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NEW YORK -- Little had gone right for the Temple Owls before they gathered around coach Fran Dunphy during a timeout. It would have been easy for them to lament their woes.Instead, as Shizz Alston Jr. recalled, their message to each other was cloaked in defiance.Were on a big stage, were not going out like this, Alston said after Temples 89-86 victory over No. 25 Florida State on Thursday in the first game of the NIT Season Tip-Off. We want to fight back.Quinton Rose scored 26 points, including two free throws with 2 seconds left. Alston Jr. added 22 points and Obi Enechionyia had 16 points and eight rebounds for the Owls (3-2).Dwayne Bacon had 22 points for the Seminoles (4-1). Jonathan Issac added 19 points. Xavier Rathan-Mayes had 11, and Terance Mann 10.Theyre so deep, Dunphy said about Florida State. So athletic. They can make shots, too.Trailing by 12 with 9:26 left, Temple went on a 15-2 run to take a 73-72 lead. The stretch began when Alston made a 3. That was followed by Roses putback, Enechionyias lay-in, two made free throws by Alston, and consecutive 3s from Alston and Damion Moore.The Owls were able to extend their advantage to 85-80 after Enechionyias made 3 with 3:18 left. But Trent Forrests lay-in with 77 seconds cut the deficit to one, 87-86.They spread the floor, Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton said of Temples offensive approach in the second half. They were shooting the 3s and they spread the floor, did a great job of taking us off the dribble when they got to the foul line.Give them credit: They did what they had to do.Florida State had a chance to win, but Isaac air-balled a layup attempt with four seconds left. Roses two free throws sealed the win.We started making every shot we took, Dunphy said.BIG PICTURE:Temple: Coming off a berth in the NCAA Tournament, the Owls are looking for a repeat trip and a win over a Top 25 team is good for the resume. The biggest issue for Temple, though, will be its ability to defend well and, as Shizz Alston Jr. said, can the Owls win games comfortably?Florida State: Following five wins against lesser competition, Florida State took a step up in weight class and was fairly impressive for 30 minutes. However, college basketball games last 40. The Seminoles vaunted defense was broken down repeatedly by Temples guards and, as Leonard Hamilton noted, his team will get its fill of strong opposition once ACC play begins.POLL IMPLICATIONS:Temple: Despite the win, it is unlikely that the Owls will move into the Top 25. Temple had dropped close decisions to New Hampshire and UMass in its second and third games of the season.Florida State: During his postgame press conference, Leonard Hamilton stressed one game does not determine the outcome of a season. But it may -- and likely will -- cost the Seminoles their No. 25 ranking.NOTABLETemple: The National Invitation Tournament Tip-Off marks the sixth time in program history that the Owls participated in the early season event. Temples six appearances are tied with St. Johns for second most in tournament history; Arizona and Duke have made seven appearances apiece.Florida State: The first of two NIT Tip-Off games marked the first time since the third round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament that the Seminoles were a nationally ranked team. Following a 62-56 loss to Cincinnati in the third round, the Seminoles finished the season ranked 10th in the nation.QUOTABLEI think you can come up with a philosophical theory if you want to, but they just had a great night. They did a very good job. Im sure theyre hoping they shoot the ball that well for the remainder of the year. Im hoping we dont defend as poorly as we did tonight and I dont think we will, Florida States Leonard Hamilton, in response to a question regarding his concern about the Seminoles defense.UP NEXTTemple: Will meet West Virginia in championship game Friday.Florida State: Will meet Illinois in the consolation game Friday.---More AP college basketball at http://collegebasketball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-Top25Wholesale Nike Shoes Black Friday . According the Toronto Star, a knee injury will keep Sundin out of the lineup, which includes former teammates Gary Roberts, Darcy Tucker, Tie Domi and Curtis Joseph. Cheap Nike Shoes Black Friday . