the score at 76, the Sparks put the ball in Grays hands to

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Dalvin Cook rushed for 153 yards and a touchdown as No. 15 Florida State defeated No. 13 Florida for the fourth straight year 31-13 on Saturday.Cooks 17-yard score in the first quarter was his 45th career rushing touchdown, which broke Greg Allens 32-year old mark. The junior is also the first FSU running back since Sammie Smith (1986-88) with three straight 100-yard games against Florida.The Seminoles rushed for 249 yards and averaged 6.2 yards per carry against the nations fifth-ranked run defense. Freddie Stevenson had a 27-yard touchdown on his lone carry during the fourth quarter to make it 24-6 and put the game out of reach.The victory ties the Seminoles longest winning streak in the Sunshine State Showdown series. They also won four straight from 1977-80 and 1987-90.Deondre Francois was 15 of 26 for 138 yards, including a 46-yard touchdown to Travis Rudolph during the third quarter to give the Seminoles a 17-6 lead. Francois also had a 9-yard rushing touchdown late in the fourth quarter for the final score.Florida took the opening kickoff and drove to the FSU 2, but on fourth-and-goal Appleby was pressured by safety Tre Marshall and threw an incomplete pass intended for Brandon Powell in the end zone.After driving 75 yards on its opening drive, the Gators could muster just 132 yards the rest of the game. Florida was also 0 of 12 on third-down conversions, and it was the first time since 1980 Florida State has shut out an opponent on third down. Appleby was 19 of 35 for 149 yards. Jordan Scarlett, who had three 100-yard games in his past five, was held to 53 yards.Floridas lone touchdown came during the fourth quarter as Marcell Harris recovered a fumbled punt by Auden Tate and returned it 12 yards for a score.THE TAKEAWAYFlorida: The Gators are hoping that another bad showing against their in-state rival doesnt carry through to their remaining two games. Last year they lost to Alabama in the SEC championship game and then were routed by Michigan (41-7) in the Citrus Bowl.?Florida State: The Seminoles, who were ranked fourth in the preseason, found their College Football Playoff hopes dashed in early October as they stumbled to a 3-2 start. However they did wrap up the mythical state championship yet again.POLL IMPLICATIONSThe Seminoles are likely to rise a couple spots after beating the Gators. The highest they were ranked after the Oct. 1 loss to North Carolina was 12th going into the Oct. 29 game against Clemson. Florida will fall but is likely to remain ranked going into the SEC championship game.UP NEXTFlorida: The Gators will face top-ranked Alabama for the second straight year in the SEC championship game next Saturday in Atlanta. It is a conference record 12th appearance for Florida in the title game.Florida State: The Seminoles are bowl eligible for the 35th consecutive season. They could find themselves in the Orange Bowl after Louisvilles loss and if Clemson advances to the College Football Playoff.--- Air Max 1 Wholesale . -- On the field, it was business as usual for Jameis Winston and No. Air Max 720 Clearance .J. Jefferson has been charged with assaulting his girlfriend. http://www.wholesalenikeshoesclearance.com/cheap-max-90-shoes.html .R. Smith realized how easily basketball can be taken from him, and he wasnt going to take his place in the NBA for granted anymore. Outlet Air Max 1 . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. Cheap Air Max Plus China . Ronaldo produced a spectacular individual performance on Tuesday, scoring all three goals and guiding Portugal into the next years World Cup in Brazil with a 3-2 victory in Sweden. The Real Madrid forward has scored 66 goals in 2013, but the last three may be the boost he needs to upstage Messi after FIFA unexpectedly extended the voting period for the Ballon dOr to Nov. MINNEAPOLIS -- Alana Beard the businesswoman will be opening a Mellow Mushroom pizza restaurant in Roanoke, Virginia, on Oct. 22 with her good friend, Indiana guard Marissa Coleman.But Beard the basketball player is still hard at work at her hoops job too. On Sunday in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals at the Target Center, she made the kind of defensive plays we expect from her, with those Inspector Gadget-like long arms and the quick hands that have flummoxed so many foes.But she made something else that wasnt so expected: a jump shot at the buzzer, which gave Los Angeles a 78-76 victory over Minnesota.Obviously, you want the ball in certain peoples hands, Beard said of the game-ending possession, though she wasnt referring to herself. Then it came to my side, and you gotta take the shot. Theres no time for a pass in that situation.The reality is, the Lynx actually preferred Beard take the shot, if anyone did. Shes not the scorer she once