third.Im faced with pretty impossible odds, said Hamilton, who has been hampered by engine problems. But I cant give up.Rosberg appears to have settled on a cautious approach for Sunday.I was jok

WACO, Texas -- Manu Lecomte had 19 points and Al Freeman scored 18 as Baylor survived a late run by Florida Gulf Coast for an 81-72 win on Friday night.Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. had 12 points and five blocks -- including two key swats late in the game -- for Baylor (3-0). Johnathan Motley scored 12 and Terry Maston had 10 points.Brandon Goodwin scored 22 for FGCU (1-2). Zach Johnson had 17 points, Christian Terrell came off the bench to score 16 and Antravious Simmons had 10 points.Baylor hit the first shot of the second half to take a 12-point lead but the Eagles used a 9-2 run to cut the advantage to 46-41 with 17:44 to play. FGCU eventually tied the game at 53 when Simmons hit a short turnaround jumper on the baseline with 11:41 remaining. The Eagles took their first lead -- 58-55 -- on a 3 by Johnson at the 10:13 mark.In Baylors 66-49 win over No. 4 Oregon on Thursday, the Bears led 33-23 at the half, and the Ducks whittled that down to 1.Thats twice in a row weve come out with 10-point leads and had those evaporate, Baylor coach Scott Drew said. We were sluggish against Oregon coming out in the zone, so we came out (tonight) in man. They made their first seven. That didnt really work, either. So I dont know what defense well come out in the second half next time.Florida Gulf Coast went scoreless for more than 4 1/2 minutes midway through the second half, and Baylor took advantage with a 9-0 run that put the Bears up 64-58 with 6:24 remaining. The Eagles pulled to within a point three times, but another 9-0 run from Baylor left the Bears up 77-67 with 37 seconds left.Baylor shot 65 percent (13-of-20) from the field in the first half, and was 12-of-28 (42 percent) in the second.I think we regrouped a little bit in the second half, FGCU coach Joe Dooley said. We got our defense a little bit more situated and got into a better offensive flow.Baylor made 27 of its 31 free throw attempts, and the Eagles were 10-of-11 from the line and 10-of-19 on 3-point attempts.We talked to our guys about taking what they give us, Dooley said. Baylor pushed and sort of crowded the inside a little bit. I thought the guys did a good job of penetrating and passing.BIG PICTUREWith Florida Gulf Coasts leading returning scorer and rebounder Marc-Eddy Norelia out with a broken hand, junior guard Brandon Goodwin has taken over the scoring, averaging 20 points in the Eagles first three games.Baylor should get a look from some voters in next weeks poll. The Bears notched a 66-49 home win over No. 4 Oregon on Tuesday. Baylor didnt receive any preseason poll votes this year for the first time since the 2009-10 season.TURNING POINT: After Florida Gulf Coasts Goodwin hit a 3 to tie the game at 24 with 7:09 left in the first half, Baylor went on a 12-2 run that left the Bears up 36-26 with 3:51 remaining. Lual-Acuil had a block and a dunk during the stretch.TIP-INS: Baylor won the NIT in 2013, the same year Florida Gulf Coat advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 at what was then Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, 101 miles from the Bears home arena.HIGHLIGHT REEL: In the final 3 1/2 minutes, Lual-Acuil, the 7-footer from Melbourne, had two blocks, a put-back, a dunk and two offensive rebounds.UP NEXTFlorida Gulf Coast faces what could be its toughest opponent of the season when it plays at No. 13 Michigan State on Sunday in the Battle 4 Atlantis Mainland. However, the Spartans will likely drop in the next poll, as theyre winless this season after losing to Arizona in Hawaii and to Kentucky in Madison Square Garden.Baylor will continue in the Battle 4 Atlantis and face VCU on Wednesday at Paradise Island, Bahamas. Spencer Haywood Jersey . The 19-year-old Olsen played 34 games with the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL this season. In that time, hes recorded 17 goals and 17 assists with 36 penalty minutes. Malik Beasley Jersey . He was followed closely by David Clarkson, donning red, seconds later. Clarksons actions one night earlier, leaping off the bench in defence of Kessel during a pre-season game against the Buffalo Sabres, will cost him the first 10 games of the regular season. https://www.cheapnuggets.com/357y-george-mcginnis-jersey-nuggets.html . Clarke was injured while practicing on the Doha Golf Club range after the pro-am on Tuesday. The Northern Irishman arrived at the course on Wednesday hoping to start, but after hitting a few balls on the practice putting green Clarke advised officials he was not fit to play. Custom Denver Nuggets Jerseys . The Cincinnati Reds remain perfect with their speedy rookie outfielder in the starting lineup. Sarunas Marciulionis Jersey . Clarke was injured while practicing on the Doha Golf Club range after the pro-am on Tuesday. The Northern Irishman arrived at the course on Wednesday hoping to start, but after hitting a few balls on the practice putting green Clarke advised officials he was not fit to play. ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates -- It seems simple for Nico Rosberg: Finishing in the top three at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix guarantees his first Formula One championship.The German driver has pole position for the title thanks to a 12-point lead over Lewis Hamilton heading into Sundays showdown.Even if Hamilton wins the race, Rosberg will clinch the bigger prize if he crosses the line third.Hopefully, the fans will get a great show to end the year, said Rosberg, who is bidding to stop his Mercedes teammate from winning a third straight title and fourth overall.Rosberg has been runner-up for the past two seasons, but the odds are stacked in his favor now.If Hamilton finishes the race in second place, Rosberg needs only finish sixth, and if Hamilton places third, Rosberg needs eighth. Fourth place for Hamilton means Rosberg is champion regardless of where he places.(They) have been exceptional, and either one would make a worthy champion, Mercedes head of motorsport Toto Wolff said. After such a battle of endurance, the winner can say without doubt that they earned it.Both have won nine races each this year, and Hamilton has scooped up the past three to stay in contention.Rosberg may be caught in two minds how to approach the race.He does not need pole and can just sit behind Hamilton, knowing that the Mercedes car is easily fast enough to get him on the podium.In fact, Rosberg has finished in the top three in 15 of 20 races this season, including the past eight.But one notable factor may encourage him to race hard, rather than play it safe.Fourth place in the championship is still up for grabs between Sebastian Vettel and Red Bulls Max Verstappen, the 19-year-old Dutchman who has taken F1 by storm.Vettel, a four-time F1 champion, is only five points ahead of Verstappen, whose relentless hunger to impose himself -- not to mention his increasingly fraught relationship with Vettel -- may indirectly impact on Rosberg.If Rosberg chooses to protect third place, rather than chase down Hamilton, he could get caught up in a potential scrap between Vettel and Verstappen, who has been involved in incidents with Ferrari drivers Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen.dddddddddddd.A small mistake during one of the many corner sequences can ruin a lap, Verstappen said about the 5 1/2-kilometer (3 1/2-mile) Abu Dhabi circuit.Missing out on the title would be especially demoralizing for Rosberg, considering he has been in a strong position for much of the season.Last year, Hamilton won with three races to spare, but in 2014, the title went to the last race. However, Rosberg was only in it that year because of the double points rule in place for the last race. The hugely unpopular rule was quickly abolished.Rosberg has failed to finish only one race this season, when he collided with Hamilton on the first lap of the Spanish GP in May, sending both drivers out of the race.A similar incident would gift Rosberg the title, but Hamilton does not anticipate any cynical tactics from his teammate.I dont go into the race expecting anything less than a fair fight, Hamilton said. I like to think higher of (Rosberg), and that wouldnt be something he would do.Rosberg trailed Hamilton by 19 points heading into the summer break, but then turned the tables on Hamilton, who seemed to be drifting out of the reckoning only a few races ago.Engine failure cost Hamilton a seemingly certain victory at the Malaysian GP.Rosberg followed up that stroke of luck by padding out his advantage to 33 points with victory at the Japanese GP, where Hamilton finished third.Im faced with pretty impossible odds, said Hamilton, who has been hampered by engine problems. But I cant give up.Rosberg appears to have settled on a cautious approach for Sunday.I was joking that I would still be taking things one race at a time, Rosberg said. But, the more I think about it, thats actually not as crazy as it sounds.He simply has too much to lose. ' ' '