ROSEMONT, Ill. -- Although Rutgers is 3-0 for the first time in eight years, Steve Pikiell isnt ready to make any declarations about his team just yet.Weve got a long ways to go, the first-year coach said. Im happy weve got to a good start, but it doesnt mean a whole heck of a lot to me, honestly.Were just trying to get these guys in the mode of defending and rebounding. It helps you win basketball games.Corey Sanders had 15 points, Mike Williams added 14 and nine rebounds and the Scarlet Knights used the defense-and-rebounding formula for a 66-59 victory over DePaul in the Gavitt Tip-Off Games on Thursday night.Deshawn Freeman added nine points and nine rebounds as the Scarlet Knight built a 46-27 rebounding edge.Eli Cain had 24 points on 8-for-13 shooting to lead DePaul.Billy Garrett had just five points for the Blue Demons (1-1) on 1-for-11 shooting before fouling out with more than eight minutes remaining.I can get a little bit concerned because its the second game in a row where hes got in foul trouble and hasnt shot the ball well, DePaul coach Dave Leitao said.You cant be talked about as one of the top seven, eight or nine best players in the (Big East) and not play well. Thats something we have to figure out.DePaul freshman Devin Gage suffered a right shoulder injury when he fell hard to the court with just under 12 minutes left. He did not return.Rutgers took control with a 12-2 run for a 31-22 lead. The Scarlet Knights had a 33-26 halftime advantage.Both teams shot poorly in the first half, but the difference for Rutgers was an 11-0 edge in second-chance points and a 29-8 first-half rebounding advantage.The Scarlet Knights continued to expand the lead at the beginning of the second half and took a 54-32 advantage (their biggest of the game) on a basket by Shaquille Doorson with 10:39 to play.I thought our guys were kind of locked in and did a really good job defensively, Pikiell said. Weve become a much improved defensive team and were a good rebounding team.DePaul made a furious late rally using pressure to pull within six points in the final minute, but dug too deep a hole.I think the beginning of the second half killed us, Cain said. We really couldnt get anything good on the offensive end.BIG PICTURERutgers: Although the Scarlet Knights are unbeaten, its way too early to tell whether the program is on the rebound. So far, the competition has been underwhelming (Molloy, Drexel and DePaul) and there was plenty not to like about this performance. Still, the defense and rebounding provide a good foundation to build upon.DePaul: The Blue Demons dont have a lot of offensive firepower to begin with, so scoring is especially difficult when Garrett has a poor shooting night. The lack of a post presence put all the pressure to provide offense on Cain, who had 21 points in the opener against Robert Morris.OLD FRIENDSPikiell and Leitao both were assistants under former Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun. Pikiell also played for Calhoun at UConn.Dave Leitao is like my hero, Pikiell said. He was my coach at UConn, I worked with him, he was mentor and I know what a great coach he is.UP NEXTRutgers looks to stay unbeaten when it hosts Niagara on Sunday.DePaul plays the second of three straight home games Sunday against Milwaukee. Tanner Lee Jersey . The Clippers were angry about blowing a big lead; the Kings didnt like being in that kind of hole and nearly digging themselves out only to lose. Logan Cooke Jersey . Wall made the comment in a speech to a Regina business crowd that included Lesnar. The U.S. wrestler and retired mixed martial artist says he was visiting his brothers farm in Saskatchewan and decided he wanted to hear what the premier had to say. http://www.cheapjaguarssuperbowljerseys.com/ . Bradwell was scheduled to become a free agent Tuesday. Born and raised in Toronto, Bradwell is entering his sixth CFL season, with all six played for his hometown Argonauts. Ronnie Harrison Jersey . 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The Sparks could close out the series with a pair of victories at home and earn their first league championship since winning back-to-back titles in 2001 and 02.But theyll need a better effort from Parker, who was held to six points on 3 of 12 shooting in a 79-60 loss at Minnesota in Game 2. She had 14 points and nine rebounds in Game 1.In the playoffs in years past, Ive raised my game and been able to be that threat and I want to do that for my team, she said Thursday after practice. Im not talking about just scoring; Im talking about having a presence. When a play needs to be made, whether its on offensive or defensive end, Im ready to make it.The Sparks offense runs through two-time league MVP Parker and current MVP Nneka Ogwumike, whose 14 points -- including 2 in the final period -- in Game 2 also was down from her Game 1 output.I want to see that same chemistry that weve been seeing the whole year, Ogwumike said of her and Parker. I want to see more rebounding and seeing us running.So does coach Brian Agler, who was left wondering where the duos focus and urgency went in Game 2.Just being aggressive. Just being more on their front foot than their back foot, he said of his MMVP duo.dddddddddddd Playing and using the skills that they have, their athleticism, their basketball instincts and their intelligence. Theyre elite in those kind of ways. We need to find ways to bring that out.The Sparks missed 17 of 20 3-pointers in Game 2.A lot of that was because of our energy and effort, Parker said. I dont think we were as focused as we were in Game 1.Fridays game is being played at Galen Center on the USC campus, not far from the Sparks home at Staples Center, where the Kings are hosting their NHL home opener. The Lynx lost twice on the Sparks home court by three points each in the regular season.Its a control game, Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. Theres no adjustment that somebody is going to make that is going to catch somebody off guard.Minnesota struck first in the first two games, grabbing offensive rebounds and scoring to start.We know they are going to come in and jump on us from the start. We have to be able to stop their run and go own our run, Minnesotas Seimone Augustus said. Thats how its going to be the entire night. Its going to be a heavyweight bout. If they throw a punch, we have to throw a punch right back. No matter what, we cannot give up on our defensive and offensive schemes.According to ESPN, the first two Finals games on ABC and ESPN2 averaged 520,000 viewers, a 5 percent increase from last years Finals featuring Minnesota and Indiana. Youth NFL Jerseys Cheap Cheap Jerseys Online China Jerseys Wholesale Cheap NFL Hoodies Wholesale NFL T-shirts Stitched Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys 2020 ' ' '