Taranaki.But beating the Titans meant the Warriors were able to mark Mannerings 250th NRL appearance in style.The 41-Test Kiwi came out at Mt Smart Stadium with his two children and was greeted by a standing ovation from the 15,000-strong crowd and an on-field haka.ddddddddddddI tried to keep it as

FULLERTON, Calif. -- There were no nerves for Nebraska guard Glynn Watson Jr. after Dayton took its first lead of the game with 16 seconds remaining, threatening to waste a strong performance in which the Cornhuskers led by as much as 14.Instead, Watson put his head down, drew a foul and hit two free throws with 8.8 seconds remaining as Nebraska beat the Flyers 80-78 in the first round of the Wooden Legacy on Thursday night.Thats his job, to win games at the right time, and thats one, Glynn, Nebraska head coach Tim Miles said while giving Watson a pat on the back.Watson finished with 20 points, and Ed Morrow Jr. added 19 points and 10 rebounds, as Nebraska improved to 4-0 for the second time in five seasons under Miles.Dayton (2-2) took its only lead on Scoochie Smiths layup to cap a 13-4 Dayton run, but they could not claim a second and final lead when a desperation pass the length of the court was batted away to end it.Nebraska celebrated a win over a team that has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons after what seemed at times like a Dayton home game, with the Flyers bringing their pep band and mascot to Orange County.After a 16-5 run by Dayton tied it at 26, Anton Gill and Tai Webster combined to score 11 points to put Nebraska back in front by eight. Nebraska took a 40-31 lead into the locker room, and was able to maintain a comfortable lead for most of the second half.However, Charles Cooke and Xeryrius Williams combined for 23 second-half points as Dayton nearly escaped.You just knew they were going to end up in runs, and when those role guys, quite frankly, started making a whole bunch of shots, thats when you knew you had a problem on your hands, Miles said.Cooke finished with 17 points and Williams had 15 points and nine rebounds for Dayton, which shot worse from the field (38.1 percent) than it did from the 3-point line (41.7).Were a team right now that is trying to find an identity, Dayton coach Archie Miller said. Right now there are certain things out there that just dont look right to me, and its not one guy. Its every guy.TURNING POINTMiller did not put the blame for the defeat on Daytons late-game play and instead pointed to the lackadaisical defense at the start, spotting Nebraska a 17-5 lead. It was the third straight game Dayton was poor from the opening tip and Miller understands that has to change to contend for the Atlantic 10 title and make a postseason run.We cant give a team 7-for-7 to start the game, Miller said. We cant give a team like St. Marys at home a 15-4 lead. We cant get down at Alabama 20-2. At the end of the day, its being ready to go from the start and ready to go on the defensive side of the ball.STAT OF THE NIGHTNebraska shot 56.9 percent from the field, becoming the first opponent to make more than 39.3 percent of their shots against Dayton this season.The fact we got the lead was amazing, Miller said.HE SAID ITWere just not rock-solid enough in any area right now to hang our hat on and say this is how we win, Miller said.BIG PICTURENebraska: The Huskers could be dancing in March. Nebraska has made the NCAA Tournament just one under Miles, but that could change if they can maintain the level of play they showed for most of the game against Big Ten opposition. Road trips to Kansas, Indiana and Maryland through Jan. 1 offer chances for signature wins.Dayton: The Flyers wont play this poorly very often. Cooke came into the game averaging 23 points per game and would not have come close to that figure if not for the late comeback attempt. Dayton rarely capitalized on 16 offensive rebounds and the defense was spotty for long stretches.UP NEXTBoth teams play a second-round game Friday night. Cheap Avalanche Jerseys . James, who turned 29 on Monday, injured his groin Friday during the Heats overtime loss at Sacramento. He sat out the following game, a 108-107 win Saturday in Portland, before coming back to help send the Nuggets to their seventh consecutive loss. Wholesale Avalanche Jerseys . The Nashville Predators were glad their captain was still on their side. Weber had a goal and two assists, and Roman Josi scored the shootout winner to lift the Predators to a 4-3 win over the Flyers on Thursday night. https://www.cheapavalanche.com/ . The Australian is competing in his final season in Formula One and still looking for his first win this year. He will look to end Vettels run of six straight race wins on Sunday. Webber, who is fifth in the championship, earned his second pole from the past three races and 13th of his career. Avalanche Jerseys China .ca NFL Power Rankings, overtaking the Denver Broncos and remaining ahead of NFC competition San Francisco, Carolina and New Orleans. Stitched Avalanche Jerseys . How great will be revealed in the next couple of days at the board of governors meeting in Pebble Beach, Calif. The Warriors head into a bye after a solid five weeks that have turned around their NRL fortunes, but Simon Mannering says they cant afford to get comfortable.The 27-18 result over the Gold Coast Titans in Auckland on Saturday represented the Warriors fourth win in five matches.Their only defeat in that stretch was to competition leaders Cronulla via golden point defeat.Its a change from how they went into their first bye, which was preceded by three losses in four matches, the last a 38-12 thumping by Canberra in New Plymouth.Obviously getting four wins out of five was important for us, but we need to do that again after the bye, Mannering said.Were still not in a position to get comfortable at all. Well enjoy that little block, but there are a lot of things we can work on as a team.The defeat to the Raiders put a dampener on what was billed as hooker Issac Lukes returned to Taranaki.But beating the Titans meant the Warriors were able to mark Mannerings 250th NRL appearance in style.The 41-Test Kiwi came out at Mt Smart Stadium with his two children and was greeted by a standing ovation from the 15,000-strong crowd and an on-field haka.ddddddddddddI tried to keep it as low key as I could during the week, he said.To have the family out here and just all the messages of support from the guys I played alongside years ago - thats pretty humbling.Its definitely a night Ill treasure at the end of my career.Having given up the captaincy at the start of the year after six seasons in the job, he stood in against the Titans after regular skipper Ryan Hoffman was struck down by a virus.Mannering, 29, made his first-grade debut in 2005 and it was one of his ex-teammates, former wing Francis Meli, who presented him with match jumper against the Titans.I started my career sleeping on his couch, Mannering recalled.It was cool to have him there and to present me my jersey. Those are things you never forget. ' ' '