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Sydney FC have corrected a slight wobble in their A-League season with a 2-0 defeat of depleted battlers Newcastle, but will have to raise the bar further in next weekends FFA Cup final rematch with Melbourne City.Two second-half moments of brilliance from Milos Ninkovic and substitute Bernie Ibini made up for a forgettable opening stanza and ensured the Sky Blues remain unbeaten and extend their lead at the top of the table to six points.Both sides had a woeful number of turnovers but the injury-ravaged Jets endured an unrewarding fight that leaves them in ninth and winless in seven games.Mark Jones side showed promise on the counter-attack and Andrew Hoole found space on the right flank, but the former Sky Blues winger was too often without support for it to manifest into anything meaningful.The difference was key moments, Jones said.We actually got ourselves in good areas in the first half and other times turned it over when we should have kept the ball.Sydney coach Graham Arnold hoped installing fresh legs and fresh minds into his starting XI would be the difference following two draws and Wednesdays FFA Cup final capitulation.Four changes is the most Arnold has made all campaign and it was telling two of the victims were marquees Bobo and Filip Holosko, whove struggled to maintain their searing early-season form.In their place skipper Alex Brosque, David Carney and youngster George Blackwood led the attack but lacked a cutting edge.First-time starter Milos Dimitrijevic was arguably Sydneys strongest performer despite having played just 12 minutes of A-League football this season.Dimitrijevic delivered a lovely through ball for Brosque early on and laid off the pass for Ninkovics 63rd-minute goal, though could not take credit for the marauding solo effort of his fellow Serb, who eased past three defenders and drilled home his fifth goal of the season.As Arnold began to ring the changes the impetus lifted though several chances were blown until Ibinis introduction.It was only his second A-League appearance since returning from a badly broken leg but the 24-year-old made it count with his first goal since the 2014-15 semi-final against Adelaide.Running out of space just wide of the penalty area, Ibini employed some slick footwork to weave around two Jets defenders before beating another and making two attempts at Jack Duncans goal, the second nestling into the corner.It wasnt an easy first half ... we got in the right areas to hurt them but the final pass, final decision let us down, Arnold said.We spoke at halftime about more composure in the final third and I thought we did that in the second half.Ben Kantarovski appeared set to join Newcastles ever-growing treatment table after exiting with a knee problem but Jones said the midfielder would be fine. Clayton Kershaw Jersey . Brad Jacobs and his Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., team took control of the game early. Bill Buckner Jersey . Perez, 35, posted a 1-2 record with a 3.69 earned-run average in 19 relief appearances last season. His season ended Aug. 9 due to a torn ligament in his left elbow. Perez joins infielder Andy LaRoche and catcher Mike Nickeas with minor-league agreements for 2014 that include invitations to attend spring training. https://www.cheapdodgersonline.com/2665h-charlie-hough-jersey-dodgers.html .com) - The Pittsburgh Penguins placed forward James Neal on injured reserve Tuesday. Hideo Nomo Dodgers Jersey . -- An ugly goal by Nick Bonino helped the Anaheim Ducks overcome the defensive-minded Phoenix Coyotes on a night when their ragged power play continued to struggle. Orel Hershiser Jersey .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The NCAA announced Tuesday that 77 percent of black mens Division I basketball players who entered college in 2009 earned a degree within six years, up five points from a year earlier and a record high.That improvement helped the overall Graduation Success Rate match last years record of 86 percent of athletes graduating within six years, the NCAA said. Of all black Division I student-athletes, 74 percent graduated within six years. NCAA President Mark Emmert said in a news release the improved rates were hugely significant.Over the last 15 years, the overall Graduation Success Rate has dramatically improved, but the really good news is how college sports helps more and more minority students, especially those playing our highest-profile sport, earn a degree that will help them long after their athletics career is over, he said.The graduation rate for black basketball players is up 31 percentage points over the past 15 years, the NCAA said . Overall, all black male athletes have increased their GSR by 19 percentage points to 70 percent during that time. Black female athletes improved their rate 13 points to 84 percent over that same time.For all Division I athletes, the rate increased 12 percentage points during the past 15 years.B. David Ridpath, an associate professor and sports business and president of The Drake Group, an NCAA watchdog, said the GSR provides only a partial picture, pointing to reports of athletes at North Carolina taking courses aimed at boosting their GPAs in a department popular with athletes.Are we essentially practicing eligibility maintenance, potentially in a major with friendly faculty? he said. Are these kids graduating with a very meaningful, vital degree that can benefit them for the next 50 to 60 years of their life? In some cases, yes, this is happening. But all too often -- aand I know this because I worked in college athletics -- were essentially pushing these kids through, keeping them eligible and in cases where they do graduate they might not be graduating with the requisite skills.ddddddddddddAmong football teams in The Associated Press Top 25 , the only teams with a GSR 65 percent or lower were No. 25 Troy at 65 percent and No. 13 Oklahoma State at 50 percent. Among Top 25 mens basketball teams , No. 4 Oregon had a GSR of 38 percent, No. 25 California 40 percent, No. 5 North Carolina, No. 18 Syracuse and No. 24 Cincinnati all had GSRs of 50 percent, and No. 13 Michigan State has a GSR of 63 percent.The University of Connecticut mens basketball team had one of the lower graduation rates at 22 percent, according to the latest results. But those 2009 numbers were actually a big improvement over previous years. The teams GSR rose from just 8 percent in 2006, 17 percent the following year and 20 percent in 2008.School spokesman Mike Enright said the poor graduation rate reflects the same time period for which UConn was sanctioned by the NCAA and missed the 2013 postseason because of an another indicator, the Academic Progress Rate, which measures whether players are in good academic standing.The school has reported perfect or near perfect APR scores since 2012-13 and is expecting similar numbers this year, Enright said. He also said all current members of the basketball team are on track to graduate.The academic achievement of our mens basketball team has been outstanding the past several years and I have a full expectation that this will continue, athletic director David Benedict said.---AP Sports Writer Pat Eaton-Robb in Storrs, Connecticut, contributed to this report. ' ' '