Bar » of the inning, as Blackwood beat out an infield hit, Casey Haer

BILBAO, Spain -- The U.S. held Finland without a basket in the second quarter, opening defence of its title with a 114-55 romp Saturday in the Basketball World Cup. Silencing the Finns in the second quarter on the scoreboard and in the stands, where their rabid fans filled an entire side of the arena, the Americans allowed just a pair of free throws in the period, outscoring their overmatched opponents 29-2 to open a 60-18 advantage. Klay Thompson scored 18 points and Anthony Davis had 17 for the U.S., which will play Turkey on Sunday in a rematch of the 2010 world basketball championship gold-medal game. The event has since been renamed, but nothing else looks different for the Americans, who won their 55th straight game. Finland was 0 for 17 in the second quarter, missing all six 3-point attempts, and missed 19 straight shots over the second and third quarters before Tuukka Kotta ended the drought with a basket with 8:48 remaining in the third that made it 62-20. The Finns were making their World Cup debut as a wild card and didnt do much to prove they deserved it after the opening minutes. They missed all 13 3-point attempts in the first half but finally saw some shots fall after halftime when the game was long decided, giving their expected 8,000 fans who travelled here the chance to cheer. The Americans played just four exhibition games and acknowledged they would have to use their five group stage games to continue improving a team whose players average just over 24 years of age, the youngest it has ever sent using professionals. No problem against the Finns, where their size and athletic advantages made it look like men against boys. And even if they draw host Spain in Madrid on Sept. 14 in the championship game, they wouldnt face a crowd that was much louder than this. Fans wearing Finnish blue and white were pouring out of the exits of the metro station outside the arena by the dozens more than two hours before the start, looking like college football alums arriving for a Saturday morning tailgate. They filled nearly every seat behind one of the baskets, cheering loudly from warmups straight through the opening minutes, when Erik Murphy made the games first basket. He had Finlands next bucket to tie it at 4 but then picked up a third foul just over 2 minutes into the game and had to go to the bench, leaving the Finns without nobody who could compete in the paint. It was 31-16 after one, but after Teemu Rannikkos free throws cut it to 39-18 with about 6 1/2 minutes remaining, the U.S. scored the final 21 points of the half, forcing a missed shot on defence, then running out for a layup. Every U.S. player scored. Finland finished just ninth in last years European championship, failing to qualify automatically for the World Cup. But the Finns, ranked 39th, became the lowest-ranked team ever to receive a wild card, with basketball governing FIBA noting Finlands improvement on the court and the strength of its fan base. And it didnt hurt that Finnish company Rovio, maker of the Angry Birds games, offered to provide advertising for FIBA if Finland was selected. But none of those could help on the court, where all the best players were wearing red, white and blue and delivered highlight plays, with Derrick Rose flashing his old explosiveness with a second quarter drive and dunk. Ryan Pulock Jersey . The Italian football federation announced the appointment, three days after new president Carlo Tavecchio was elected. Tavecchio and Conte spoke on the phone early Thursday. Matt Martin Islanders Jersey . -- Lara Gut of Switzerland regained the overall World Cup lead with Sundays super-G win in Lake Louise, Alta. http://www.islanderssale.com/authentic-leo-komarov-islanders-jersey/ . The traditional pre-Masters event was halted early due to inclement weather. Harrington, who tied for first in 2003 and won in 2004, became the first three-time champion of the event. John Tavares Islanders Jersey . Last year, Matt Kuchar closed with a 4-under 68 to beat Kevin Chappell by two strokes for his second win of the 2013 season and sixth of his career. Jordan Eberle Jersey . -- The Guelph Storm are moving on to the Western Conference final after defeating the London Knights 5-4 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League playoff action.The Winnipeg Goldeyes desperately needed a victory and Chris Salamida delivered. The Goldeyes veteran left-handed starter pitched his league-leading fourth complete game, as the Fish put a halt to a three-game losing streak and beat the Wichita Wingnuts 5-1 in front of 5,911 on Sunday afternoon at Shaw Park. Salamidas line was sensational: nine complete innings, one run, five hits, eight strikeouts and three walks. "You play every game to win," said Salamida when asked if there was any extra pressure on him after the Goldeyes had lost the first three games of this four-game series to Wichita. "As a team, we just want to win every game, but now we have to take the momentum weve built with this win into the series against St. Paul." With the win, the Goldeyes improved to 48-32 and, after Sioux City beat St. Paul 9-7, the Fish now lead the second-place Saints (44-34) by three games. The Goldeyes and Saints will meet in a three-game series this week, beginning Tuesday night at Shaw Park. The Goldeyes opened the scoring in the first inning as Brock Bond led off with a walk, went to second on a single by Jake Blackwood and scored on a single by Tyler Kuhn. Afteer Wichita tied it in the top of the third, the Goldeyes answered in the bottom of the inning, as Blackwood beat out an infield hit, Casey Haerther beat out an infield hit and Blackwood scored -- what turned out to be the winning run -- on a single by Reggie Abercrombie.dddddddddddd. In the sixth, with Abercrombie on second, the Goldeyes put the game away. Catcher Luis Alen hit a belt-high fastball from Wichita starter Tim Brown over the left-center field wall for his fifth home run of the season and with that one swing of the bat, the Goldeyes had a 4-1 lead. They added a fifth run in the seventh, as Bond beat out an infield hit, went to second on a single by Blackwood, went to third on a sacrifice bunt by Kuhn and scored on a sacrifice fly by Haerther. The rest of the work was done by Salamida and his defense. "I always try to minimize my pitches," Salamida said. "Im a pitch to contact guy who has a great defense behind him. They were outstanding behind me today. I dont think weve made an error in a long time. The defense was just great again for me today."Salamida (6-3, 3.21 ERA) got the victory, while Brown (8-4, 3.40 ERA) took the loss. ' ' '