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NEW YORK -- Branden Dawson had 24 points and 10 rebounds and Michigan State beat top-seeded Virginia 61-59 on Friday night to advance to East Regional final. The fourth-seeded Spartans (29-8) will play Connecticut (29-8) on Sunday with a Final Four berth at stake. The seventh-seeded Huskies beat third-seeded Iowa State 81-76 earlier Friday. Michigan State overcame a horrible start to the second half and then withstood a late run by the Cavaliers (30-7) to advance to the regional finals for the eighth time since 1999 -- all under coach Tom Izzo. Joe Harris and Malcolm Brogden both had 17 points for Virginia, which became the second No. 1 seed to be eliminated, joining Wichita State. Adreian Payne had 16 points for Michigan State and his 3-pointer with 1:29 left gave the Spartans the lead for good at 54-51. After a miss by Brogdon, the 6-foot-10 Payne turned point guard, finding Dawson with a line drive lob pass for a dunk with 52 seconds to go. Harris hit a 3 with 39 seconds left to bring the Cavaliers within 56-54. Payne found another way to help the Spartans, making two free throws with 32 seconds left for a 58-54 lead. Brogdon hit a 3 with 1.1 seconds left to bring Virginia within 60-59. Gary Harris made one of two free throws to make it 61-59 and Virginias last attempt was well off the mark. Michigan State came up with a defensive effort that Virginia is known for. The Spartans held the Cavaliers to 35.1 per cent shooting (20 of 57), well off the 45.7 per cent they shot during the season and nowhere near the 54.3 per cent they shot in the two NCAA tournament games. Dawson, who averages 11.0 points per game, has scored in double figures in six straight games and he had a career-high 26 points in the third-round win over Harvard. Michigan State started the second half by missing seven of its first eight shots and committing five turnovers. Virginia took advantage to turn a 31-27 halftime deficit into a 38-34 lead. The Spartans went on a 13-2 run to go up 49-42 with 6:10 to go. Virginia, the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season and tournament champions, answered with a 7-0 run to tie the game at 51 with 1:51 left and then Payne accounted for Michigan States next seven points. Michigan State, which has become one of the favourites for the national championship since it has finally become healthy, shot 44.7 per cent from the field (21 for 47) and was able to score just over the 55.5 Virginia had allowed all season in leading the nation in that statistic. The Spartans, who started the season 18-1 and spent three weeks at No. 1 in the AP Top 25, shot 52.3 per cent in their last four games. The Spartans started the game doing what teams just dont against Virginia -- make shots. Michigan State made eight of its first 12 from the field in taking a 21-11 lead with 9:46 left in the first half. The Cavaliers allowed teams to shoot 38.6 per cent from the field for the season. The Spartans finally started to miss -- making only one of their next eight shots -- and Virginia took advantage with a 12-0 run that gave the Cavaliers a 25-23 lead with 3:30 to go. Joe Harris and Brogdon hit 3s in the run -- Virginia only had three in the first half -- and reserve Anthony Gill contributed three points and brought a hustle spark to the Cavaliers. Gary Harris dunked and Dawson scored on a drive to break a 27-all tie and give the Spartans a 31-27 halftime lead. These were the first NCAA tournament games played at Madison Square Garden since 1961. Billy McKinney Blue Jays Jersey . Monta Ellis had 30 points and nine assists, Nowitzki was another of seven Dallas players in double figures with 11 points and the Mavericks beat the Los Angeles Lakers 123-104 Tuesday night. Randal Grichuk Jersey . 98 jersey in a game yet, and already its a big seller. http://www.bluejaysonline.com/blue-jays-dalton-pompey-jersey/ . Armstrong was given the rank of "Chevalier" -- or Knight -- in the "Legion dHonneur" in 2005, the last year of his seven consecutive Tour de France victories. Ken Giles Blue Jays Jersey . Despite Barcelona showing the same vulnerability in defence, Messis best performance since returning from a lengthy injury layoff ensured that his side bounced back from a defeat by Valencia in the previous round. Paul Molitor Jersey . "I just think what it does for everybody in life is real simple," said Babcock early on Friday afternoon. "You dont give in. You just keep on keeping on. Is it going to go your way every time? No. But you choose your attitude and how you perform and how hard you dig in." Nearly four years to the day of the 2010 gold medal match in Vancouver, his team dug in with its best effort of these Olympics, snuffing out the high-powered Americans for another opportunity at gold.With NFL training camps underway, the league is abuzz with position battles, injury news and rookies making an immediate impact. Each day, TSN.ca provides the latest rumours, reports and speculation from around the NFL beat. Brady Bunch? While reports have come out saying Brian Hoyer is the current front-runner for the starting quarterback job in Cleveland, none have heralded the 28-year-old as one of the greatest of all time. Insert Browns offensive tackle Joe Thomas, who told Clevelands The Plain Dealer that his QB is a lot like a living legend over in New England. "Hes a lot like Tom Brady," Thomas said. "When you look at the way he competes and the way he demands the most out of everybody around him, its no coincidence that those guys played together. (Hoyer) has a lot of those same mental attributes and thats a great thing for a quarterback to have. "Hes the ultimate competitor, and no matter if we drafted a quarterback No. 1 overall, I knew that in his mind he expects to win the job because thats the type of competitor he is and the type of quarterback." Hoyer was Bradys backup with the Patriots from 2009-2011. Back In Action The New Orleans Saints can breathe a little easier now with their prize off-season acquisition back on the field. Safety Jairus Byrd practiced in full pads Tuesday morning and is off the physically unable to perform list. Byrd signed a six-year, $56 million contract free-agent contract with the Saints this off-season, but couldnt attend any practices due to back surgery. The 27-year-old was put on the PUP list last week before training camp started, but seems ready to go now.dddddddddddd Byrd also tweeted earlier Tuesday, "thankful for the day…Be blessed." Look To The West Third-round pick Terrance West might not be the No. 1 running back for the Cleveland Browns to start the season, but is definitely turning heads at training camp. Browns running backs coach Wilbert Montgomery had some high praise for the rookie out of Towson. "Terrance West has some shades of Brian Westbrook," Montgomery said to the Akron Beacon-Journal. "He can break you down with his right leg. He can break you down with his left leg. He has that Ricky Watters, Walter Payton, lure-you-to-sleep-on-the-sideline move that I can accelerate or play like Im going to accelerate and come back inside. Those are traits I havent seen in a while." Off-season pickup Ben Tate is likely the favourite to grab the top position out of camp - and has taken most of the first-team reps so far in practice - but West is not far behind. Depth of Field The New England Patriots got some good news in the return of cornerback Alfonzo Dennard to the practice field on Tuesday. Dennard opened training camp on the PUP list after shoulder surgery during the off-season. He joins a deep corps of corners that features Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner, Kyle Arrington and Logan Ryan. The sophomore, who has started 20 games in the regular season and playoffs in his first two seasons, can expect to see plenty of playing time to open the season as the Patriots will be forced to make do without Browner, who will serve a four-game suspension for violating the NFLs substance abuse policy. ' ' '