to play up front against an extremely well organized Ukrainian side. "W

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Floridas smothering defence returned to form just in time for the third-ranked Gators to keep their winning streak going. After falling behind in the first half due to Tennessees strong shooting, the Gators stepped up their defence down the stretch and won 67-58 Tuesday night for their 16th consecutive victory. Florida also beat the Volunteers in Knoxville for only the second time in its last nine attempts. Florida had allowed opponents to shoot just 38.4 per cent in its first 22 games of the season before Alabama shot 55 per cent in a 78-69 loss to the Gators on Saturday. Tennessee shot 62.5 per cent in the first half Tuesday, but the Volunteers made just 29.2 per cent (7 of 24) of their attempts after halftime. "We didnt press a lot in the first half," Florida coach Billy Donovan said. "The game I thought for us just got kind of stagnant. ... We wanted the game going up and down the floor, to really get into a racing game, and I thought we pressed predominantly most of the second half. We didnt turn them over a lot, but it was just disruptive in terms of flow." Scottie Wilbekin had 21 points and six assists and Michael Frazier II added 11 points for Florida (22-2, 11-0 SEC). Wilbekin and Frazier both made key 3-pointers down the stretch to put the game out of reach. Jarnell Stokes had 20 points and 11 rebounds for Tennessee (15-9, 6-5), which was seeking a victory over a highly ranked opponent to boost its NCAA tournament hopes. Jordan McRae had 17 points and Josh Richardson 13. When the teams last met, Florida routed Tennessee 67-41 in Gainesville on Jan. 25 to hand the Volunteers their most lopsided loss in Cuonzo Martins three-year coaching tenure. Tennessee shot 26.8 per cent (15 of 56) overall and 1 of 19 from 3-point range in that game. "We knew we were a better team than that first game anyway, (even) while it was going on," Richardson said. "We came out and played as well as we could today, and they just outplayed us." Tennessee fired up the crowd by having the players walk through a walkway in the Thompson-Boling Arena stands to get to the floor, allowing fans to greet them on their way. The student section behind one basket waved orange glow sticks as Tennessees starting lineup was introduced. That atmosphere might have caused the Vols to get a little too amped up early on. After a basket by Stokes gave the Vols an early 2-0 lead, Florida went on a 10-0 run by scoring seven points off five Tennessee turnovers in the first 4 1/2 minutes. But once the Vols settled down, they capitalized on their strong shooting to pull ahead. Tennessee outshot Florida in the first half but only led 34-33 at halftime because of Floridas ability to force turnovers and grab offensive rebounds. "I was really encouraged coming into the half, just for the fact wed shot 36 per cent from the field and they shot 62 and were down by one," Donovan said. "Thats generally a recipe where youre down by 12 to 15." The shots Tennessee was making in the first half stopped falling after halftime as Florida grabbed a seven-point lead. The Vols got back into the game by stepping up the intensity on defence even as their own shots werent falling. Tennessee cut the lead to 55-54 on Stokes three-point play with 4:32 left and had the ball with a chance to take the lead after McRae blocked Wilbekins shot. It was the type of scenario that could have caused the Gators to start thinking about their recent history of frustration in this building. Instead, they created a different finish this time. Tennessee forward Jeronne Maymon committed his eighth turnover of the night, leading to Fraziers 3-pointer that extended Floridas lead to 58-54 with 3:32 remaining. Wilbekin, who had missed his first five attempts from behind the arc, also drained a 3 just more than a minute later to pretty much seal the victory. "I think it has a little bit to do with experience," Wilbekin said. "Four seniors (in the starting lineup). Its been a while since weve had four seniors on the team. Just stepping up, making big plays on the offensive side and on the defensive side especially, staying locked in and not letting up in the last moments of the game." Wholesale Vans Australia . Ribery, who won UEFAs best player in Europe award for the 2012-13 season, helped Bayern Munich win the Champions League and Bundesliga and German Cup titles. Messi, winner of the last four Ballon dOr awards in voting by coaches, team captains and media, was injured late in the season and could not prevent Barcelona from being beaten by Bayern in the Champions League semifinals. Cheap Vans Shoes Australia Free Shipping ." Also, defencemen "were found to be at a higher risk of suffering a concussion than other players, perhaps due to turning their back to retrieve pucks along the boards, which leaves them