is a close friend and has been working out with Vesey all s

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- In its first true road test with a young team, Auburn passed with flying colors.Jared Harper scored 21 points and Danjel Purifoy added 16 to lead Auburn to a 74-70 victory over UAB on Saturday night.The young Tigers (6-1) proved capable of handling a hostile environment in their first true road game of the season, outlasting UAB (4-4) in front of the first sellout crowd at Bartow Arena since March 23, 2010.We did not play well in the first half and we were very fortunate to be in range, Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. I think UAB probably went into the locker room at halftime going, `Gosh, were only up by three. They outplayed us, they defended us, they rattled us. And our freshmen, with the exception of Jared Harper, looked like freshmen. Then in the second half, we played pretty well.Auburn shot 50 percent from the field and outscored UAB 41-33 in the second half. The Tigers knocked down 11 3-pointers, the most since they made 13 in the season opener against North Florida, outscoring UAB 33-12 from beyond the arc.Harper torched the Blazers for 15 points on five 3-pointers in the first half, but the true freshman was forced to take a seat early in the second half with three fouls.I told you he was going to be worth the price of admission, and he is, Pearl said. As a little, quick guard with that kind of range, he kept us in range (in the first half).Purifoy, the freshman forward who was tied with Mustapha Heron for the team lead in points per game entering the contest, stepped up in Harpers absence. Purifoy scored 11 of his 14 points in the second half, including three of his four 3-pointers.Heron also asserted himself in the second half, scoring eight of his 11 points after the intermission.We had to (step up), Purifoy said. Like I said in the beginning, Jared, he led us on his back. He kind of fell short a little bit in the second half, but we had to pick him up and he started getting going again.UAB earned a 40-31 advantage on the boards, but leading scorer Chris Cokley was forced out of the game with 8:24 remaining when he was called for a personal foul and subsequently drew a technical foul call for arguing with the referee. He finished with eight points and seven rebounds.William Lee led UAB with 13 points, and Hakeem Baxter added 12 points on 5 of 8 shooting.Auburn regained the lead, its first since the 13:29 mark in the first half, on a T.J. Dunans jumper with 13:34 remaining in the second half. The bucket came in the middle of a 14-2 run that gave Auburn the lead for good.I thought we got off to a very good start feeding off the crowd and ended the half on a high note, UAB coach Rob Ehsan said. We got into a lull in the second half offensively. We couldnt get a rhythm going.BIG PICTUREAuburn: UABs advantage in the post was negated by the Tigers athleticism and hot shooting stroke from outside. The win gave Auburn some momentum as it heads into an 8-day hiatus.UAB: The Blazers season has been up and down so far, as theyve been unable to win consecutive games over their first eight contests. They hit the road twice in the next week looking for some consistency.ROLE PLAYERAs Harper dealt with foul trouble early in the second half, Auburns Ronnie Johnson entered at point guard and scored six consecutive points in the second half to stretch Auburns lead to eight with 11:17 remaining.STAT OF THE NIGHTHarper and Purifoy combined to make seven of eight free throws in the final 2:24 of the game, icing the victory for Auburn as UAB vied for a late comeback.UP NEXTAuburn: The Tigers get an extended break before traveling to New York on Monday, Dec. 12, to face Boston College in the Under Armour Reunion at Madison Square Garden.UAB: The Blazers will look to get back on track Wednesday at Stephen F. Austin after their second loss in three games. Wholesale Shoes Black Friday . Artturi Lehkonen, Joni Nikko and Ville Leskinen had the other goals for Finland (1-0) while Juuse Saros stopped 28 shots. Tim Robin Johnsgard had the lone goal for Norway (0-2). Cheap Shoes Black Friday . The home side created most of the chances but struggled to break down Braunschweigs resilient defence, resulting in the Bundesligas 1,000th scoreless draw. https://www.cheapshoesblackfriday.com/ . Just not the game. Kyle Palmieri scored two straight goals in the third period to rally the Anaheim Ducks past the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Tuesday night. China Shoes Black Friday . Pert has formerly spent time as an assistant coach with Cardiff City, Coventry City, and Bahrain mens national team. "Martyn is a highly-respected coach with experience at the top levels in England," said Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson. Shoes Black Friday Deals 2020 . JOHNS, N. BOSTON -- The New York Rangers have won the Jimmy Vesey sweepstakes.Vesey, 23, the reigning Hobey Baker Award winner, agreed on a two-year, entry-level deal with the Rangers, the team announced Friday.Vesey became a free agent at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday. In addition to the Buffalo Sabres, who owned exclusive negotiating rights from June 20 to this past Monday, Vesey entered the market with a list of seven teams he considered, and he met with those organizations over a two-day period in Boston, along with his agents, Peter Fish and Peter Donatelli.Vesey said the history of the Rangers organization and its status as an Original Six franchise had a lot to do with his decision.This week I did do a lot of meetings, and it was definitely a tough decision, but myself, my agent and my family were very impressed with the Rangers in our meeting, Vesey said. Talking with coach [Alain] Vigneault and [general manager] Jeff Gorton and Chris Drury, I was really impressed with those guys, and I just thought that New York was somewhere I could play and hopefully stick in the NHL.The thing that jumped out at me was they seemed to really want me, and from talking to them it seemed that they really needed to have me in their lineup and it seemed like they believe in me, so that was something I was looking for, and based on our talks, New York was the right fit.During the process, it was clear that Vesey wanted to play for a team that would give him the opportunity to play in a top-six role. Asked where Vesey would fit into the Rangers lineup, Gorton said its too soon to discuss that.Its hard to say. Hes got an ability to score. He can make plays. Hes a very talented player. Where? What number? What line? I wouldnt want to go down that road and say yet, but he can come in and play, Gorton said. Hes going to come into training camp and do his best to try to fit in as high as he can in our lineup, and thats what were looking for.Vesey met with the the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils on Tuesday. On Wednesday, he entertained the Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks and finishhed with his hometown Boston Bruins, who gave the prospect an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of their new practice facility set to open this season.ddddddddddddDuring those meetings, the teams pulled out all the stops to woo Vesey.The Blackhawks Patrick Kane was in Boston for Chicagos meeting with Vesey. The Devils Cory Schneider and Kyle Palmieri spoke with Vesey, too. The Rangers Kevin Hayes, a Boston native, has talked with Vesey numerous times this summer while both work out together. The Islanders John Tavares was also in Boston on Tuesday to make his pitch on behalf of the organization. When the Bruins hosted Vesey at the teams new practice facility, numerous Bruins players were in attendance to greet him. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby also reached out to Vesey.The Sabres Jack Eichel, who is a close friend and has been working out with Vesey all summer, also has given his advice about the Buffalo organization.Vesey and his agents started discussing all the options on Thursday afternoon and finally came to a decision on Friday evening.Vesey was originally drafted by the Nashville Predators in the third round (No. 66 overall) in the 2012 NHL entry draft. He played four seasons at Harvard from 2012 to 2016 and finished with 144 points in 128 games for the Crimson. He served as team captain his senior season.The Predators expected to sign the 23-year-old prospect, but Vesey, by his CBA rights, elected to test the free-agent market. At the time, Nashville general manager Dave Poile said the organization already had received confirmation from Vesey that he would sign after his collegiate season concluded.However, Veseys agents said the organization was told before the Feb. 29 NHL trade deadline that their client would not sign and thus become a free agent after Aug. 15.Nashville traded Veseys rights to the Sabres on June 20. Even though Buffalo had exclusive negotiating rights until midnight on Monday, the Sabres knew of Veseys desire to hear other offers. ' ' '