seeded fifth in the Midwest Region,
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seeded fifth in the Midwest Region,
ORLANDO, Fla. Karim Benzema Jersey . -- At least one No. 5 stayed alive. Saint Louis, seeded fifth in the Midwest Region, worked five extra minutes Thursday night to avoid joining fellow No. 5s Cincinnati and Oklahoma in falling to 12th seeds in the NCAA tournament. The Billikens advanced by wiping out a late double-digit deficit and beating North Carolina State 83-80 in overtime. Rob Loe led the way with 22 points and 15 rebounds. Atlantic-10 Conference player of the year Jordair Jett overcame a slow start to score 18, doing most of his damage while Saint Louis (27-6) was escaping a 59-45 hole over the last five minutes of regulation. "We didnt want to end on that kind of note. We didnt want to bow out of the tournament this early," Loe said. "Were here to win, and were here to put our mark on basketball." With better free throw shooting, Saint Louis would have won without having to work overtime against a team playing its second game in three nights. No. 12 seed NC State (22-14) beat Xavier in an opening round game in Dayton, Ohio, and fatigue could have been a factor in the Wolfpack collapsing late and missing 17 attempts from the foul line. "Its heartbreaking. ... Obviously were going to always feel like we let one slip away," NC State coach Mark Gottfried said. " Its hard to explain. Were a good foul shooting team." T.J. Warren scored 28 points for NC State, but the Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year made just six of his 14 free throw attempts. He missed one that could have tied it in the final minute of OT. Warren fouled out with 27.9 seconds remaining, leaving Ralston Turner to try to rescue the Wolfpack with a desperation 3-point attempt that clanked off the rim as time expired. Saint Louis, which starts five seniors, moves on to play either fourth-seeded Louisville or No. 13 Manhattan Saturday. The Billikens did it despite trailing by as many as 16 and going 12 of 26 from the foul line. "They got us out of our game ... both defensively and offensively," Saint Louis coach Jim Crews said. "Early in the game Rob hit a couple threes to get us off to a good start, but we started settling for jump shots I thought maybe the first eight minutes of the game, and then we just werent getting back (defensively)." Warren scored at least 20 for the 19th consecutive game. Turner, who finished with 16, hit a jumper and three free throws during a 19-7 spurt that helped the Wolfpack open their biggest lead. Saint Louis whittled away at its deficit, eventually tying the game at 70 on Jetts driving layup with 18.8 seconds remaining. It went to overtime when point guard Tyler Lewis was unable to get the ball to Warren and missed an open 17-foot jumper at the buzzer. Saint Louis played its best basketball of the season during a 19-game winning streak, however the Billikens stumbled down the stretch and had lost four of five. North Carolina State, by contrast, surged late to earn a spot in the NCAA field. The Billikens won their opening game in the tournament each of the past two seasons before losing matchups against Michigan State in 2012 and Oregon a year ago. "We missed a ton of free throws tonight, and we missed some other opportunities both defensively and offensively, but I thought during the process it was pretty good," Crews said. "We were getting what we wanted to get, but we werent cashing in on it. I cant salute these guys enough in terms of how they just stayed with it." Asier Illarramendi Real Madrid Jersey . -- As usual, Aksel Lund Svindal was super fast on this hill. Fabio Coentrao Real Madrid Jersey .C. -- The Grand Rapids Griffins are back atop the Western Conference thanks to a gritty come-from-behind win Saturday night.NORFOLK, Va. -- St. Johns can sit back and relax for a while if it can win Game 5 of its American Hockey League Eastern Conference semifinal series Tuesday in Norfolk. The IceCaps got first-period goals by Carl Klingberg and Jason Jaffray in coasting to a 5-1 win Monday over the Admirals and hold a 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven semifinal series. St. Johns added goals from Jerome Samson and Eric ODell in the second period and another by ODell in the third, moving into position to win the series Tuesday and advance to the Eastern final while Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Providence decide the other finalist. That series is tied 1-1 with Game 3 set for Wednesday. "We talked about having a killer instinct at the start of the playoffs," said Jaffray, the St. Johns captain. "If you get a chance to finish off a team, youve got to jump all over them. Weve got a chance (Tuesday). "As much as we enjoy playing in front of our home fans at Mile One Centre, any chance to send a team packing is a huge opportunity." St. Johns, which finished fourth in the East during the regular season, is the highest-seeded team left in the conference after all three division winners-- Manchester, Binghamton and Springfield-- were ousted in the opening round. The IceCaps goals Monday looked familiar. Klingberg set up shop in front of the Admiral net, screening goalie Brad Thiessen in position to tip in a shot from the blue line by Josh Morrissey to earn a 1-0 lead with only 4:11 played in the opening period. The play replicated one that earned St. Johns two goals only two nights earlier in Game 3. Jaffrays goal came when he was at the net to tip in a shot by Morrissey with 14:39 played. "Youve got to make it tough on any goalie you play against," Jaffray said. "Any scouting report is going to say get traffic, put rebounds uppstairs and get the dirty goals. Isco Jersey. Weve got a lot of them in the last couple of games." The antidote to St. Johns scoring from in front of the net is clear. "Were just not blocking enough shots," Norfolk coach Trent Yawney said of the IceCaps getting the puck to the net in the first place. "The bottom line is that they blocked more shots than we did. When theyve got people standing in front of the net, and were not filling shooting lanes, were not doing a good enough job." Jaffrays goal was the IceCaps fourth with a man advantage in the past three games. It was scored against what was the AHLs best penalty-killing unit during the regular season, but one which has struggled during the playoffs. Samson scored from the right faceoff circle to make it 3-1. He had the winning goal in Game 3 from the same spot. ODells first goal came when he managed to nudge the puck through a seven-player pileup in the crease that included Thiessen. ODells second goal was easier, scored after Thiessen rejected a shot by Jaffray, but left the puck on the doorstep. ODell skated past, stopped and reached back to tap it into the net. St. Johns goalie Michael Hutchinson gave up only a second-period goal to Norfolks Andre Petersson, while turning away 28 shots for the win. Thiessen made 23 saves in defeat. "A lot of teams have come back from 3-1 deficits and have this playoff year," Yawney insisted of his players. "They can be a part of that group, or they can be part of the group that says theyve had enough. Well see (Tuesday). But Im not giving up." Thats something St. Johns expects after its first really easy game of the playoffs. "Were expecting a huge push from them," Jaffray said. "Theyre playing for their season." The IceCaps are playing for a little extra rest. cheap jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '