Dein erstes Forum » Cruz ran some drills under the supervision of strengt

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- No. 15 Purdue kept making No. 3 Villanova hold its breath Monday night.Josh Hart made sure the Wildcats followed the same old beat.The preseason All-America guard scored 24 points, made big shot after big shot and calmly sank the final four free throws of the game to help the defending national champions hang on for a 79-76 victory.Josh just said to me at the beginning of the second half that `we got this, Wildcats coach Jay Wright said. Thats the real strength of this team -- the leadership. I think thats what you saw the start of the second half.Villanova (2-0) has won eight straight games, including the six NCAA Tournament wins that led to last seasons national championship. And as far as early-season victories go, this was about as big as they come.Purdue had won nine straight on its home court and had only lost one previous November game since Matt Painter took over as coach in 2006-07.The difference was Villanova had Hart, who finished three points short of his career high, and the Boilermakers didnt have an answer.We had to do a better job on Josh Hart, Painter said. Their overall toughness is among the best in the country.Purdue sure didnt make it easy on the Wildcats, who made their first seven shots of the second half and charged to a 56-45 lead.The Boilermakers rallied behind Isaac Haas and Caleb Swanigan, who combined for five straight baskets during a flurry that pulled Purdue to 61-60. Haas scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half, and Swanigan had 20 points, eight rebounds and four assists.But with Harts shooting and the Wildcats stout defense, the Boilermakers never took the lead, never tied the score and couldnt make either 3-pointer that could have forced overtime in the waning seconds.This game was huge for us, playing a great team, a very disciplined team in that crazy environment, Hart said.Darryl Reynolds had 12 points and eight rebounds for Villanova.BIG PICTUREVillanova: The Wildcats passed their biggest test of November -- barely. Now theyve got five games over the next 15 days, three more by Sunday, to get everything in sync.Purdue: This early test showed the Boilermakers can play with the big boys. Beating them might still be a challenge if they dont find more perimeter shooting.COUNT ITThe Boilermakers erased a 39-34 deficit in the final 40 seconds of the first half with a layup from Swanigan and after Vince Edwards scooped up a loose ball and got it to guard P.J. Thompson, who banked in a buzzer-beating 3 from midcourt to tie it. The crowd went wild long before a replay review confirmed the original call that it counted.RARE AIRPurdue is 12-14 when facing a defending national champ. But having one from outside the Big Ten visit West Lafayette is a rarity. Since hosting UCLA for the opening game on Dec. 2 1967, it had happened only one other time before Monday: Against Louisville on Jan. 18, 1987. UCLA won the first game 73-71, but the Boilermakers beat Louisville 88-73.POLL IMPLCATIONSVillanova: The Wildcats proved theyre worthy of a high ranking with a quality road victory but will be hard-pressed to move up unless No. 1 Duke or No. 2 Kentucky lose.Purdue: The Boilermakers arent likely to slide much, if at all, after coming within a basket or two of upsetting a top-5 team.UP NEXTVillanova: On Thursday, the Wildcats face Western Michigan in Charleston, South Carolina, as they begin chasing a fourth straight in-season tourney title.Purdue: Hosts Georgia State on Friday, marking the return of former IUPUI coach Ron Hunter. The Boilermakers are 24-2 at Mackey Arena over the last 26 games.---More AP college basketball: http://collegebasketball.ap.org Fake Shoes For Sale . Louis Blues absence from top spot in the TSN. Fake Yeezy 350 V3 . -- Cam Newton pranced into the end zone, placed his hands over his chest and did his familiar Superman pose. http://www.cheapshoesstorewholesale.com/vapormax-online-outlet.html . There was no hesitation from the 40th-ranked Pospisil, from Vernon, B.C., who admitted that he cut back on his training sessions over the last few days to conserve energy as the long ATP season finishes next week at the Paris Masters. Cheap Yeezy 350 Fake . -- Adam Snyder returned to the San Francisco 49ers this season because the offensive lineman thought it was his best opportunity to win a championship. Air Force 1 Store . -- The Magic have their first victory of the new year. EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Oft-injured Victor Cruz isnt giving up on his hope to play for the New York Giants.The 29-year-old wide receiver remained optimistic Wednesday despite being sidelined the past few days by a groin injury.The latest injury has many wondering whether Cruz is starting another phase of getting close to playing and then having a setback. He missed all of last season with a calf injury and was limited to six games in 2014 by a knee injury sustained against the Philadelphia Eagles.Cruz was defiant when asked what he had to say to those who feel his career is over after six seasons.Tune in, he said.While he did not practice Wednesday, Cruz ran some drills under the supervision of strength and conditioning coach Aaron Wellman.I felt good, Cruz said. We ramped it up a little bit today. We are going to be picking up the intensity as these days progress, just to pick it up a little bit and see where I am physically and do some change of direction stuff toward the end of this week and see where it goes, but I feel great.Coach Ben McAdoo said its too early to say whether Cruz will practice Thursday. The coach added he wanted to see him practice for a week before puttinng him in a game.ddddddddddddeneral manager Jerry Reese recently said he wants to see Cruz play in two preseason games. He missed the preseason opener against Miami.If he does not, the Giants have to decide whether to keep him on their 53-man roster.Obviously. I am a normal human being, so I think about that stuff, but all I can do is take care of what I can take care of and control what I can control and that is my health and being out there when I can, he said.Cruz said he is getting plenty of support at home and from the Giants, so he is not hanging my head low.This is just another test that God is putting me through to make sure that I make it through and cherish the other side, so I am treating it as such and making sure that I am ready when my number is called, said Cruz, who had 241 catches for 3,626 yards and 23 touchdowns between 2011-13.Cruz participated fully when training camp late last month, but his workload was dialed back after a week as a precaution.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '