SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- A day after learning what it felt like to be humbled, No. Steven Berghuis Jersey . 10 Virginia Commonwealth learned how to benefit from the experience. After being virtually beaten at its own fast-paced style in a loss to Florida State, the 10th-ranked Rams found a way to win with their late-game toughness in a 73-67 victory over Long Beach State in the consolation bracket of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. Rob Brandenberg scored 19 points and helped ignite a rally that proved to be too much for a 49ers team that lost its fifth straight game. The Rams (4-1) trailed by eight early in the second half before reeling off that 13-0 run to take back control. "I was just trying to stay aggressive and just try and help my team any way I can," Brandenberg said of the spurt. "I realize that we had to play with some urgency at that time. It worked out." The victory earned the Rams a matchup Sunday with Georgetown, the team it beat in the second round of the 2011 NCAA tournament to first land VCUs program on the national stage. VCU had four players in double figures, including Juvonte Reddic with17 points and 10 rebounds, and Briante Webber with 15 points. Rams coach Shaka Smart called it a "hard-fought win." "I thought we responded well," Smart said. "Last night was a humbling game. And thats a good thing. Losing not a good thing, but its good to be humbled because it reminds you that you have a long way to go and we have to get better. " Long Beach State handled VCUs pressure well at times, committing only 10 turnovers. But it shot just 7 of 19 on 3-pointers. It was the first of VCUs five opponents this season that didnt have at least 20 giveaways. Branford Jones led Long Beach State (1-5) with 19 points and Mike Caffey added 15. But where VCUS defensive pressure failed it in the first half, the Rams began to succeed in speeding up the 49ers in the final 20 minutes of the game. It didnt always produce turnovers, but it did force Long Beach State into quick shots. A string of misses triggered the 13-0 spurt that put the Rams up 55-50 with under 12 minutes to play. Long Beach State coach Dan Monson said it was a run they didnt have an answer for. "I thought we controlled the tempo and were able to dictate the tempo for 35 minutes," Monson said. "Thats all it took, just that two or three minutes against a team that dangerous, that explosive. Our margin for error was very small and we used it in that three-minute thing and we couldnt get a rebound or that next play to get us back in it." Long Beach State got the lead back at 58-57 on a 3-pointer by A.J. Spencer, but another quick burst by the Rams put them back in front 68-60 with 2:45 remaining. A 3-pointer from the wing by Jones and another 3 by Caffey with 16.5 seconds left cut it to 72-67. Long Beach State was aggressive in the opening 20 minutes and led 36-35 at the break. Both teams were up and down the floor in a half that featured nine ties and eight lead changes. The 49ers werent intimidated by the Rams pressure and turned it over only three times. VCU was shakier with the ball with six giveaways. The Rams were just 14 for 31 from the field, but had five 3s to keep pace. Smart said he likes the direction his team is trending in during its stay in San Juan. "Our guys are only human and theres been a lot of things said about them the last couple of months. Then they get that little number next to their name," he said. "But theres a process that goes into winning and theres a process into getting better. And I think last night reminded us of that. "The way we responded tonight was pretty good." Bruno Martins Indi Jersey . Patrick Deslisle-Houde and David Rose each scored in the second to give the fourth-seeded Redmen a 3-1 lead after Jean-Philippe Mathieu scored in the first. Daley Blind Jersey . Colorado came up big against Chicago last spring, and repeated that performance Tuesday night. Varlamov stopped 36 shots and Paul Stastny had a goal and an assist for the Avalanche in a 5-1 victory over the Blackhawks. http://www.soccernetherlandsshop.us/Robin-Van-Persie-Netherland-Jersey/ . JOHNS, N.CHICAGO -- Dennis Rodman is preparing to thrill North Korean fans during an exhibition basketball tour there late next month. Though he ducked questions in an interview with The Associated Press about whether his Christmas-time visit would be used for propaganda purposes by Kim Jong Un, the 29-year-old leader of one of the worlds most repressive regimes, Rodman said hell be accompanied on the trip by a dozen or so former NBA players. But he refused to name names. "I have seven people right now," Rodman said. "I talked to a couple of guys last week. Lot of guys are saying, OK, great. Ill go. Well go. But Im not saying this to get people to go over there to prove a point -- OK, great, lets go over there and make a difference. "No-o-o-o-o-o," he continued. "Lets go over there because this is a great opportunity for everyone to see a different culture. ... This country is so bad. This city is so bad. OK, great, come see it and tell the world when you come back, Hey, its not as bad as you think. And thats why Im taking NBA players over there, to show them, so they can come back and talk about it." Back in the news as a self-appointed ambassador and friend of Kim, Rodman returned Thursday to where he won the last three of his five NBA championships playing alongside Michael Jordan. On a promotional tour to pitch a vodka brand, Rodman, 52, held court downtown amid camera flashes. Rodman said he wouldnt talk about his relationship with Kim or North Korean politics, including its widely condemned human-rights record and secretive nuclear weapons program. Though he eventually touched on those subjects, Rodman glossed over several related questions and largely ignored a challenge to his answer about whether North Korea was holding U.S. citizens as hostages, including 85-year-old Korean War veteran Merrill Newman. The Swedish Embassy is negotiating on behalf of Newman because the U. Karim Rekik Jersey. .S. has no diplomatic ties to North Korea. Rodmans friendship with Kim has afforded him the kind of access denied statesmen from the West and even U.S. President Barack Obama. Rodman came under criticism for being "naive" during a previous visit to North Korea, where he was photographed often with Kim, and some members of the diplomatic community fear his antics could further aggravate already-sensitive negotiations. Rodman said his reasons for returning were much more personal and beyond that, Kims motives were not his concern. "Like I told you, this is not all about trying to create this major buzz," Rodman said. "Because I dont want my friend to sit there and say I been doing this all along to slip in some information on him. I dont want that. Thats why Im not doing that. Were friends and thats it. "This aint about me trying to be a politician and try to get some scoop on him and stuff like that. ... Hes my friend first. Other than that, I dont give a damn what ... he does." Rodman began his NBA career with the Detroit Pistons in 1986. It ended in 2000, after failed attempts to catch on with both the Lakers and Mavericks. Whether or not he misses the game, its clear he enjoys being back in the limelight, detractors and all. "People say, what do you do for a living? I dont know. I just float around the world. Basically, I dont do anything. I do a lot of major things around the world. I do things that is very significant right now, and people are actually paying attention to Dennis Rodman now. "Back when I was doing my finagling in sports, they thought I was a joke. They thought I was a cartoon character or something like that. All of a sudden now, people are taking me seriously. You know, an ambassador all around the world," he added. "Its like ... I think things have come full circle." NFL Jerseys Wholesale Cheap Authentic Jerseys China Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Discount NFL Jerseys ' ' '