ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands -- Marcus Foster admits that No. 12 Creighton really hasnt faced a tough test yet, even after beating No. 9 Wisconsin a week ago.But the Bluejays got such a test Monday night, getting pushed to the limit by Mississippi before coming away with a 86-77 victory in the championship game of the Paradise Jam tournament.Foster scored 25 points, and three other players finished in double figures for Creighton (5-0), which climbed 10 places in the AP Top 25 rankings released earlier Monday.This team is very tight, and were very close, said Foster, the tournaments MVP. Weve just got to stick together when we face adversity.Khyri Thomas added 16 points, Toby Hegner had 12 and Justin Patton 11 for the Bluejays (5-0), who trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half and were down 50-40 with 18:44 left in the second half.There was a lot of pointing fingers, a lot of arguing with the coaches, a lot of arguing with teammates, Foster said. At halftime, we talked and came closer as a family. We have to stick together when we face adversity. We havent faced adversity all season, but we did tonight.Creighton began its rally at that point, whittling down the Rebels lead until tying the score twice, the last at 74-74 with 5:45 left. Thomas then put the Bluejays ahead to stay with his three-point play with 3:40 remaining.That ignited a 12-3 Creighton run to close out the game, capped by a pair of free throws from Thomas with 40 seconds left.It was their offensive rebounding, Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. You cant run if you dont get a rebound. They were so physical on the glass . and we cant play with any pace if that happens. But we stuck with it, and the guys stuck together. Defensively and in rebounding, we stepped up when we had to.Deandre Burnett and Rasheed Brooks scored 22 points each, and Cullen Neal added 10 for Mississippi (4-1).Changing our defenses slowed them down a little bit, Rebels coach Andy Kennedy said. But in the second half, it came down to them making plays. Our kids really battled, but when a Top 20 team shoots 16 of 26 from 3, its hard.BIG PICTUREMississippi: Dominated the boards in the first half, with a 26-11 advantage. That included a 12-4 edge in offensive rebounds, leading to 19 second-chance points for the Rebels. They finished with a 37-27 advantage, 17-7 in offensive rebounds and 20-4 edge in second-chance points.Creighton: The Bluejays, fresh off a 10-spot jump in the Top 25 rankings, shot 52.5 percent from the field (31 of 59), and made 16 of 26 3-pointers. That offset Mississippis advantage in second-chance points.TURNING POINTAfter tying the score for the final time, Thomas scored eight of Creightons final 12 points. After his three-point play, he connected on a 3-pointer, then capped things off with a pair of free throws with 45 seconds remaining.STAT LINECreighton reserve center Zach Hanson had missed just two field goals in the Bluejays first four games (16 of 18). But against Mississippi, he was held to 1 of 7 shooting before coming out of the game with an ankle injury in the second half.POLL IMPLICATIONSCreightons big move up the Top 25 rankings may have been a little premature. At the very least, Mississippi may get some consideration from the Top 25 voters when the next rankings come out.UP NEXTMississippi: Hosts fellow Paradise Jam participant Montana on Thursday.Creighton: Hosts Loyola (Md.) on Saturday. Cheap Atlanta Falcons Jerseys . Irving scored 23 points, Tristan Thompson had 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Cavaliers beat the Denver Nuggets 117-109 on Friday night. Cheap Green Bay Packers Jerseys . 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. http://www.wholesalejerseysnfloutlet.com/cheap-new-england-patriots-jerseys/ . The No. 1-ranked Nadal tweaked his back warming up for the Australian Open final, which he lost almost four weeks ago in a major upset against Stanislas Wawrinka. His first stop after the layoff is the clay in Rio as he tests the back and tries to stay healthy for the French Open in three months. Cheap Miami Dolphins Jerseys . A lawyer for MLB, Matthew Menchel, confirmed Wednesday the league dropped its case against Biogenesis of America, its owner Anthony Bosch and several other individuals. The lawsuit had accused Biogenesis and Bosch of conspiring with players to violate their contracts by providing them with banned performance-enhancing substances. Cheap Indianapolis Colts Jerseys . The International Olympic Committee released the official list of bid cities on Friday after the deadline for applications had passed. The candidates -- all previously announced in their own countries -- are: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing; Krakow, Poland; Lviv, Ukraine; Oslo, Norway; and Stockholm.TORONTO - A week ago Masai Ujiri stood in front of local media, while addressing the highly anticipated trade of Andrea Bargnani, and promised a change in culture. No longer would the Raptors be called "soft" or "pushovers" he proclaimed. The addition of high-energy forward Tyler Hansbrough, made official on Monday, figures to go a long way in delivering on that promise. "I think I can bring a lot of toughness to the team, a lot of hard work and effort," said Hansbrough, who was introduced at the Air Canada Centre after signing a multi-year deal to join the Raptors. "I bring some leadership, just [in] the way I approach the game and hopefully itll rub off." At 27, Hansbrough is a young veteran in the NBA -- having spent his first four seasons with the Pacers -- but is slated to become one of the elder statesmen on a Toronto team that featured eight players under 26-years-old last