50 per cent in the second half, to pick up the victory. Ashley shot 7

TORONTO -- They called it a serious mistake that Jonas Valanciunas must learn from. But otherwise the Toronto Raptors players and staff are standing behind their starting centre after he was charged with drunk driving. The 21-year-old apologized to his teammates, and will play in Wednesdays game against the visiting Philadelphia 76ers, but news of his arrest drew a large contingent of media to practice on Tuesday and negative attention to a team bound for the playoffs for the first time in six seasons. "(I was) disappointed a little bit," Raptors GM Masai Ujiri said of his reaction to the arrest. "As an organization, its not something we take lightly, its not something I feel we are just going to brush aside. (But) hes a young kid ... I look at all of you here and I wonder what we were all doing when we were 21, so there are mistakes that are made." Valanciunas was arrested early Monday morning in Wasaga Beach, Ont., a popular vacation destination for college students about 100 kilometres north of downtown Toronto, and charged with having more than 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. Police say they began investigating after a report that a vehicle went through a drive-thru with open beer bottles visible. The Lithuanian met with Ujiri for an hour on Monday, and had his "face in his hands," the GM said. He also met with Tim Leiweke, the president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. "I think he feels he let his teammates down, he let his fans down, the organization," Ujiri said. "Thats Jonas, hes a great kid. And I think he made some kind of a mistake, but I think the most important thing is its not going to happen again, and he understands that." Ujiri spoke to a media horde of more than 40-strong. There were nine television cameras. Valanciunas was not made available to reporters after what coach Dwane Casey said was a great practice by the sophomore centre, but issued a statement with an apology on Monday. "I hold myself to a high standard and take my role as a member of the Toronto Raptors very seriously," Valanciunas said. "I apologize to the organization, my teammates, my family and my fans, and regret any negativity this incident has brought upon them." Valanciunass first court appearance is scheduled for Collingwood, Ont., on April 22, which is a couple of days after the start of the playoffs. Valanciunas does not have to attend and so a lawyer will stand in for him. He still may face a suspension of a couple of games by the NBA, but that wouldnt come until the results of his trial which would likely be during the summer. The Raptors will decide on any further punishment such as a fine or suspension following the leagues ruling. Most of the Raptors and their families attended the Toronto Blue Jays game on a day off from practice Sunday. Ujiri said Valanciunas instead went to Wasaga Beach with his wife and some friends. The seven-footer is averaging 11 points and 8.6 rebounds a game, and his growth this season is a big part of why the Raptors are in third in the Eastern Conference and poised to win the Atlantic Division title. Casey spoke of Valanciunas much like he would a son. "Like I told him, Im upset with him and disappointed, but hes mine so we love him," Casey said. "He made a mistake, but like any other young man has probably done before, or had the opportunity before. We dont condone it, the organization doesnt condone it, and its a tough time of year to do it. But its happened. ... "We all make mistakes, its what we do after it that is how were going to be judged." Kyle Lowry said the young teammate that he views as a little brother was "sick right now" over the mistake. "Hes really hurt by it, hes really embarrassed by it, very disappointed in himself. I can tell you that for sure," the veteran point guard said. "Its just a mistake that he made, its unfortunate that it happened to such a good kid in JV, but it happened, hes 21, hes going to learn from it. Im sure hell never make that mistake again," he added. Lowry said his advice was: "Just be more responsible. We have all the benefits of having drivers and taxis. Thats it, be more responsible." Raptors all-star DeMar DeRozan said the incident was a regrettable mistake, but added the players support for each other in any situation is part of what has made Toronto one of the best teams in the East this season. "At the end of the day, were all human. We can look at everybody in here and ask them: have they done something wrong, or made a mistake in life. Its part of life. Its something you learn from and grow from." "No matter what guys go through, were always there for them, family, whatever it may be, somebodys kid is sick ... its always something, and were always there for one another. Thats big because you dont get that with every team that you play for." The Raptors said the negative news wont be a distraction to the team that has won six of its last seven games. "Not at all," Lowry said. "We had a great practice today, really