winning streak is likely to come from New Zealand

BANGOR, Maine -- Mississippi States Victoria Vivians and Morgan William werent particularly effective in the season opener on Friday, so coach Vic Schaefer decided they should watch most of it from the bench.One night later, the Bulldogs two star guards werent going to be bystanders.Vivians poured in 26 points to lead No. 10 Mississippi State over Maine 87-43 on Saturday in the championship game of the Maine Tipoff Tournament. William added nine assists and five steals in a dominant effort on both ends of the floor.I knew two things were going to happen tonight -- I knew Morgan William and Victoria Vivians were going to play well, Schaefer said.Vivians, who led the Bulldogs in scoring last season, had a big game one night after being held to just four points. The 6-foot-1 junior made 9 of 19 shots from the field (47.4 percent), including four 3-pointers, and also added three steals.Just coming out fresh and knowing that we were playing a good team, it had me energized and ready to go, Vivians said.Mississippi State (2-0) routed its second straight opponent after beating Villanova 108-62 in the season opener. The Bulldogs jumped out a 15-0 lead in the first four minutes and cruised to a 46-23 halftime advantage.Maine (1-1) was led by Naira Carceres and Laia Sole, who both scored eight points. The Black Bears were hurt by 26 turnovers.Thats what we do, Schaefer said. We try to make you uncomfortable. And tonight I thought we did a really good job of that.RARE HOME LOSSMaine had its 20-game home winning streak snapped. The Black Bears won 26 games last season, but lost eight seniors to graduation and are now in the midst of a rebuild.BIG PICTUREMississippi State: Vivians big game was a good sign for the Bulldogs, who will need her scoring throughout the season. She led the team in scoring last year with 17.1 points per game. Mississippi State would like to be a little more balanced this season, but theres no doubt Vivians will be asked to carry a large portion of the offensive burden.Maine: It was a tough night for the Black Bears, who fell into the early hole and could never recover. Maine still had a decent weekend, beating Purdue by 20 points in the tournaments opening game.UP NEXTMississippi State: The Bulldogs face Tulane in Biloxi, Mississippi, on Wednesday.Maine: The Black Bears travel to face Harvard on Tuesday. Fake NBA Jerseys . The Dutchmans tenure got off to a poor start when referee Guido Winkmann awarded a penalty within two minutes for Niklas Starks clumsy challenge on Alexandru Maxim. Fake Jerseys . Just as Montreal was settling into the first full working week of a new year, the Impact announced the appointment of their new head coach. https://www.fakejerseys.us.com/ . -- Aldon Smith believes he is on the path to being sober for good. Fake Basketball Jerseys .C. -- Todd Fiddler scored a hat trick, including the overtime goal, as the Prince George Cougars survived an 8-7 win against the Kamloops Blazers in Western Hockey League play Sunday. Fake Hockey Jerseys . Supported by three-run homers from Jayson Werth and Wilson Ramos, the young right-hander went seven strong innings in the Washington Nationals 8-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night. When Eric Murray and Hamish Bond jump into their boat in Rio, people wont be asking whether theyre going to win, but by how much.The New Zealand pair hasnt lost a race since 2007, so anything but a third consecutive Olympic gold medal would be a major upset.Some of their closest competitors have switched events to avoid having to compete against the blond Kiwis, something that has only strengthened their grip on the mens pair.Here are some of the other things to watch for in the rowing competition.NO SPLASHINGWater quality is a serious concern in the Rodrigo de Freitas lake, where an Associated Press investigation last year found high levels of viruses.Though the international rowing federation called the water quality very acceptable at last years Junior World Championships, its medical commission recommends rowers to avoid inadvertent immersion, including splashing.Taking no chances, the U.S. team will be training in special suits with anti-microbial features. Katelin Snyder, who coxes the U.S. womens eight, said shed gladly skip the tradition of throwing the coxswain in the water, saying winning would be enough of a celebration.THE FANTASTIC EIGHTThe U.S. womens eight is one of most successful teams in international sports, having won every World Championship and Olympic gold medal since 2006.The dynasty has endured even though the crews have changed. Only two rowers, Meghan Musnicki and Eleanor Logan, remain from the eight that won gold in the London Olympics.The biggest menace to the U.S. winning streak is likely to come from New Zealand or Great Britain, which nearly caught up with the Americans in a World Cup race in May in Switzerland.CATCHING CRABBSWhen rowers talk about catching a crab theyre not thinking about trapping crustaceans from the boat.ddddddddddddThe expression is used to describe what happens when the oar blade gets caught in the water at the wrong moment. This causes the oar to flip, which slows down the boat and sometimes it can knock the rower into the water.Its rare among top-level rowers but it happens. Australias mens four caught a crab just ahead of the finish line in a World Cup event in May, which allowed Britain to surge past them and win.RULE BRITTANIA?Britain topped the medal table for rowing in London 2012 with four gold, two silver and three bronze medals. It was Britains biggest medal haul ever in the sport.Thats going to be tough to match for Team GB in Rio. Helen Glover and Heather Stanning will be hard to beat in the womens pair but 40-year-old Katherine Grainger, competing in her fifth Olympics, may find it tough to defend her gold in the womens double sculls. This time Grainger is partnering with Vicky Thornley.Britain has won 63 Olympic medals in rowing, second only to the United States.CROATIAN BROTHERSMartin and Valent Sinkovic are two-time world champions in the mens double sculls and big favorites to win Croatias first Olympic gold in rowing.They used to race in the quadruple sculls and won the silver medal in that event in London four years ago. After teaming up in the doubles in 2014 they havent lost a single race.Valent, 27, is a year older that Martin. Both say they were introduced to rowing by a third brother, Matija Sinkovic. ' ' '