earance at the US Open.?In the WTA rankings, Sania Mirza (9730) con

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Dennis Smith Jr. is back to playing like himself. Still, he looked like someone else to the opposing coach.Smith scored a career-high 30 points to help North Carolina State beat Loyola-Chicago 79-77 on Saturday.Torin Dorn added 20 points for the Wolfpack (5-1), who shot 51 percent from the floor.Smith, a freshman point guard, made 13 of 22 shots from the floor and added seven assists. He opened the season a combined 6 of 22 in the first two games.Im much more comfortable, Smith said. Im still finding my way, just like everybody else. Were going to get a lot better.Abdul-Malik Abu broke a 71-71 tie with a tip-in with 3:29 remaining to give N.C. State the lead for good.Smith provided a steal and layup, assisted on a dunk by Abu and made two free throws to keep his team in front.Dennis Smith was phenomenal, Loyola coach Porter Moser said. He was like (Russell) Westbrook the way he was that quick and that athletic. . I mean, hes all that and more than advertised.Terry Henderson scored 19 points for the Wolfpack, who missed the front end of two one-and-ones in the final 7 seconds.Markell Johnson stole the ball from Loyolas Milton Doyle after the first, and Cameron Satterwhites heave from just beyond halfcourt missed after the second.Aundre Jackson scored 20 points to lead Loyola (5-2), which led by as many as 11 points in the first half.Ben Richardson had 16 points for the Ramblers, who made 10 of 17 3-point attempts.Doyle had 12 points and Clayton Custer had 11 for Loyola.BIG PICTURELoyola: With their lack of size inside, the Ramblers are going to have trouble defending around the basket just as they did against the Wolfpack. But their spread offense is legit, and they gave N.C. State fits with it. Loyola had clear driving lanes to the basket and open 3-point attempts from all over the court throughout the game.N.C. State: The Wolfpack struggled defensively and got almost no production from their interior players against an undersized opponent. They continue to excel in the open court offensively, but they must improve defensively as conference play approaches. Weve got one guy wearing a blue sock and one guy wearing a green sock, N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried said. Two guys trying to guard are not on the same page. Weve got to get on the same page.HIGHLIGHT REELSmith showed his outstanding leaping ability early in the second half. Johnson missed a layup in transition, and Smith rebounded and dunked the ball in one motion to give the Wolfpack a 55-52 lead.HE SAID ITI love my team. The thing I can say most is that in that locker room, they were genuinely upset. They were hurting big-time. They came in here not to come close; they came in here to win. Thats a great sign when youre trying to develop culture in a program. -- MoserINJURIESN.C. State swingman Maverick Rowan missed his fifth consecutive game due to a concussion. Gottfried said Rowan will continue to be evaluated each day, but there is no timetable for his return.Wolfpack post player BeeJay Anya left the game late in the first half after being poked in the eye. He was cleared to return in the second half but did not re-enter the game.UP NEXTLoyola hosts Norfolk State on Wednesday night in the first game of a four-game homestand.N.C. State plays at Illinois on Tuesday night in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Danny Welbeck Jersey . Jason Zucker and Matt Cooke also scored for Minnesota, which has won five of six. Kuemper made five saves in the first, nine in the second, and nine in the third. The rookies best save came with 2:17 left in the third period when he denied former Wild forward Matt Cullen from just outside of the crease on the right side. Harry Kane Jersey . -- Mike Smith never saw his first NHL goal go in. http://www.englandsoccerpro.com/Kyle-Walker-England-Jersey/ . LOUIS -- Alexander Steen scored a power-play goal with 59. Kieran Trippier England Jersey . The judges scored it 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 for Jones (19-1). It was the champions closest call. Despite the loss, it was a remarkable show by the confident Swedish challenger, who had the best of the early rounds and then hung on in the fourth and fifth. David Beckham Jersey . -- Running backs Darren McFadden and Rashad Jennings were back at practice for the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday despite being hampered by hamstring injuries. Saketh Myneni has achieved a career-high ATP ranking of 137 in the mens singles following his maiden appearance at the US Open.?In the WTA rankings, Sania Mirza (9730) continues to hold the top spot in doubles, but is separated by just five points from former partner Martina Hingis (9725).?The 28-year-old Myneni, who will lead India in the Davis Cup tie against Spain, entered the main draw of the US Open after winning three rounds in the qualifying event and jumped six places to 137.However, Yuki Bhambri dropped to 219 after a steep loss of 48 positions in the ranking ladder. Bhambri is now the third highest-ranked Indian behind Ramkumar Ramanathan, who is placed 203rd. Sumit Nagal is thhe next best Indian at 380; he jumped 14 places following a semi-final appearance at the USD 10,000 Futures event on clay in Reggio Emilia, Italy.ddddddddddddIn doubles, Rohan Bopanna, who has opted out of the Davis Cup tie against Spain citing a knee injury, lost a place to be 18th and was followed by Leander Paes (63) and Divij Sharan (64), who improved by five slots. Purav Raja was static at 73. In the womens singles, Ankita Raina was the best ranked Indian at 292, a loss of three places. She was followed by Prerna Bhambri (408) and Snehadevi Reddy (489). ' ' '