MILWAUKEE -- While Michigan didnt have a particularly pretty start to its NCAA tournament, coach John Beilein felt his team proved a point to the rest of the field on Thursday night. Yes, they can play defence too. Glenn Robinson III scored 14 points in the arena his father used to call home in the NBA, Jordan Morgan added 10 points and 10 rebounds, and the second-seeded Wolverines held No. 15 seed Wofford to 34 per cent shooting in a 57-40 win. "We were able to get a win basically with our defence today," Beilein said, "and thats something a lot of people wouldnt say if they watched us this year." However the method, what mattered most was that Michigan is still in the hunt to return to the Final Four in spite of pesky Woffords best efforts. Michigan (26-8) capitalized on its decisive edge in athleticism on the undersized Terriers (20-13) but had some nervous moments after missing 15 of their first 18 shots in the second half. Karl Cochrans 3 with 9:25 left whittled an 18-point deficit to 40-33 -- the only 3 Wofford hit all night. But the Wolverines regrouped, and Caris LeVerts 3 with 4:17 left gave them a 15-point lead to deflate Woffords dreams of an upset. "We know were pretty efficient offensively. Most times we dont have trouble scoring the basketball," said Morgan, whose hustle in the paint helped turn away Wofford. "We know were only going to go as far as our defence carries us." When it counted, Michigan exerted its will on an overmatched opponent. Shooting 1 of 19 from 3-point range didnt help Wofford, either. But the Terriers knew they were heavy underdogs coming into the game, and they exit the NCAAs with an appreciation of simply getting into the tournament. When players were asked why they shot so poorly from behind the arc, forward Lee Skinner spoke up first and said "I dont shoot from the 3-point line" before drawing some smiles. A 39 per cent shooter from long range on the season, Cochran finished with 17 points on 1-of-10 shooting from 3-point territory on Thursday and 8 of 21 overall. "Some nights unfortunately the ball doesnt drop in the basket," he said. "Unfortunately we just faced a tough night from the 3-point line." Nik Stauskas had 15 points for the Wolverines, while Robinson hit big shots in the same arena his father played in while with the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1990s. The elder Robinson, sitting in the Bradley Center stands, surely was impressed with Wofford, the Southern Conference champions who hustled to the final buzzer. Michigan opened the second half shooting 2 of 12, and Cochrans 3 with 9:25 left got Wofford within seven points. Even the crowd broke out into a "Lets Go Wofford!" chant. "Hats off to them," Beilein said. "I was a coach that was today very concerned about how well they would guard us, and they did." As if flipping on a switch, the Wolverines then turned up their intensity. Morgan glided in for a basket and Robinson followed with a tip-in. "Inside, they were a bigger team, they were physical," Skinner said. After a missed jumper by Spencer Collins, LeVert hit his 3 from the top of the circle to get the lead back to 15. Michigan shot 33 per cent in the second half after shooting 63 per cent in the first. Fortunately for Beilein, his defence held firm. He said it was an emphasis in practice all week. "That probably was our best defensive performance overall for everybody," said Beilein. The spunky Terriers fell well short of their goal of the perfect game required to have any shot at taking down Michigan, though they played with energy most of the night and never seemed intimidated. "You always have to keep an optimistic mindset, especially in an off night," Cochran said. Smiling two seats away, coach Mike Young appreciated the positive vibes. "Im beaming with pride with these guys sitting to my left and their accomplishments," he said. "So, well walk out of here with our head high." Michigan was never truly threatened in spite of Woffords second-half spurt, leading 34-20 at halftime thanks in part to 11 points from Robinson. Carter Kieboom Jersey . Manager Ryan Nelsen has confirmed Brazilian No. 1 Julio Cesar will be rested for Wednesdays first leg of the semifinal. That opens the door for Bendik, who started 33 games for Toronto last season. Brian Dozier Nationals Jersey . New York then missed its next six shots and scored only two points the rest of the night. The Los Angeles Clippers defence and the Knicks general ineptitude both played a role in the unsurprising finish to a meeting of two teams headed in opposite directions. https://www.cheapnationals.com/777r-juan...ionals.html.com) - The Miami Heat stopped a four-game losing streak last time out and thats the same length slide their opponents Wednesday night, the Denver Nuggets, will try to halt when the two teams meet at the Pepsi Center. Spencer Kieboom Nationals Jersey . - The Oakland Athletics have finalized an agreement on a 10-year