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. http://www.nikeshoesblackfriday.com/ .com) - The Chicago Blackhawks aim for their third three-game winning streak of the season when they host the struggling Edmonton Oilers in Sundays battle at the United Center. Nike Shoes Black Friday Sale . PETERSBURG, Fla. Nike Shoes Black Friday China . "Theyve both been real good," said Babcock. "Havent changed our minds." A decision has seemingly been made - Sundays Group B-deciding tilt against Finland ahead - but it could not have been an easy one. Price opened the tournament with a sturdy 19-save performance against the Norwegians, yielding just one goal.KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- On Aug. 6, the Kansas City Royals were seven games below .500, 11 games back of the Cleveland Indians in the American League Central and 9 1/2 games out in the wild-card chase.The defending World Series champion Royals, however, have been the hottest team in the majors since then, winning 17 of 21 games and seven consecutive series.Kansas City has crept within 5 1/2 games of the Indians and is three games back of the Baltimore Orioles for the second wild-card spot.The Royals, who play 20 of their final 32 games at home, host the New York Yankees in a crucial three-game series beginning Monday night.Were getting hot as a team at the right time to get hot, Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer said.The Yankees, too, are playing well lately behind slugging rookie catcher Gary Sanchez, and they remain in the playoff picture. They had their four-game winning streak snapped Sunday in a 5-0 loss to the Orioles, but they are just 3 1/2 games out in the wild-card hunt.The Royals erupted for eight runs in the sixth inning -- the most runs they scored in an inning since Aug. 5, 2013 -- to win 10-4 at Boston on Sunday night. They took two of three from the Red Sox. Rookie Raul Mondesi, who bats ninth, connected on a three-run triple in the big inning.You can ride guys like (Kendrys) Morales when they get hot or (Hosmer) when they get hot, Royals manager Ned Yost said. But if youre going to have any kind of sustained winning streak, its got to be everybody. Its got to be a different guy every night.On Sunday, the Royals picked up a game on the Indians, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, Seattle Mariners, Yankees and Red Sox, all teams battling for postseason play.After the Yankees beat the Orioles in the first two games at Yankee Stadium, New York failed to complete the three-game sweep.Its not what you want, but were playing good baseball and winning series, and thats what we need to continue to do, Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. If someone says youre going to win a series against Baltimore, I think you have to feel pretty positive about that, but when you win the first two, sometimes guys can get down a little.Im not down -- I think we played very well this weekend. We need to continue to do that, and if we do, Ill take our chances.While Sanchez did not homer Sunday, he doubled and singled. He homered in each of his previous three games and became the quickest playeer in major league history to hit 11 home runs, accomplishing it in 23 games.ddddddddddddHis 21 RBI in his first 23 career games tied for the second most in Yankees history.Girardi is glad his young players are experiencing a pennant race.I think when the games have meaning every day, youre playing in your division or against other teams vying for the playoffs, I think its very valuable, Girardi said. Those are games that in a sense have pressure, so I think the meaning of the games, you get a better evaluation of players, and I think thats important.New York right-hander Michael Pineda draws the starting assignment Monday at Kansas City. Pineda has not pitched since a no-decision on Aug. 22 at Seattle, where he gave up five runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out six in 5 1/3 innings. He is 1-0 in four August starts.Pineda is 4-4 with a 3.87 ERA with 104 strikeouts in 88 1/3 innings in his past 14 starts. He went 2-6 with a 6.92 ERA in his first 10 starts. Opponents are hitting .228 off him in the 14-start stretch after hitting .320 in his first 11 starts.Hosmer is 5-for-15 with a home run off Pineda, while catcher Salvador Perez, who has three homers in his past two games, is 6-for-17 (.353) with a homer off him. Alex Gordon is 3-for-19 (.158) and Lorenzo Cain is 1-for-10 against Pineda.The Royals will counter with right-hander Dillon Gee in the series opener. It will be Gees 12th start and 27th appearance. Gee lost 3-0 Wednesday at Miami, giving give up three runs in the sixth inning on four consecutive one-out singles and a sacrifice fly that ended up his evening and ceased his 11-inning scoreless streak.Gee is 2-2 with a 4.21 ERA in August after posting an 0-3 record with a 6.04 ERA in July. He is limiting opposing hitters to a .229 batting average with runners in scoring position, while they are 4-for-37 (.108) with runners in scoring in position with two outs.Gee will be facing the Yankees for the second time this year, having held them to one run on three hits over 5 1/3 innings in a relief outing on May 9. He is 1-2 with a 3.04 ERA in four career appearances against the Yankees -- including three starts when he was with the Mets. Gee is 3-3 with a 4.37 ERA in six starts and 15 appearances at Kauffman Stadium this year. ' ' '