terpart Luke Beveridge in the Dogs rooms and offering his hearty congratulations. Clarko?could have?been excused for keeping?his head down and commis

HONOLULU -- Kavin Gilder-Tilbury had 23 points and 12 rebounds, Nijal Pearson scored 22 points and Texas State beat SIU Edwardsville 86-58 on Monday night in the Rainbow Classic.Texas State jumped out to a 49-24 lead at halftime and took a 35-point lead with 4:24 left on Nedeljko Prijovics only 3-point attempt.Bobby Conley added 10 points with five assists for Texas State (2-1), which shot 35 of 61 from the floor, including 8 of 16 from 3-point range.The Bobcats beat Florida Atlantic and lost to Hawaii in their other two tournament games.Tre Harris made three 3-pointers and scored 19 points for SIU Edwardsville (2-1), which had opened the season with two straight wins for the first time in its Division I history. Christian Ellis and Carlos Anderson added 10 points apiece for the Cougars, who only made 17 of 48 shots (35 percent). Nike Vapormax Plus Black . 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. Nike Vapormax Plus Orange . On June 12, just as the sun sets on the magnificent historical city of Sao Paulo the inventors, innovators and purveyors of “joga bonitowill” open their campaign. The opponent, Croatia and all its football might and will. As opposites do attract we are set for a corker of an opener. http://www.vapormaxplus.com/ . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me. Nike Vapormax Plus Womens .25 million option on reliever Jose Veras. Nike Vapormax Plus Orange . -- Adam Snyder returned to the San Francisco 49ers this season because the offensive lineman thought it was his best opportunity to win a championship. Talk about the ultimate Sliding Doors moment.Isaac Smiths miss after the siren?against Geelong two weekends ago has?shaped the entire finals series - if he kicked straight, the Hawks wouldve enjoyed a week off in preparation for a preliminary final and from there, theyre in the box seat to at least make it to the grand final.?The four-thorn dream would still be alive and well.But after being dominated by a more manic and hungry Bulldogs outfit in Friday nights?semifinal, Hawthorn have been bundled out of the finals at the earliest stage in four years.I believe the loss doesnt signal the?end of an era, but it was the end of a golden run for the Hawks. Theyve still got so much talent,?they need to just add a bit of pace through the midfield and make a few minor changes and theyll be right up there again.The Bulldogs though, are the?feelgood?story of September.?Theyve beaten the two grand finalists from last year and I?believe?theyre?a good chance to?knock over?the Giants. They need to realise theyre only four hours of football away from notching the clubs second premiership - if they attack the Giants with the same full-ground ferocity as they did the Hawks, theyll be in it right up to their eyeballs.The Swans are still alive after a brutal?semifinal?against an outclassed Adelaide outfit at the SCG. The Crows werent able to apply the?required?pressure?over four quarters, and the hardened Swans took full advantage.?Sydneys midfield was far too powerful for the visitors, and Lance Franklin played closer to goal and appeared dangerous every time he touched the footy. The downside were the injuries to Gary Rohan and?Jarrad?McVeigh, who are both extremely doubtful for the preliminary final.The big question now were down to four teams is, does a second week off in three weeks help or hinder Geelong and GWS?They will certainly be refreshed and rested, but could a lack of?gametime?in recent weeks?cause them grief?Well find out come Saturday night.HEROESAlastair Clarkson:?The loss to the Bulldogs must have been heartbreaking to everyone associated with the Hawks, but?Clarkson was all class after the game?in seeking out his counterpart Luke Beveridge in the Dogs rooms and offering his hearty congratulations. Clarko?could have?been excused for keeping?his head down and commiserating?with his group, but he chose to wish Beveridge and the Dogs well?for the rest of the finals. It was a real act of class and shows the other side of Clarkson - we all know he can be a bit of a firebrand but it shows his human side.Josh Kennedy:?This?human battering ram?is building an incredible reputation?as?an A-grade finals performer.?Hes won 41 contested possessions in the past two weeks and that was despite copping that high hit from Steve Johnson in the qualifying final.?His game is made for finals, which often require more basic, tough footy, and thats something Kennedy has in spades. Against the Crows?he controlled the stoppages, dominated contested footy, tackled ferociously and executed under pressure.?He has an?incredible?ability to pull a ball from the fire, stay composed and release a teammate into space.?The?crazy thing about?Kennedy, being such?a?big-bodied midfielder?as he is,?he barely does any leg weights or heavy lifting in the gym.dddddddddddd Hes just one of those blokes who is naturally strong, with square shoulders.?He certainly uses it to his advantage.Liam?Picken:?His?past two weeks have been enormous - hes taken some huge contested marks around the ground and his toughness, mixed with a real energy and zest, has added so much for the Bulldogs.?He obviously squeezes every ounce of talent out of his body and hes a heart-and-soul type player who seems to energise his teammates.?Against the Hawks, he?collected 24 touches (13 contested), four clearances, four inside 50s, eight marks and booted three goals. Hes transformed himself from a dour stopper to a genuine weapon for the Bulldogs in recent years.?VILLAINSAdelaide: In all the preview meetings leading into the do-or-die semifinal, the emphasis from Don Pyke would have been to expect a response from Sydney after they had been bullied by GWS. The start?of a match?is always crucial, but the Crows were jumped in the first term at the SCG and were unable to match their opponents intensity, conceding seven goals in the first quarter.?After?such a dire start, they needed their leaders to respond but no one was able to step up until it was too late.?Adelaide had few winners through the midfield, while?the much-lauded forward line?of Taylor Walker, Josh Jenkins, Eddie Betts and Josh Jenkins found desperately wanting.? ?The Football Gods:?There are always hard-luck stories at this time of year, and theres no exception in 2016. The extent of the injuries to? McVeigh and Rohan wont be known until later this week, but if they miss the preliminary final against Geelong - and possibly the big dance should the Swans win through - it will be a cruel blow for those two men. Rohan has endured so many injury setbacks since being drafted at pick No. 6 in 2009, and hell be absolutely shattered to miss out again should his knee cut him down at such an important time of the season. McVeigh, the Swans co-captain, appeared to pull a calf and his experience and poise?will be a huge loss if he is grounded. Bulldogs captain Bob Murphy must have mixed feelings after the weekend - he would have so much pride for his teams efforts in the past fortnight, but it must also be a double-edged sword, knowing he wont be able to play a part as the Dogs hunt a rare piece of silverware. ?The AFLs?fixturing?department:?The AFLs decision to want to avoid a?preliminary final?at ANZ Stadium has merit- even if they drew 35,000 or 40,000?there, it feels empty and then can lack true atmosphere. But its disgraceful that so many supporters of a team that hasnt been in a grand final since 1961 will miss out on seeing?the Bulldogs?play in a?prelim. They would be so hungry for success but thousands will miss out on attending the clash against GWS on Saturday.?The Giants only have a membership of around 16,000 while the Bulldogs have about 40,000, the AFL should ensure as close to half the capacity of the stadium should go to Dogs fans.?We all know thats unlikely to happen, though. ' ' '