extension to play at the Coliseum through the 2024 season. Gerardo Parra Jersey . Off-Season Game Plan examines a team facing some challenging times as GM Bryan Murray tries to put together a roster for next season. Perhaps the first challenge facing Murray is that its expected he will be moving out Jason Spezza, a premier point producer who is about to enter the final year of his contract.CHICAGO -- The St. Louis Blues are considered to be one of the teams to challenge defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago at the top of the Central Division. So far, the Blues are living up to the praise. T.J. Oshie scored the lone goal in the shootout, Jaroslav Halak stopped all three Chicago shooters in the extra session and St. Louis defeated the Blackhawks 3-2 on Thursday night. David Backes scored a power-play goal for St. Louis, while Alexander Steen was credited with an even-strength score in regulation in the Blues first road game. The Blues are 2-0 against the Blackhawks so far, also having beaten Chicago with two late goals in a game in St. Louis on Oct. 9. "Its huge." Oshie said. "And tonight, we played a good team game. We have a couple breakdowns, but for the full 65 minutes and the shootout as a team we played pretty solid. "Were getting to a stage now that theyre where we want to be. That makes you play a little bit harder when you play against them because of what theyve accomplished and what we want to accomplish." The Blues (5-1-0) started the season with five straight home games, and won the first four before losing 6-2 to San Jose on Tuesday. They bounced back strong on Thursday. "There was intensity," Backes said. "Mistakes were magnified, just like the playoffs. These are two teams that bring out the best in each other, hard fought, could of gone either way when you get to a shootout." Chicagos Marian Hossa scored on a breakaway and set up Brandon Pirris first NHL goal in regulation. All but one of the Blackhawks (4-1-2) first seven games have been decided by one goal. Chicago is struggling to score despite a lineup loaded with offensive stars. The Blackhawks have just 20 goals in their first seven games and only 14 in six games following a season-opening 6-4 win over Washington. The Blackhawks were second only to Pittsburgh in goal scoring last season, but coach Joel Quenneville didnt like his teams effort or output on Thursday. "I didnt like our pace," he said. "I didnt like that we were turning pucks over. "We didnt get any pucks to the net. We didnt generate any offence after the first period. Quenneville said his team needs to find a higher gear. "Weve been getting points outside to the one game, so were OK there," Quenneville said.dddddddddddd "But we dont have a lot of production. Well look at our lines. We need some offence. And I dont like coaching offensively." Chicagos Corey Crawford made 26 saves and Halak had 27. Both goalies made a handful of tough stops early before Pirri opened the scoring at 7:42 of the first. After taking Hossas perfect pass, Pirri sent a one-timer from the left circle that ticked off the post and into the upper left corner of the net. Backes power-play goal at 10:14 of the first tied it at 1. He was parked in front of Crawford and deflected in Jay Bouwmeesters wrist shot from the left point. The Blues dominated early in the second period. Any momentum was broken when St. Louis Barret Jackman hit Chicago star Patrick Kane hard from behind and was sent off for boarding at 7:18. Hossa put Chicago ahead 2-1 with 2:38 left in the second on a breakaway. After the puck slipped past the Blues defence, both Hossa and Patrick Sharp skated in alone, and Hossa fired a shot past Halak on the stick side. Steen was credited with a goal 51 seconds later that was inadvertently knocked in by Chicago defenceman Duncan Keith and tied it at 2. Steen was 30 feet out in the slot, and deflected Bouwmeesters shot from the point. The puck slid to the right side of the crease where Keith was trying to tie up Backes, but Keith swept the puck on goal and past Crawford. Crawford made a tough close-in save on Alex Pietrangelo with just over seven minutes left to keep it tied. Halak made an alert save on Brandon Saad 33 seconds into overtime with Jonathan Toews closing in for a rebound. Jackmans shot hit the post 3:17 into the extra period. Notes: Pirri, who played in his ninth NHL game, led the AHL with 75 points in 76 games last season while with Rockford. ... Backes played his 500th game and Jackman played his 650th. ... The Blues have played the Blackhawks 288 times, more than any other team. ... St. Louis F Maxim Lapierre, who knocked San Jose D Dan Boyle out a game on Tuesday with a blow to the head, did not dress. Lapierre is scheduled for a hearing with the NHL on Friday. ... The Blackhawks had the NHLs third-best penalty killing last season en route to winning the Stanley Cup, but have allowed six power-play goals in 21 chances so far. ' ' '