season. Hansbrough, drafted 13th overall out of North Carolina in 2009, describes himself as a quiet leader, more of the lead by example type, but thats exactly the sort of influence Ujiri is hoping the former Pacer has on his new teammates. "He plays under control but hes tough," said Ujiri. "Hes going to knock you down. I think we need a little bit of that and were excited to have him." Hansbrough comes to Toronto with the reputation of a hard-nosed defender and a workhorse on the boards. The type of player who takes pride in getting under the opponents skin, whether hes willing to admit to it or not. A soldier everyone wants to go to war with but no one wants to battle against. Among other things, the former Tar Heel specializes in keeping the ball alive and fighting for extra possessions, something the Raptors could have used more of in 2012-13. Hansbrough was 17th in offensive rebounds per 36 minutes (minimum 800 total minutes played) last year, a category the Raptors struggled in, finishing seventh from the bottom. "Its something Ive done my whole life," Hansbrough said. "Its part of my game. Obviously I am gritty, I bring a lot of toughness but I can do more than just bring that." Certain areas of his offensive game have developed, as Ujiri pointed out on Monday, but in many ways hes still limited with the ball in his hands. Hansbrough averaged a career-low 7.0 points in fewer than 17 minutes per contest with the Pacers last year. One area in which he excels is getting to the free-throw line. He was fifth in attempts per 36 minutes last season, ranking just below the likes of James Harden, Dwight Howard, Kevin Durant and Kevin Love. In terms of the culture change, Hansbrough wont have to go at it alone, joining a frontcourt rotation that already consists of the similarly energetic Amir Johnson in addition to sophomores Jonas Valanciunas and Quincy Acy. Although Johnson and Valanciunas have both proven capable of stepping out and knocking down the mid-range jumper, spacing the floor may be a challenge with any combination of that group on the floor together (Note: Dwane Casey could opt for a smaller lineup on occasion, moving Rudy Gay, Landry Fields or the newly aacquired Steve Novak to the four).dddddddddddd One thing is for certain, this group -- paced by a young and enthusiastic frontcourt -- will not be lacking in effort or competitive spirit, a refreshingly positive problem for Casey to have when hes eventually tasked with divvying up playing time. "I think Coach [Casey] was very excited about Tyler," Ujiri said confidently. "Thats how coaches are. You bring [in] players that play the way they want to play and theyre excited." Meanwhile, Hansbrough defused the idea of a pre-existing rivalry with Valanciunas after he committed a hard foul that sent the Raptors rookie to the floor, landing on his previously injured hand back in February. "I dont really remember that play until everyone started mentioning it to me," he explained. "It wasnt a big deal its just sometimes the way I play. Im sure well talk about it and probably laugh, hopefully. It just happened." Both Hansbrough and Valanciunas were in attendance, with nine other Raptors players, when the team went out for dinner last week in Las Vegas. Most of the team has been in Vegas, with Valanciunas, Acy and Terrence Ross competing in the Summer League while several others are training together in player-organized workouts, getting a head start before training camp opens in a couple months. "Im big on that and I think Coach Casey is big on that too," Ujiri said of his teams offseason bonding. "Bringing guys together and you start building a bond and understanding each other a little bit. I think last week was good for us." "[It] was very good for the team and for [the] guys to just be around each other and have a feel and have a sense of excitement even. You can get pumped up." Point guard situation still in flux Although the club is expected to add some depth in the backcourt with the addition of point guard Dwight Buycks, as reported last week, the deal has yet to be finalized. Buycks is with the Raptors Summer League team in Vegas and is hoping to play in this coming weeks game and playoffs once the signing is made official. The signing of Julyan Stone has been put on hold, at least for now, as the former Nuggets guard continues to rehab a couple of nagging injuries. Stone underwent hip surgery last year and battled a knee injury upon returning to the Nuggets lineup in January. He appeared in just four regular season games and two playoff contests with Denver in 2012-13. Ujiri did not rule out adding the 24-year-old when and if hes healthy enough to pass his physical but said hell have to go through at least a month of additional rehab before a possible signing will be revisited. Amnesty decision on the way The Raptors have not yet decided whether or not to use their lone amnesty clause, according to Ujiri. Toronto is currently projected to be over the NBAs salary cap in 2013-14 but could avoid the luxury tax penalty by using the amnesty provision on the final year of Linas Kleizas contract. Kleiza played just 20 games last year and will make $4.6 million next season. Ujiri will continue to weigh his options and make a decision closer to Tuesdays amnesty deadline. cheap falcons jerseys cheap ravens jerseys cheap bills jerseys cheap bears jerseys cheap bengals jerseys cheap cowboys jerseys cheap lions jerseys cheap texans jerseys cheap colts jerseys cheap jaguars jerseys cheap chiefs jerseys cheap rams jerseys cheap dolphins jerseys cheap vikings jerseys cheap saints jerseys cheap giants jerseys cheap jets jerseys cheap eagles jerseys cheap steelers jerseys cheap 49ers jerseys ' ' '