was, and thats not her primary role with the Sparks.Los Angeles needs her defensively and as an emotional leader for the team.She brings so much, said Sparks forward Nneka Ogumike, who was the WNBAs MVP this season. Shes a big part of the glue to this team, on and off the court. For her to have a moment like that is special for her career. Its something shell remember, and well remember.But it also goes to show that she is always in the moment. Thats just how she always is, and she capitalized on it.Beard, 34, is the second-oldest player for the Sparks. She was part of what proved to be a talented WNBA draft class of 2004. Three other players from that draft are playing in this series, all with Minnesota: Lindsay Whalen, Rebekkah Brunson and Jia Perkins. Phoenixs Diana Taurasi was the No. 1 pick that season, followed by Beard at No. 2 by Washington.Beard played her first six seasons with the Mystics, and she was a pretty big scorer then, averaging 16.2 points for her Washington career. But severe ankle problems sidelined Beard for the 2010 and 2011 seasons. Even then, the Duke grad was planning her eventual business career, and she knew she could survive without basketball.She just wasnt ready to do that at that point.Its the love that I have for the game, Beard said about what pushed her to recover and keep playing. But I think one huge motivation was when a doctor told me that I would never play again. And another was the Mystics believing I would never play again.I kept going. It was hard at times; Im not going to lie. But you just never know where life will take you, and Ive developed a mindset of staying open to anything.When Beard went cross-country to join the Sparks in 2012, she understood her role would change in regard to offense. But she has remained a fierce and feared defender, along with being a mentor for younger players.Nobody wants to be guarded by her, teammate Kristi Toliver said. Luckily, shes always on my team in practice.Beard dealt with plantar fasciitis last year and was limited to 14 ggames in the regular season.dddddddddddd But this year, she has started every game and been an invaluable resource to second-year guard Chelsea Gray, who also went to Duke.Beard and Gray, who turned 24 on Saturday, played a decade apart for the Blue Devils and for different coaches. But Beard reached out while Gray was still in college, including giving her encouragement when Gray went through knee injuries that hampered her Duke career.She emailed me and we texted a few times then, said Gray, who was drafted by Connecticut in 2015 but came to Los Angeles in an April trade. And from the first day I was here, she was in my ear and was happy I was with the Sparks.Gray has become a more important part of the Los Angeles offense, especially in the past month. She played 30 minutes on Sunday off the bench, scoring 12 points. But it was the last of her four assists that will stand out.The Sparks and Lynx had been battling all game, just as expected. In the fourth quarter, Los Angeles made some very big defensive stops, including two consecutive forced turnovers by Beard on a blocked shot and a steal in the last 2 minutes, 20 seconds of the game.After a layup by Minnesotas Maya Moore with 24.7 seconds left tied the score at 76, the Sparks put the ball in Grays hands to orchestrate the final shot. The top option was Toliver, who finished tied with Ogwumike with a game-high 19 points. The Lynx defense had that covered, though, and Gray was left with one choice: passing to Beard on the right side, in front of the Sparks bench, and just inside the arc.Moore left Beard alone to help on defense, which was understandable when you consider the Sparks other scoring threats. Moore adjusted and tried to contest Beards shot. But Beard swished it, and she fell down after she followed through, soon to be covered with overjoyed teammates.Womens basketball fans might go back in their memory vaults to a somewhat similar shot that Beards Duke teammate Jessica Foley hit to beat UConn in Hartford, Connecticut, during Beards senior season in 2004. That one was a 3-pointer, but a lot else about Sundays shot was the same, including Foley falling down as the ball went through the net.I was probably the first one to get to her, Beard said of that celebration. In this case, Chelsea was the first one to get to me.Beard has been a pro basketball player for 13 years, counting her injured period, but this is her first time appearing in the WNBA Finals. She knows that the Sparks still have a lot of work to do to try to win the title, but shes grateful to at least have the chance.Im happy to be healthy now, Beard said. This is the best Ive felt in maybe five or six years, and you can see it with the way I move. That last shot, that play, is a great example of who weve been all season, just the resilience. These are the moments you kind of live for. ' ' '