veterans of the Euro 2004 final loss to Greece on home soil

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The schedule gets much more difficult next week when No. 17 Purdue plays at Louisville in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, but for now, the Boilermakers (4-1) are encouraged about their potential.Purdue crushed previously unbeaten Auburn 96-71 on Wednesday night in the Cancun Challenge championship game after blowing past Utah State 85-64 in Tuesdays semifinals.Combined with the final 7:08 of a Nov. 18 victory against Georgia State, the Boilermakers have outscored their three most recent opponents by 66 points in 87:08 of action.Riding a three-game winning streak, Purdue will face the New Jersey Institute of Technology (3-3) on Saturday afternoon in Mackey Arena in one of the Cancun Challenges on-campus games.The Highlanders, who defeated Idaho State 71-67 in their four-team bracket in Cancun, will play a Purdue team that is averaging 86 points a game and is shooting 51.9 percent from the field, including 44.2 percent from 3-point range (50 of 113).While sophomore forward Caleb Swanigan (18.2 points, 11.8 rebounds) and junior center Isaac Haas (18.2 points, 4.8 rebounds) are Purdues go-to weapons, freshman guard Carsen Edwards and junior forward Vince Edwards -- no relation -- found their collective games in Cancun.Against Auburn, Carsen Edwards scored a career-best 21 points, including 4 of 5 from beyond the arc, and Vince Edwards had 15 and now is 10 of 20 from 3-point range this season.Vince Edwards is averaging 12.2 points and 4.8 rebounds, and Carsen Edwards is averaging 10.2 points and 2.2 rebounds.The pair helped the Boilermakers shoot 64.3 percent against Auburn (36 of 56), including 17 of 26 from beyond the arc, one make short of the school record 18 against Vermont on Nov. 15, 2015.It felt great, Carsen Edwards said of his career best. When I am open, I am going to shoot it, and when I feel like I can get by my man, I will do that. You have to pick open spots and just take them. I have been trying to take what the defense gives me.Until the Auburn game, Purdue leading returning scorer Vince Edwards had struggled to make shots and avoid turnovers.I just had to keep playing, Vince Edwards said. The coaches just said to go out and play and play hard. The second half against Auburn was huge for me. It was like the weight of the world was finally off my shoulders.Coach (Matt) Painter always says that good shots are going to fall. I was getting frustrated because I was getting good shots and missing those wide-open shots. My teammates were picking me up and staying with me.As well as the 6-foot-8 Swanigan and the 7-2 Haas are playing, Painter is thrilled with what he got from Edwards and Edwards in Mexico.We really got some momentum against Auburn through their efforts in the second half, Painter said. Vince made some shots, and obviously, Carsen was playing well. Things really got in sync for us in the second half of the Auburn game.NJIT is led by senior guard Damon Lynn (22.5 points), who tallied 24 or more points on three occasions this season, topped by 34 points against Utah State. Lynn leads the nation in career 3-pointers made (374) and ranks second in points (1,855).The Highlanders also notched a stunning win on the big stage two seasons ago when they upset then-No. 17 Michigan 72-70 behind 20 points from Lynn. Nike Air Max 270 Discount .ca! Kerry, Two nights after the Scott-Eriksson incident in Buffalo, the Bruins returned home to play San Jose. In that game, Zdeno Chara put a check on Tommy Wingels that clearly targeted his head. Nike Air Max 270 React Electro Green .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. http://www.max270cheap.com/air-max-270-flyknit-sale.html . The 25-year-old Japanese star has officially been posted by his club team, the Rakuten Golden Eagles. Nike Air Max 270 Womens Discount . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Air Max 270 Wholesale . There are surprises among the Vezina candidates, but most of the others are standard top-tier performers, even if the two Hart Trophy runners-ups have never been quite as good as they have been through the first half of the season. PARIS -- Cristiano Ronaldo and Ricardo Carvalho have waited a dozen years to reach another final with Portugal. Some teammates will have a more recent Portuguese setback on their minds going into Sundays European Championship final against France.Joao Mario, William Carvalho, Rafa Silva and Raphael Guerreiro were in the squad at the European Under-21 Championship a year ago when Portugal was denied the title by Sweden.I have lost a final last year and I hope this year things are different, the 23-year-old Mario said Friday. Im sure that its the match of our lives because theres nothing better than playing in a tournament like this one for our country.Marios stock has certainly been on the rise in the last year. What he lacks in height, he makes up for with intelligent technique on the ball. The playmaker has been linked with a post-Euro 2016 move from Sporting Lisbon to Inter Milan.My only focus is on playing this final, Mario said, avoiding discussing his club career at the Portugal training base south of Paris.If Mario needs advice on leaving Portugal for one of Europes bigger leagues, he only has to look across the dressing room at Ronaldo and Ricardo Carvalho. Ronaldo left Sporting for Manchester United in 2003. A year later, after impressing in central defense at Euro 2004, Carvalho earned a move from Porto to Chelsea.Ronaldo and Carvalho, veterans of the Euro 2004 final loss to Greece on home soil, are well placed to calm any anxieties heading into Sundays final at the Stade de France.We have players who give us advice at certain moments in the match, Mario said, without providing names. Theyre older and more experienced, thats normal, but were also a bit cheeky towards them, which comes from our youth. The most iimportant thing is to give the young players a chance, and the coach did.ddddddddddddOlder players are getting chances too from coach Fernando Santos.At the other end of the age scale to Mario is 32-year-old Jose Fonte who has had to make the international grade the hard way.Five years ago, the defender was playing in the English third tier -- the start of a rise to the Premier League with Southampton where he remains.Obviously Ive always had the ambition and the desire and the belief that I could get there (to the Portugal team), Fonte said this week. As soon as I could get to the Premier League, I thought Id be closer to the dream, to my target.Fortunately, weve been able to progress at Southampton to be a top-six or seven club in the Premier League, and that gave me the opportunity to be selected by the manager (Santos). Its something that I am proud of and something Ill always cherish, this time in Euro 2016.Its not over yet.Portugal will need to beat France for the first time since 1975 if it is to win a first major international title. The Portuguese arent trying to avoid being weighed down by the lop-sided nature of the rivalry.France hadnt beaten Germany for a long time but they did yesterday, Mario said. Im sure that France will go out onto the pitch with a different mentality. Theyll be playing at home and theyre allowed to dream of victory.Were very ambitious and were aware of our past against France. Thats what will motivate us and certainly give us even more strength to win this final.---Rob Harris can be followed at www.twitter.com/RobHarris and www.facebook.com/RobHarrisReports ' ' '