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BATON ROUGE, La. -- Antonio Blakeney scored 20 points as LSU held off North Florida 78-70 in a non-conference game Friday.The Ospreys, who trailed by 12 points with slightly more than six minutes remaining in the game, reduced their deficit to four over the next two minutes. A basket by Romelo Banks left the Tigers (3-0) ahead 67-63 with 4:11 left.Blakeney then scored six of his 20 points in the last 3 1/2 minutes to enable LSU to pick up the victory. Blakeney made two field goals and a pair of foul shots. Brandon Sampson had a field goal and two free throws in the stretch for the Tigers.This was one of those games where you keep trying to play better as the game goes along, said Blakeney, who scored 26 points in LSUs previous game against Southern Mississippi. You just try to correct the mistakes that you make. I am just happy we got the win.Blakeney was one of four LSU players to score in double figures. Duop Reath had 17 points before fouling out late in the game. Sampson scored 16 points and Aaron Epps added 14.It was a grind game for us in the second half with the way (North Florida) came back, Tigers coach Johnny Jones said. Our guys grinded it out defensively and they executed offensively. Our guys closed out the game well with plays made by Blakeney and several other guys.Four players also scored in double figures for North Florida (1-3). Chris Davenport led the Ospreys with 16 points. Banks, Aaron Bodager and Dallas Moore each had 13 points.North Florida had lost decisively to its first two power conference opponents this season -- Auburn and Miami.Were growing up, North Florida coach Matthew Driscoll said. We didnt let the lead LSU built in the second half demoralize us. We cut it to four points and the guys just kept on fighting. We left so much on the table with 20 turnovers and going 13-for-28 at the free throw line.BIG PICTURELSU: The Tigers were unable to put North Florida away for good until the final minute. LSU saw a nine-point first-half advantage cut to one point at the break. Then, the Tigers lost most of a 12-point lead down the stretch.NORTH FLORIDA: The performance by the Ospreys was quite different from the one two nights earlier against Miami. North Florida scored just 56 points while losing by 38 points to the Hurricanes. The Ospreys outrebounded LSU by ten and shot 44 percent from the field.RUNNING THE SHOWJalyn Patterson played point guard instead of starter Skylar Mays for LSU for most of the game. Patterson only scored one point, but handed out a career-high eight assists and committed just two turnovers in 27 minutes.GROUP EFFORT ON THE BOARDSNorth Florida was able to stay within striking distance of LSU all night because of its work on the boards. It was a team effort for the Ospreys as six players grabbed at least six rebounds. The leader was Romelo Banks, who was credited with nine rebounds.IMPROVED DEFENSELSU coach Johnny Jones has emphasized that his team must play more effectively on the defensive end of the floor this year. North Florida made 44 percent of its field goal attempts -- the highest mark by a Tigers opponent so far this season. LSU has not allowed more than 70 points in any of its first three games. The last time the Tigers had a three-game stretch of not giving up more than 70 points came in the first three games of last season.UP NEXTLSU: The Tigers will play away from home for the first time this season in the Battle 4 Atlantis at Paradise Island, Bahamas. LSU will meet Wichita State in an opening-round game Wednesday.NORTH FLORIDA: The Ospreys will return home to face their second non-Division I opponent of the season. North Florida will take on Florida National on Tuesday. 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The 29-year-old from Port Colborne, Ont., has nothing but good things to say about former U.S. marine Liz (Girlrilla) Carmouche ahead of their co-main event Wednesday on the UFCs "Fight for the Troops" televised card in Fort Campbell, Ky. ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Darius Slay fought it at first. He didnt want to cry, even though it was one of the more emotionally happy days for the Detroit Lions cornerback. He wanted to hold it in and then, he couldnt anymore.So in the moments after he signed a four-year extension -- sources told ESPNs Adam Schefter the deal is worth $50.2 million -- Slay broke down and cried.I tried to hold the tears in, but I couldnt too long, just because of where I came from, Slay said. Shed a couple tears, talked to [Glover Quin]. Cried on GQs shoulder for a second. Hes seen me as a pup, as a young guy, saw me coming up and doing this right now, give credit to him and [Rashean Mathis].They built me up into the guy I am.After Slay signed the deal, he said he first told Quin. Then he called Mathis, who mentored him during his first three seasons in the league before retiring this offseason. Then Slay had to get back to work, so he didnt even get a chance to call his mom to tell her the news.He figures she knows by now.She probably saw it on ESPN, Slay said. At the end of last season, Slay said he wanted to remain in Detroit for a long time -- part of the reason he wanted to get a deal done before the start of training camp.This offseason, Slay switched agents from the late Eugene Parker to Drew Rosenhaus and made it clear he wanted to get a deal done to stay with the Lions.The deal also marks the Lions first major extension under new general manager Bob Quinn.Slay, 25, emerged as one of the best corners in the NFC last season, when he had 58 tackles and two interceptions. By the end of last season, teams were actively throwing away from Slay as he began to earn a reputation as a shutdown cornerback.By the end of last season, Slay was traveling on the field, covering tthe opponents top receiver on every play.ddddddddddddHe came a long way from his rookie season in 2013, when he was benched for free agent Rashean Mathis, who eventually became Slays mentor on and off the field.Slay rebounded to become a starter in 2014 and then an emerging star last season. He also knows that the key to making a bigger name for himself is to create turnovers.Ive got to have interceptions, Slay said in June. I gots to have em. Ill be knocking the ball down, do all that. When its time to make the big plays, turn the ball over, I need to be a turnover machine. Thats what Richard Sherman is. Thats what [Patrick Peterson] is. Thats what all the best ones do; they just turn the ball over.Slay has four career interceptions and has focused on his hands this offseason, often catching balls off the JUGS machine after practices and working on catching the ball whenever he has some downtime.It was something that we wanted to get done as soon as possible, ideally before training camp started, said Lions team president Rod Wood. Im really, really glad that it worked out. A lot of people worked really hard on it from our side and Darius side, and Im glad it got done.Wood said thats the plan, in terms of re-signing their own guys to stick around long-term after building through the draft. He said its a lot easier when you know the guy.After losing Ndamukong Suh in free agency in 2015 and having Calvin Johnson retire this year, Wood said there was no added pressure to make sure Slays contract was done well before he would reach free agency, but that Slay did earn his contract and the team is glad the extension is done. ' ' '