by a total of eight points.Dallas has plenty of firepower, as six players, led by Odyssey Sims (14.7), Karima Christmas (13.5) and Glory Johnson (13.2), are scoring in double figures.The Wings added some much needed experience on Monday when they signed guard Tiffany Bias and waived Brinna Kiesel.Tiffany brings energy, speed and tenacity to our roster, Dallas general manager Greg Bibb said. She has playoff experience and has won a WNBA Championship. We are excited to have her join our team and help us improve.The Sun travel to Chicago to take on the Sky on Friday, while the Wings head to Atlanta to take on the Dream the same day.Play will resume following the Olympics on Aug. 26.Wholesale White Sox Jerseys . 10 Texas Rangers jersey for one last time. Young formally announced his retirement Friday after returning to Rangers Ballpark, his baseball home for all but the last of his 13 major league seasons. Chicago White Sox Pro Shop . "Thank you for the warm welcome," Beckham said on an 80-degree February morning. In this case, it was soccer weather. The sport moved a step closer to returning to South Florida on Wednesday, when Beckham confirmed he has exercised his option to purchase a Major League Soccer expansion franchise in Miami. https://www.cheapwhitesox.com/ . The (11-11-4) Jets are seventh in the Central Division with 26 points. Fifth place Dallas and sixth-seeded Nashville also have 26 points, but the Stars have three games in hand on Winnipeg while Nashville has two. White Sox Jerseys 2020 . Despite dominating possession, Schalke needed an own goal from Nicolas Hoefler for the breakthrough a minute before the interval. The Freiburg midfielder misjudged Jefferson Farfans corner and bundled the ball into his own net. Custom Chicago White Sox Jerseys . "No difference at all," chirped U.S. roommate and linemate James van Riemsdyk. "Its still the same cranky Phil.DUBLIN, Ireland -- Irish fans will be familiar with the script that unfolded at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday evening.Their team worked tirelessly for 80 minutes, but just as it looked as though they would find a way through the All Blacks defence, a hammer blow was struck at the other end. Normal service was resumed.New Zealand were made to graft for this win. Faced by a vociferous crowd, and a determined opponent, this victory will be remembered as much for the 144 tackles made by those wearing black as for the finesse added by fly-half Beauden Barrett.It was Barrett who picked off Ireland when the opportunity arose, with the timing of a world champion boxer. He set up his teams first try and scored the second - naturally, he also had a hand in the third.But this was a performance built on resilience and character. The All Blacks lost a wealth of experience following the 2015 Rugby World Cup, but the current incarnation are proving just as daunting an opponent in only their first year together.This could well become an important result in the evolution of a record-breaking side.Two weeks ago this team suffered their first loss, that created a bit of adversity, coach Steve Hansen admitted after their Dublin win. Today was all about seeing how theyd stand up to that. So, to come out on top 21-9, three tries to none and defend for long periods of the game, I think they answered a lot of questions re their character.?While it wasnt always pretty I think theres plenty for us to learn and get better on. To be at this point of the year, after losing 818 caps, youve got to be reasonably happy. Pretty good year so far.A pretty good year is obviously a sizeable understatement for a team who prior to stepping on the pitch in Chicago had set a new benchmark for consecutive Test wins. But it is telling that Hansen believes they can still get better.The All Blacks performance in Dublin was far from perfect. They conceded 66 percent possession and 69 percent territory, and the pressure that Ireland were able to exert was highlighted by the fact that they had to plaay a quarter of this match with 14 men as Aaron Smith and Malakai Fekitoa saw yellow.ddddddddddddBut it is in adversity that the size of someones heart can be measured.We had to defend, All Blacks captain Kieran Read said. As Steve said the character of the men really showed up. The way we defended, we had to work bloody hard.After 15 minutes it had seemed that they wouldnt have to work all that hard. In defence anyway. The determination of those wearing green in the stands of the Aviva Stadium to witness yet more history was palpable.We are now used to seeing players running out amid the crescendo of fireworks, of course, but this seemed a little different. There was a collective will to ensure that the result in Chicago would not prove a one-off.Unfortunately, for the majority of the 51,000 fans in attendance, there was an equally powerful assertion from the All Blacks that Ireland would not become only the second team in 10 years to secure back-to-back wins against them.After an early Irish surge, the crowd fell silent as Barrett drilled a cross-field kick into the grateful arms of Fekitoa to score the games opening try. Just over 10 minutes later, he had added a second himself following consultation with the TMO.There was consternation from the home support, but while Barretts try was still being debated as they departed into the night, the All Blacks first score was the beautiful result of some hard work on the training pitch.Our kicking game was better, Hansen said. Although it wasnt as great as wed like it to be. To win big Test matches, particularly against sides who are good defending sides, youve got to be able to kick the ball to space, youve got to be able to pass it there or run it there. Its as simple as that.Simple it definitely wasnt but New Zealand have proven that any talk of their demise was greatly exaggerated. France will find out next weekend exactly how much they learned from this bruising Test match. ' ' '