isabled list since April 4 with a strained right forearm, be

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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After slipping from the summit during the week, the Gunners overcame struggling Crystal Palace 2-0 on Sunday thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains second-half brace. HOUSTON -- The Texas Rangers put on quite the power display Friday night against the Houston Astros. Nelson Cruz hit a monstrous home run to tie the score in the sixth inning, Jeff Bakers shot put the Rangers ahead in the next inning and David Murphy added one in the ninth as Texas beat Houston 4-2. Three relievers threw 3 1-3 perfect innings to help the Rangers get the win. Baker greeted Wesley Wright (0-1) with a leadoff home run to right field in the seventh to give the Rangers, who entered the game last in the American League with 14 home runs on the road, their first lead of the night at 3-2. "Any time you can contribute, it is awesome," Baker said. "Especially when you are in the utility role, and you are trying to make the most of your opportunities, getting a big hit. Getting the series started with a win is obviously huge for us." Murphys shot leading off the ninth inning against Travis Blackley extended the Rangers lead and travelled 411 feet. Cruz tied the score at 2-2 with a big solo home run to left field in the sixth off Houston starter Dallas Keuchel. The 416-foot shot bounced off the glass facade above the railroad tracks for Cruzs eighth homer of the season. It ended a 0 for 12 skid for Cruz, who has tied games with four of his long balls this year. "That one Cruz got was huge to get us back in the ballgame right there after they stole a run from us," Washington said. "And then Baker gets us the lead run and Murphy a little bit of insurance. It was all needed." Robbie Ross (1-0) pitched 1 1-3 perfect innings before Tanner Scheppers pitched the eighth and Joe Nathan the ninth for his 10th save of the season. "The bullpen was outstanding," Washington said. "For Robbie to come in and get us 1 1-3 innings and then Schep came in and had a good breaking ball tonight to go with that live fastball that he has. And then Joe did the rest. It was solid." Nathan said the bullpen is in a pretty good rhythm. "The young guys who were question marks coming into the year are throwing the ball great," Nathan said. "Obviously, we are passing the ball along pretty good. We are in a rhythm. We have good confidence down there. We are just trying to throw as many quality pitches as we can and get outs. We know coming out of the pen, we got to be aggressive, throw strikes and get outs for us. Forrtunately, it has gone well.dddddddddddd" Trevor Crowe put the Astros in front 1-0 in the second with a solo home run to left field off Alexi Ogando. The home run was Crowes first in 234 at-bats since July 23, 2010, when he was with the Indians. Elvis Andrus tied it at 1-1 in the third with a bases-loaded walk. The Rangers loaded the bases with one out on a walk by Geovany Soto and singles by Craig Gentry and Ian Kinsler. Following Andrus walk, Keuchel struck out Lance Berkman and got Adrian Beltre to fly out to centre to end the inning. Houston responded with a run of its own in the bottom of the inning as Jose Altuve doubled with one out, advanced to third on Jason Castros groundout and scored on Ogandos wild pitch to make it 2-1. "That was a great reaction," Houston manager Bo Porter said. "He broke the minute the ball broke down. That was great anticipation by Altuve, and a good heads up play." Ogando was rocky in the first, loading the bases on a walk to Chris Carter with two outs before inducing a flyout to centre by Carlos Pena to end the inning. Keuchel, making his first start of the season after appearing in six games this season out of the bullpen, allowed two runs on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts in six innings. Keuchel said he felt good on the mound and felt he could have gone longer. "Before the game I told some of the guys that, since I went to the bullpen and then had that one start down in Triple A, my body has been responding well," Keuchel said. "Even though I got a little hot early, I was able to settle in a little bit." Ogando went 5 2-3 innings, allowing two runs and five hits with three strikeouts and a season-high four walks. NOTES: Texas C A.J. Pierzynski was placed on the disabled list Friday, retroactive to May 6 with a right oblique strain. C Robinson Chirinos was recalled from Triple A Round Rock Friday to take Pierzynskis place on the roster. ... Houston RHP Josh Fields, who has been on the disabled list since April 4 with a strained right forearm, began a rehab assignment Friday with Class A Quad Cities. ... Rangers RHP Yu Darvish, who is 5-1 with a 2.56 ERA, will take the mound Saturday for the first time against Houston since he threw 8 2-3 perfect in