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PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas -- Baylor couldnt get Johnathan Motley going early, Manu Lecomte was fighting his shot and the 20th-ranked Bears found themselves trailing for one of the few times this season.Their response? Cut down on turnovers, frustrate VCU defensively and grind out the tough baskets, a formula that helped Baylor hold off the Rams 71-63 on Wednesday in the opening round of the Battle 4 Atlantis.When youre shooting well and the games coming easy on the offensive end, its easy to have that carry over on the defensive end, Baylor coach Scott Drew said. It takes the mentally tough players when theyre not making shots they normally make to make sure it doesnt carry over and affect that on the defensive end.Motley scored 14 of his 19 points after halftime. Al Freeman scored 15 points, hitting three baskets during a critical second-half sequence for the Bears (4-0).In addition, Lecomte shook off a rough shooting game to finish with 16 points, including a hanging layup while being knocked to the ground for a three-point play to go with several key free throws in the final minute.You needed toughness to play in this type of game, Freeman said.JeQuan Lewis had 21 points for the Rams (3-1). They went without a basket for roughly 6 1/2 minutes during the second half.VCU used a late-half burst to lead 36-28 at the break and shot 58 percent in the opening half, but it cooled in the second half as the Bears defense tightened. VCU shot just 35 percent after halftime.I think we played really well for about 25 minutes, VCU coach Will Wade said. It got away from us the last 15 minutes.BIG PICTUREVCU: The Rams just couldnt find someone to step up and make a big basket as the empty possessions mounted during the critical second-half stretch. That included a run of six straight misses with a few turnovers during that field-goal drought.We have to play a full, complete game to be beat the best teams on our schedule, Wade said. We werent able to do that today.Baylor: Drew could at least feel good about his teams response after falling behind late in the opening half and then trailing through the first 9 minutes of the second half, especially with how it had just five second-half turnovers after committing 11 in the first 20 minutes. Baylor had led for 94 percent of game time through its first three games.I liked the way we fought back, Motley said.POLL IMPLICATIONSThe Bears entered the AP Top 25 this week after upsetting Oregon at home last week. Baylor could only help its standing in the three-games-in-three-days event, especially with No. 10 Louisville and No. 24 Michigan State lurking in the bracket.LECOMTES DAYLecomte had made just 2 of 11 shots before that three-point play with 51.1 seconds left. He also went 10 of 11 from the line, including a 7-for-7 effort in the final minute.I was struggling shooting so my job was just to find the hot man ... and they did a great job finishing, he said.FREEMANS FINISHESFreeman, a 6-foot-3 junior from Charlotte, North Carolina, hit a driving shot then followed with a big 3-pointer off a crosscourt feed. His third big basket came when he drove by Jordan Burgess for a score to push the lead to 60-53 with 3:07 left.UP NEXTVCU: The Rams will play St. Johns, which lost to Michigan State, on Thursday on Day 2 of the three-day tournament.Baylor: The Bears will play No. 24 Michigan State in the semifinals on Thursday.---This story has been corrected to show the first name of Motley is Johnathan, not Jonathan.---Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap---More AP college basketball at http://collegebasketball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-Top25 Mariners Jerseys 2020 . Zvonareva, who won the tournament in 2009 and 10, couldnt handle her opponents big groundstrokes in only her third event back after 17 months out with a shoulder injury. Zvonareva made her comeback in January in Shenzhen and played in the Australian Open but lost her first matches at both tournaments. Seattle Mariners Pro Shop . Fred Couples, captain of the U.S. side, put it all into perspective. "We know whos in charge," he said. https://www.cheapmariners.com/ . -- Ryan Blaney provided more evidence that Penske Racings No. Seattle Mariners Shirts . Bryant, who signed a five-year, $34 million contract as a free agent with Cleveland in March, reported symptoms on Monday morning, a team spokesman said. Custom Seattle Mariners Jerseys . Halladay signed a one-day contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday that allowed the veteran right-hander to retire as a member of team with which he broke into the majors and spent the bulk of his distinguished 16-year career. Lewis Hamilton says anything is possible at the remaining three races as he attempts to overcome the odds and beat teammate Nico Rosberg to the title.Victory at the U.S. Grand Prix moved Hamilton seven points closer to his teammate in the drivers standings, but with the gap still standing at 26 points, the title remains Rosbergs to lose. Hamilton has to win all three races and hope his teammate slips up, while Rosberg can guarantee victory with a minimum of two second places and a third place.Although the title is not in Hamiltons hands anymore, he appeared invigorated by his most recent victory and has vowed not to give up.Im trying to keep a positive mental attitude, he said. There are still points available and anything is possible. The moment you give up is the moment you lose. Ive never given up in my life and I dont plan on doing so now.History has shown lots of ups and downs and changes [in previous years], and if you look at history there have been times where it is dead certain already, and there have been times where it has flipped. So that is exactly why I have got to keep my head down and keep tryingg to do the job I did this weekend, which I seriously believe I can do.ddddddddddddI cant control what has happened to this point. It has already been set. All I can do is when I leave this season I know that I did everything with a full heart.Hamilton has suffered three major engine failures this season, impacting his grid position at the Chinese, Russian and Belgian Grands Prix as well as forcing him to retire from the lead of the Malaysian Grand Prix. Rosberg suffered a suspension failure during practice in Austria, but has not had any power unit problems.So far it has been 100 percent reliable on his side, Hamilton said. But often in seasons there can be 100 percent reliability on a car.Will that be the case on Nicos? Only time will tell. I cant get fixated on that. I have got to focus on mine, and I am hoping for these last three I will have 100 percent reliability -- that would be a real breath of fresh air. I will try and utilise that opportunity with driving like I did today. ' ' '