Biete - Deuterium » away late in the third quarter, his quick sc

PARIS - Canadas Fed Cup team has drawn a tough opponent for its first appearance in the elite World Group. The top-ranked Czech Republic will visit Canada for a first-round tie Feb. 7-8, 2015. "This will be our first World Group tie and the team knows that no matter who the opponent, it will be a very talented team that is one of the best in the world," Canadas Fed Cup captain Sylvain Bruneau said in a release. "This is very true of the Czech Republic as they have solid players and lots of experience winning in this competition." The official draw was conducted Wednesday at Roland Garros. In other first-round ties, Italy will host France, Germany will entertain Australia and Russia will visit Poland. The 2014 tournament will be decided in November when the Czechs host Germany in the final. Canada is currently ranked No. 8 in the world. Canada defeated Serbia 3-1 in the World Group II first round in February and beat Slovakia 3-1 in the World Group playoff in April in Quebec City. The host venue and playing surface will be announced at a later date. "We are very happy to be playing at home again as I believe it makes a difference to have the support of your home crowd," Bruneau said. "Even from the last tie against Slovakia, the core players on our team have improved so much. We now have another eight months to take further steps and be ready in February to try and win Fed Cup." Eugenie Bouchard of Westmount, Que., anchored the Canadian victory over Slovakia with a pair of singles victories. She will play Russias Maria Sharapova in the French Open semifinals on Thursday. The Canadian roster was rounded out by Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que., Torontos Sharon Fichman and Ottawas Gabriela Dabrowski. The Czech lineup boasts players like Petra Kvitova and Lucie Safarova. The Czech Republic has won the Fed Cup seven times, including back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012. The two countries last met in a World Group qualifying tie in 2002, when the host Czechs defeated Canada 5-0 on clay in Prerov. Canada has an all-time record of 0-5 against the Czech Republic. The winner of the tie will move on to the Fed Cup semifinals and will keep its place in the eight-country World Group for the following year. The loser will have to play a World Group playoff to maintain its spot in the elite level for 2016. The semifinals next year are scheduled for April 18-19, and the final for Nov. 14-15. In World Group II, its Argentina vs. the United States, Romania vs. Spain, Netherland vs. Slovakia, and Sweden vs. Switzerland. ——— With files from The Associated Press. Grant Hill Jersey . With a victory seemingly slipping away late in the third quarter, his quick scoring flurry helped Golden State regain control early in the fourth. Custom Phoenix Suns Jerseys .Y. - OK, it is done. http://www.officialsunsfanstore.com/penn...ey/.S.-Portugal game on June 22 in the Amazonian jungle city of Manaus. FIFPro, the international soccer players union, had pressed FIFA to avoid the earliest kickoffs in the hottest and most humid weather. Devin Booker Suns Jersey .Y. -- Sore nose and all, Sidney Crosby had a goal and three assists to help Pittsburgh beat Buffalo 5-3 on Friday night, snapping the Penguins mini-slump and slowing the Sabres late-season surge. Dragan Bender Jersey . 1 and reigning champion Caroline Wozniacki was among Thursdays third-round winners, while second- seeded Victoria Azarenka pulled out of the draw at the $4.GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Malcolm Brogdon scored 23 points and No. 6 Virginia claimed its first Atlantic Coast Conference tournament title since 1976 by beating No. 7 Duke 72-63 on Sunday. Tournament MVP Joe Harris added 15 points and hit the backbreaking 3-pointer with just under 2 minutes remaining for the top-seeded Cavaliers (28-6). They shot 45 per cent, pestered the Blue Devils into 38 per cent shooting and used a late 12-3 run to pull away and claim the second ACC tournament title in school history. Jabari Parker scored 23 points on 9-of-24 shooting for the third-seeded Blue Devils (26-8), who were making their 31st appearance in the championship game but were denied their ACC-record 20th title. Anthony Gill added 12 points and was 10 of 17 from the free-throw line for Virginia. Duke as a team was just 7 of 11 from the line. The Cavaliers came to Greensboro off of their first outright regular-season title since 1981, and were trying to do something not even Ralph Sampson could do. It had been a long time -- 38 years -- since Wally Walker led Virginia to its only previous ACC tournament title. Now that trophy will have some company. With its "pack line" defence clicking and holding Duke 13 points below its scoring average, Virginia was in control for most of the day, yet could never get any separation until the final 2 1/2 minutes. Akil Mitchell hit a shot to make it 61-57, then stripped Parker at the other end to set up Harris wide-open 3 in transition that extended the lead to seven and had Dukes Rodney Hood fuming. Harris gave Duke a final chance when he rushed up a shot and Quinn Cook countered with a 3 with 1 1/2 minutes left to pull the Blue Devils back within four. Brogdon then drove through the Duke defence for a momentum-shifting layup that made it 66-60 with just over a minute to play and caused Duke assistant Jeff Capel to tellingly slump back on the bench in exasperation. Cook missed a short jumper before Brogdon hit six of eight free throws in the final minute to help thee Cavaliers pull away.dddddddddddd Hood finished with 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting and Amile Jefferson added 11 for Duke. This was a one-possession game throughout the second half until Mitchells tip-in with 5:10 left pushed Virginias lead to 57-53. Parker missed three shots on Dukes next possession, then picked up his fourth foul with 3:53 left and Gill hit two free throws to put the Cavaliers up by six. Virginia was one of the few opponents which found a way to slow Parker, holding him to eight points on 3-of-11 shooting in the regular-season meeting -- a four-point Duke win that came down to the final seconds. With Mitchell keying the defensive effort on him, Parker was just 2 of 10 in the first half. Then he got hot midway through the second half and single-handedly kept Duke in the game, reeling off seven straight points for his team in a 90-second span. He went coast-to-coast and threw down a one-handed dunk on London Perrantes, hit a 3-pointer from the wing to briefly give Duke a one-point lead and added a jumper off a spin move with 8 1/2 minutes remaining. Mitchell finished with 15 rebounds for Virginia, which led 28-25 at the end of a physical, intense first half notable for its low shooting percentages -- and a technical foul on Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. Official Jamie Luckie hit Coach K with a T with 2:07 left in the half when Krzyzewski, with his back to the court, tossed his dry-erase marker toward his bench while coming out of a timeout. There were plenty of reasons for Duke to be frustrated, yet the Blue Devils managed to keep themselves in the game despite a rough first half from its two best players: Parker and Hood were a combined 4 of 18 from the field. Parker hit a point-blank shot while falling down with just under 16 minutes left to put Duke up 34-33 -- its first lead since the opening minute. Brogdon snatched the lead right back with a jumper on Virginias next trip down the court, and it stayed tight the rest of the way until the Cavaliers late surge. ' ' '