spirited, really competitive, really positive vibe in there." "Ive been coaching since 79 and Ive seen a little bit of everything," Casey added. "This is very serious, a very serious matter, but its not enough to distract the team and that type of thing. "His teammates were very supportive of him, and to them its a great lesson also, the focus and the discipline you have to have in your own life to go forward." The last Raptor to be charged with drunk driving while still a member of the team was Dee Brown, who was stopped by police in 1999 in Toronto and charged with impaired driving and later convicted. But a judge found he was a victim of racial profiling and overturned the conviction. Cheap New Balance Shoes Online Australia . As for regular Olympic spectators, theyre being warned that most travel insurance policies wont cover acts of terrorism or war. The Games in southern Russia, which run from Feb. 7-23, are being staged amid unprecedented security and under global warnings of danger. New Balance Sale Australia . Dillon Brooks scored 26 points on 9-17 shooting for Canada while pulling down six rebounds and picking up six steals. Teammate Chris Egi had 20 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks. http://www.cheapaustralianewbalance.com/ . "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. New Balance Shoes Online Australia . - Quarterback Brady Quinn says he has been released by the Miami Dolphins. New Balance Clearance Outlet Australia . Betancourt was 2-5 with a 4.08 ERA and 16 saves for the Rockies last season before tearing a ligament in his pitching elbow. He considered undergoing platelet-rich plasma therapy to fix his arm, but announced in August his decision to have Tommy John surgery.LOS ANGELES -- Turnovers and other miscues doomed Southern Californias chances of repeating its recent success against Arizona when the Wildcats are ranked. Brandon Ashley and T.J. McConnell each scored a season-high 19 points and the No. 1 Wildcats beat Southern Cal 73-53 Sunday night to improve to 17-0 for the best start in school history. The Trojans had won four of the last six meetings with Arizona when it was ranked. That success didnt mean much when USC (9-7, 0-3 Pac-12) was held to a season-low in points, got to the free throw line only eight times and committed 18 turnovers. "We definitely turned the ball over too many times and had too many possessions where we didnt score," Trojans coach Andy Enfield said. "Against a good team like Arizona, you have to convert." Byron Wesley scored 18 points and reserve Strahinja Gavrilovic added a career-high 10 points to lead USC, which has lost three straight and four of its last six. The Trojans stayed close most of the game and trailed 48-43 with nine minutes remaining, but Arizona outscored the USC 25-10 the rest of the way to turn the close game into a rout and improve to 4-0 in conference play. "We had chances to make plays and we didnt in transition," USC guard PeShon Howard said. "We have to put together a 40-minute game. Tonight we probably did 30 minutes. There are a lot of positives to take from this. We battled the No. 1 team in the country." Arizona never trailed in the second half to secure win number 17, breaking the previous school record for best start of 16-0 set by the 1931-32 Wildcats. "Were really excited about it, we really are," Arizona coach Sean Miller said. &"We talked about it and its something I think all of us will really cherish.dddddddddddd. Any school record you break at Arizona in the basketball program is a real record because of the great tradition that we have." Nick Johnson chipped in 15 points and Aaron Gordon had 12 for the Wildcats in the second straight game theyve had four players reach double figures in scoring. Arizona didnt outrebound its opponent for the first time this season, with each team getting 30 boards apiece. But the Wildcats shot 46.6 per cent (27 of 58) from the field, including 50 per cent in the second half, to pick up the victory. Ashley shot 7 of 10 from the field and McConnell was 7 of 12, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range, to pace the Wildcats. "Usually I try to set up the offence and get other people the ball, but tonight they were playing off me and I just hit shots," said McConnell, who also had six assists. "If they dont think I can shoot Im going to try and prove them wrong, and if they close out Ill go around them and get other people the ball." Arizona completed its first road sweep of the conferences Los Angeles schools since 2004-05, having beaten UCLA 79-75 Thursday night. USC was playing its first game against a No. 1 ranked team since February 2004, when they fell to Stanford 76-67. The Trojans last victory over a top-ranked team came nearly 44 years ago when they beat UCLA 87-86 on March 6, 1970. Lakers guard Nick Young, a USC alum, and forward Jordan Hill, an Arizona alum, were in attendance together at the Galen Center. They were joined by former Lakers forward Luke Walton (Arizona alum) and former USC and NFL quarterback Matt Leinart. ' ' '