earlier matches

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia -- Forward Renaldas Seibutis scored 15 points and Lithuania shut down Tony Parker to beat France 76-62 at the start of the second round of the European basketball championships. Arizona Diamondbacks Gear . Serbia beat Belgium 76-69 and Latvia routed Ukraine 85-51 in earlier matches on Wednesday. France, although loaded with NBA players, could not cope with Lithuanias speed and fell behind by 10 midway through the third quarter. Centre Jonas Valanciunas of the Toronto Raptors added 13 points on 6-for-6 shooting from the field to go with six rebounds. He had a dunk, then grabbed an offensive rebound and put in the tip-in to give Lithuania a 14-point lead with less than three minutes to go. Seibutis made four straight free throws and France could not come back. Nando de Colo, who plays for the San Antonio Spurs with Parker, led France with 12 points, including five late in the game. Parker struggled in finishing with 11 points, including just three after half time. "The plan was to do everything to stop him. Not only his scoring but his ability to create movement," Valanciunas said. France finished the first round as the tournaments top scoring team but was held well below its 80.6 points-per-game average. Lithuania played tough perimeter defence, holding France to just 24 per cent shooting from three-point range. "We tried to get the ball inside but they closed down everything and when you dont make shots from the perimeter it gets to be difficult," France forward Boris Diaw said. Guard Stefan Markovic scored five straight points to secure Serbia an unexpectedly tough victory over Belgium. With Serbia up by two, Markovic nailed a 3-pointer and then sank two free throws to give his team a seven-point lead with less than two minutes remaining. Serbia held on to win over a team considered an underdog and took a big step toward securing a slot in the quarterfinals. "Maybe we were a little relaxed going into the match because we knew that we already had four points (in the standings)," said Serbias captain Nenad Krstic, who led Serbia with 17 points. Belgium opened the game with an 8-0 run and the Serbs had to work hard to catch up. "Maybe we didnt expect them to start in such a way," Serbia coach Dusan Ivkovic said. Markovic finished with 15 points on 5-for-6 shooting from the field. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 12 points, including a 3-pointer that made it 73-67. Serbia, the youngest team in the tournament with nine players making a debut at a major event, is now 3-0. Results against other teams which progress from the group stage are carried over, and Serbia already had wins over Latvia and Lithuania. Belgium is 0-3. "We gave a statement tonight why we are in the second round. I hope people appreciate our effort," Belgium coach Eddy Casteels said. Wen Mukubu, who led Belgium with 16 points, said: "They made the big shots at the end and that made the difference." The Latvians made 15 of 29 3-point attempts, while Ukraine hit only 3 of 16. Latvias shooting percentage for the game was 58.6 per cent, while Ukraine shot 29.5 per cent. "They dominated every facet of the game," Ukraine coach Mike Fratello said. "To lose by 34 is an embarrassment for everyone in the locker room." Kristaps Janicenoks led Latvia with 14 points, and Martins Meiers had 11 points and 10 rebounds. Sergii Gladyr was the only Ukrainian player to score in double figures with 12. Ukraine won four of its five group games but came up short against Latvias speed. Latvia and Ukraine both have 1-2 records, while France and Lithuania are 2-1. Brian Anderson Jersey .com Tours Nova Scotia Open. The 27-year-old Sloan, a former Texas-El Paso player from Calgary matched first-round leader Rodriguez at 10-under 132 on Ashburn Golf Clubs New Course. Arizona Diamondbacks Pro Shop .J. Mayo made seven three-pointers and scored 25 points, Ersan Ilyasova added 20, and the Milwaukee Bucks placed seven players in double figures in a 130-110 rout of the Philadelphia 76ers, who lost their 11th straight game on Monday night.BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Ralph Wilson fulfilled his vow in keeping the Bills in Buffalo during his lifetime. Though they wont be leaving any time soon following the 95-year-old Pro Football Hall of Fame owners death, their long-term future is in question. The Bills are essentially locked in to playing at Ralph Wilson Stadium through the next six years. Thats because of a non-relocation provision included in the teams lease agreement that would require the Bills to pay a $400 million penalty if they leave before the 2019 season. "Anyone expecting to see the Los Angeles Bills is sorely mistaken," SportsCorp President Marc Ganis told The Associated Press. "They cant move even if they wanted to. It would go against the ironclad agreement done with Ralphs blessing." Ganis, a close observer of the NFL, heads a Chicago-based consulting firm and is very familiar with the 10-year lease the Bills negotiated with state and county governments in December 2012. "With that lease, Ralph gave away hundreds of millions of dollars as, in essence, a parting gift to Buffalo," Ganis said. While it looks highly unlikely any potential owner would try to break the lease, nothing is impossible. And as for what happens beyond 2019 is uncertain and largely dependent on the next owner. In 2020, the Bills have a one-time opportunity to opt out of the lease for $28.4 million. "It buys us seven years, which is a substantial amount of time to make sure the next ownership team that comes in sees the benefit of keeping that team in Buffalo," Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy said in Elmira on Wednesday. "We dont want to lose them." But that is certainly a possibility. The teams founder and sole owner died at his home in Grosse Pointe Shores, Mich., on Tuesday and survived by wife Mary and two daughters. Wilson, however, expressed no interest of leaving the team to his family. As a result, the original American Football League franchise is expected to be placed into a trust overseen by the executors of Wilsons estate before being put up for sale. That opens the potential of the team being sold and relocated. Los Angeles could be a landing spot. So would Toronto, where the Bills played annual regular-season games since 2008 before postponing their series last month. "Well, I havent focused on that," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodelll said when asked about the franchises future at league meetings in Orlando, Fla. Lyle Overbay Jersey. "We know the terms of that lease. And we also know we have to find a long-term solution to keep the Bills there, and thats what well continue to work to do." Nonetheless, a list of ownership candidates has emerged to purchase a franchise valued at around $870 million. Its not every day an NFL team goes on sale. The list includes: -- Bills Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly has made no secret that he has put together a group of investors to buy the team. Kellys health, however, has become an issue. The 54-year-old is preparing to undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatment following a recurrence of cancer. -- California-based bond fund manager Jeffrey Gundlach expressed interest in buying the Bills three years ago. Gundlach, who founded DoubleLine Capital, is a Bills fan and has ties to Buffalo. -- Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula. -- Two Toronto-based groups -- Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment and Rogers Communications -- have been mentioned as groups interested in buying the Bills with the intention of relocating them north of the border. -- New Jersey rocker Jon Bon Jovi has expressed interest in becoming an NFL owner, and is close with MLSE President Tim Leiweke. -- Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs or his immediate family cant be counted out. Jacobs is from Buffalo, and his Delaware North food service company is headquartered in the city. Jacobs NFL interests date to the late 1990s, when he failed in a bid to purchase the Browns in their return to Cleveland. NFL rules bar owners from running sports teams in separate markets, meaning Jacobs would either have to give up his holdings in the Bruins or, perhaps, have members of his family run the Bills. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz refused to speculate on what could happen after 2019. He is certain the Bills will continue playing in Orchard Park for the near future and believes it was always Wilsons intention to keep the team in Buffalo. "If we had ownership that wasnt interested in it, (the lease) never would have happened," Poloncarz said. "He put in place a provision that locks this team in for many years to come, even after his death. And that says a lot about his commitment to western New York and the fans of the Buffalo Bills." ' ' '