take the offer rather than go deep into the off-season

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TUCSON, Ariz. -- Arizonas offence was disjointed, the shots werent falling, the free throws clanging one after another. Playing without injured forward Brandon Ashley for the first time, the second-ranked Wildcats looked out of sorts on the offensive end, leaving them in jeopardy of their first losing streak of the season. Good thing they know how to play defence, particularly when the game is on the line. Digging in over the closing minutes, Arizona overcame a rough shooting night to win in their first game without Ashley, grinding out a 67-65 victory over Oregon on Thursday night. "Our defence down the stretch is what we rely on," said Nick Johnson, who led Arizona with 18 points. "We have all year." The Wildcats needed it against Oregon. Coming off its first loss of the season, Arizona (22-1, 9-1 Pac-12) laboured offensively without Ashley, who is out for the season with a foot injury suffered last Saturday in a loss at California. The Wildcats went 4 for 16 from three-point range, missed 16 free throws and had a tough time even getting into their set plays. They turned up the pressure with the game on the line and, as they have for much of the season, found a way to make the big plays when they needed to. Point guard T.J. McConnell missed seven of his first eight shots before dropping in a three-pointer with 90 seconds left to give Arizona the lead. Johnson went 5 of 16 from the field, but kept fighting his way through it and hit 5 of 6 free throws in the final 47 seconds. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson provided the Wildcats with a big lift, too, finishing with 14 points, 10 rebounds and all kinds of not-in-the-box score contributions with his hustle in his first start in place of Ashley. "Our offence was a little out synch play-wise, but we battled back," McConnell said. "Weve done that so many times this year, been in games like that before, so I think were a battle-tested team." Oregon (15-7, 3-7) held its composure in one of college basketballs toughest road arenas, keeping the Wildcats at bay well into the second half. When Arizona turned up the pressure and the fans in the McKale Center turned up the noise, the Ducks had no answer. Oregon had a couple of key turnovers late and missed 3 of 4 free throws while shooting toward the raucous Arizona student section in the final 23 seconds. Joseph Young and Jason Calliste had 14 points each and Damyean Dotson added 12 for the Ducks in another oh-so-close loss. "Theyre hurting," Oregon coach Dana Altman said. "This is their third two-point loss. I just told them weve got to be resilient. It hurts having an opportunity and not being able to finish." Arizona had to shuffle its lineup with Ashley out, moving Hollis-Jefferson into the starting lineup and long-range shooter Gabe York into his sixth-man role. The new-look rotation was solid early, dropping in 3-pointers and flying in for dunks while Kaleb Tarczewski had his way inside for 10 points and five offensive rebounds. After that, it was a struggle. With the Ducks double-teaming Tarczewski in the post and McConnell out with his third foul late in the first half, Arizona could only find an offensive rhythm in stretches. The Wildcats didnt help themselves at the free throw line, either, making 11 of 19 in the first half. Arizona got off to a slow start in the second half and trailed most of the way as the shots continued to bounce away. The Wildcats have proven to be strong-minded most of the season -- their only loss was on a last-second shot by Cal -- and again found a way to pull out a not-so-pretty victory. "Tonights game is a real tribute to the team that we have in that it took a lot of resiliency on our part, a lot of belief and toughness because things werent going our way," Arizona coach Sean Miller said. Oregon, the defending Pac-12 tournament champion, has been in a downward spiral since conference play started, losing five straight after being ranked as high as 10th. The Ducks bounced back with two wins in their previous three games, but still needed to start winning to have a chance at returning to the NCAA tournament. After a slow start, Oregon started dropping in shots to lead 38-37 at halftime. The Ducks pushed the lead to seven points midway through the second half, but faltered down the stretch. Oregon fell behind by four after a shot-clock violation and a wild three-point attempt by Young, yet still had a chance in the closing seconds. The Ducks pulled within 64-62 on Dominic Artis shot in the lane, but he missed two free throws and Calliste hit 1 of 2 as Arizonas fans waved wildly in the background. "I thought we were in pretty good shape, but didnt finish it," Altman said. Arizona did, just as it has most of the season. 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The 29-year-old German, the 2011 overall World Cup champion, says she has decided "to end my career now.CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Skip Schumaker is returning to the NL Central, completing a $5 million, two-year contract with the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday that gives them a versatile player off the bench. Schumaker gets a $2 million base salary next season and $2.5 million in 2015. The deal includes a club option for 2016 with a $2.5 million base and a $500,000 buyout. The 33-year-old Schumaker was drafted by current Reds general manager Walt Jocketty and played his first eight seasons in St. Louis, batting .288 with 23 homers and 211 runs batted in. He played for the Dodgers last season, batting .263 in 125 games with two homers and 30 RBIs. He played second base and all three outfield positions last season. "Im not going to assume anything other than that Ill be off the bench, the role Ive been in the last couple of years in the major leagues," Schumaker said during a conference call. "I dont think it will be that much different -- being used off the bench more than anything." To open a spot on the 40-man roster, the Reds designated outfielder Derrick Robinson for assignment. Robinson split time between Triple-A Louisville and Cincinnati last season, batting .255 in 102 games for the Reds. Schumaker was interested in staying with the Dodgers, but got the impression he wasnt a prioority during contract talks.dddddddddddd When the Reds showed an interest, he quickly decided to take the offer rather than go deep into the off-season as a free agent. "I had a great time in LA and especially with the run we had to get to the playoffs, the whole deal of how we started, how we finished -- a pretty ..... run," he said. "I felt there was some unfinished business and maybe going back there. "During negotiations, I kind of felt like maybe I was on the backburner, maybe hold on and sit and wait and see how things developed and what was going on in their organization. And I really didnt want to wait. I felt so good about Cincinnati." The Reds have won 90 games and made the playoffs in three of the last four seasons, but failed to make it past the first round. They fired manager Dusty Baker after they lost the one-game wild card playoff in Pittsburgh. Schumaker said the Reds recent success was a major factor in his decision. "The first thing I wanted to do was sign with a team that has a chance to win," he said. "The Reds have been that way, one of the best teams in the National League the last three or four years. I knew that division really well. Walt Jocketty drafted me and gave me the opportunity to play professional baseball." Wholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' '