vulnerable. http://www.wholesalevansaustralia.com/ . -- New York Yankees centre fielder Jacoby Ellsbury was sent for an MRI Thursday of his ailing right calf, which was negative. Cheap Vans Shoes Australia . MORITZ, Switzerland -- Latvia won a four-man World Cup bobsled race Sunday, while the U. Vans Shoes Clearance Sale .Fucale will not only be one of the local boys, he is also a Montreal Canadiens draft pick and will have a huge cheering section when Canada opens the tournament Dec.LONDON -- France needs an unprecedented comeback to avoid missing its first World Cup in 20 years. No European team has ever qualified for the World Cup through the playoffs after losing the first leg 2-0. Two decades after France failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup following a shock home defeat against Bulgaria, Les Bleus lost to Ukraine for the first time in the first leg by a two-goal margin. That means the odds are indeed heavily stacked against Didier Deschampss team ahead of Tuesdays return game at the Stade de France. The French players display was so poor on Friday that it led the French media to question if the national sides performance had been the "worst in history." To turn around the result, France needs to rediscover its attacking potency as Deschamps - who won the 1998 World Cup and the European championships two years later as a player, must decide who to play up front against an extremely well organized Ukrainian side. "Well need to have that bit of folly that will make for an exceptional match," Deschamps said. "Its up to the players to get into that mentality. But we also have to realize they wont play with 10 players at the back. We have to put them under pressure from the start and show a lot of determination and keep the high tempo going until the end." Flourishing in the Premier League this season, Loic Remy had a poor game on the right wing in Kyiv and could be replaced with Karim Benzema, meaning that Deschamps could keep Olivier Giroud as his central sriker. Samir Nasri had a quiet game and may be replaced in the playmakers role by Mathieu Valbuena. Franck Ribery will also need to raise his game with the national team to prove that he fully deserves the FIFA Ballon dOr. Ribery who struggled to make any meaningful impact in Ukraine, has been tipped to claim the FIFA accolade after helping Bayern Munich to the Champions League. "Obviously, Ukraine knew how dangerous Ribery could be," Deschamps said. "They were very aggressive toward him. They made a lot of fouls that went unpunished. Ukraine eliminated Franck. He had very few chances to take on his opponent one-on-one. There was always a midfielder around to provide back-up." With Laurent Kosccielny suspended after his sending off, Deschamps has a major headache in defence and must decide who will play alongside Eric Abidal.dddddddddddd With Raphael Varane struggling with a sore knee, Deschamps must pick between the inexperienced Mamamdou Sakho and Bacary Sagna. Sagna plays at right back for Arsenal but has played centre half before. "We were shaken over there against a very committed team who played at a very high level while we were average," Deschamps said. "We took a slap and the situation is favourable for them. It wont be easy. Were obviously not in a good position. We have to reverse the trend and believe in this now." After winning the first round of his duel with Zlatan Ibrahimovic when he scored the winner in Portugals 1-0 win over Sweden, Cristiano Ronaldo is hopeful he can again steal the show at the Swedish national stadium on Tuesday night. While Ibrahimovic failed to impress in Lisbon, Ronaldo dived to glance in a left-wing cross for his 44th goal in 108 international appearances, and almost added another when he headed against the crossbar late on. Portugal, which beat Sweden at home for the first time in its history, missed automatic qualification for a major international tournament for the third time in a row after qualifying for the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012 through the playoffs. "It was an important goal and it gave us victory," Ronaldo said. "We could have scored one or two more goals but this advantage gives us confidence for the second leg. Nothing is settled yet. Its 50-50." All four return playoffs matches take place on Tuesday, with Greece in a comfortable position following its 3-1 win over Romania in the first leg and Iceland having kept alive its hopes of reaching a first ever World Cup with a 0-0 home draw against Croatia. Several friendly matches involving European powerhouses having already qualified for the finals in Brazil are also scheduled on Tuesday, with England facing bitter rival Germany in Wembley for the showcase match of the evening. The Germans will be missing Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil, Philipp Lahm and Manuel Neuer after coach Joachim Low decided to try "new tactical variations and personnel." ' ' '