ssful five times. The Orange have punted the ball 19 times. UConn is 3 for 3 in fourth-down conv | Forum

KINGSTON, Ont. Phil Simms Youth Jersey . -- Canada remained unbeaten in its Pacific Nations Cup rugby debut after holding off a 14-man Tonga 36-27 in rainy Kingston on Saturday. Four days after a first-ever win over Fiji, a Canada team with 10 changes was helped when Tonga prop Eddie Aholelei was sent off for fighting in the 34th minute. Two more Tongans were sin-binned for shoulder charges. Tonga coach Mana Otai said Pacific Island teams were being unfairly penalized for their physical play. "I couldnt really see why (the yellow cards were issued)," Otai said after reviewing tape of the incidents. "Its almost like, these days you know, when a black man is tackling harder than the other, it seems to be the way." Asked if Pacific Island teams were being singled out, he said: "Absolutely. Its a perception a lot of times. "And I think some of the foreigners that are involved in our team now are starting to see that. Its just hard to battle or fight that stereotype, I guess. But Im not taking away the fact that at times we do, I guess, make mistakes in terms of tackling -- if Im talking in general. But in todays game, I couldnt justify the two yellow cards." Canada coach Kieran Crowley declined to debate the merits of the Tongan incidents. "It was a physical game," the former All Black said. "Weve got a few boys walking around pretty wounded in there and weve got to keep an eye on a couple of them, I think." Canada finished the half only 9-7 ahead, but scored three of the next four tries to be 33-10. Tonga stormed back with three tries but could convert only one in closing within six of Canada. James Pritchard finished the match with his fourth penalty, to go along with conversions to all three Canada tries, including his own. "My heart stopped a couple of times there," said Canada captain Aaron Carpenter, who celebrated his 50th cap. Canada can clinch the Pacific Nations Cup with a win in Japan on June 19. Thats four days after the team plays Ireland in Toronto. ------ Canada 36 (Matt Evans, Sean Duke, James Pritchard tries; Pritchard 3 conversions, 4 penalties, Ciaran Hearn penalty), Tonga 27 (Lua Lokotui, Viliami Iongi, Fetuu Vainikolo, Will Helu tries; Kurt Morath conversion, penalty, Paula Kaho conversion). HT: 9-7 Phil McConkey Jersey . "Trying to breathe," he said with a grin. Bernier stopped 42 of 43 shots on Monday night, including all 22 in a hectic middle frame, his heroic performance propelling the Leafs toward an undue point in their final game before the Christmas break. Saquon Barkley Cheap Jersey . Pirlo limped out of Sundays 1-0 win over Udinese after just 13 minutes. Juventus says Pirlo underwent tests on Monday which revealed he has "a second-degree lesion to the collateral medial ligament in his right knee. http:///...es-jersey-cheap.html . -- Derrick Rose shook off poor shooting early to hit clutch shots late and Carlos Boozer had 20 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 104-95 preseason victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. STORRS, Conn. -- Former Big East foes UConn and Syracuse meet Saturday for the first time since 2012.And while a matchup of the two national basketball powers once elicited excitement on campus no matter the sport, its being treated this week as just another non-conference game.Is it really still a rivalry? asked UConn coach Bob Diaco, who is in his third year in Storrs. You guys have a much better perspective of that than I do here. I think its an exciting matchup of local-like teams and universities.Its also a matchup of vastly contrasting styles.UConn (2-1) is a methodical team that runs about 66 plays a game and puts up an average of 330 yards of offense. It wants to win games by controlling field position and time of possession. It is built, Diaco said, to keep games close. The Huskies three games this season have been decided by a total of 10 points.Syracuse (1-2), under first-year-coach Dino Babers, runs the fastest-paced offense in college football, with an average of 93 snaps and 505 yards offense. They ran a school-record 105 plays a week ago.Its like defending two games, Diaco said.The Orange, who will be playing their first road game this season, are trying to bounce back from back-to-back double-digit losses Louisville (62-28) and South Florida (45-20).As we grow together, well get better and better at it, said Babers.Here are some other things to watch for as UConn hosts Syracuse:DOG TIREDDiaco said hes concerned that Syracuses hurry-up tempo could be dangerous if he is unable to get fatigued defenders off the field. He said there is nothing he can do tactically to slow down the pace of the game and would never coach a player to fake an injury just to stop play. But he said exhaustion is a real possibility if his team is unable to substitute. Miikal Myers, UConns 325-pound defensive tackle, said he and his teammates feel they are physically ready for the challenge. Eli Manning Youth Jersey. Strength and conditioning coach Matt Balis kills us all summer, so hopefully in translates to the game on Saturday, he said.RECEIVERSThe game features two of the nations top wide receivers. Syracuses Amba Etta-Tawo , a graduate transfer from Maryland, has 28 catches for 436 yards and three touchdowns. He leads the Atlantic Coast Conference and ranks third nationally in receiving yards per game (145.3), and his 9.3 receptions per game are tied for fourth in the Football Bowl Subdivision. UConns Noel Thomas has 26 catches (seventh nationally) for 277 yards. No other Husky receiver has more than seven catches.BABERS-QUARTERBACK SUCCESSSyracuse quarterback Eric Dungey is has already thrown for 960 yards this season. Hes hoping to follow in the footsteps of other signal callers who have done well in Babers high-octane offense. One of those guys is Jimmy Garoppolo. The New England Patriots quarterback played under Babers at Eastern Illinois, where he threw for 8,873 yards and 84 touchdowns over two seasons.GOING FOR ITSyracuse has attempted to convert nine fourth downs already this season and has been successful five times. The Orange have punted the ball 19 times. UConn is 3 for 3 in fourth-down conversion attempts.SERIESUConn has won six of the nine meetings between the programs, which all occurred between 2004 and 2012, when both were members of the Big East. The Orange beat the Huskies 40-10 in their last game, which was played at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse has never beaten the Huskies in Connecticut. ' ' '