Spain found their form in the final 20 minutes to beat Russia 67-59 and advance to the gold-medal matchup at the London 2012 Olympic Games. It was a tale of two halves for Spain, as they only managed 20 points in the opening half but the offense came alive in the second half and was more efficient than it has been over the course of the whole tournament. "I think the team showed their mental strength," Spains coach Sergio Scariolo said. "We just adjusted a few things during the break and in that second half we just did what we had to do." There was not a lot of flow in the opening 10 minutes, as both teams seemed to be feeling each other out and settled for long-range jump shots. They were a combined 3-of-17 from behind the arc. The inside-outside combination of Sasha Kaun and Serge Monya helped Russia open up an 11-point lead at halftime. In one stretch of two minutes, Monya hit three three-pointers. Unfortunately for Russia, he would not make another, finishing the game with nine points. Early in the third quarter, former Denver Nugget Rudy Fernandez hit a pair of big three-pointers that seemed to ignite the Spanish side. By the end of the third quarter, Spain had closed the gap. After recording 20 first-half points, they scored 26 in the third quarter alone. "We knew that we had to do more. We knew that we had to improve," Fernandez said. "We demonstrated in the second half of our game against France that we have a good defence and I think today we showed again that we have a good defence." Just as importantly, Russias star player, Andrei Kirilenko got into foul trouble, picking up his fourth, early in the final period on a reach-in. He was forced to the bench as the Spanish lead continued to grow. Toronto Raptors point guard Jose Calderon then caught fire from long range, burying several key shots from beyond the arc. He finished with 14 points. "Joses four three-pointers opened the game," Spanish guard Sergio Rodriguez said. Those long-range makes also cleared space for Los Angeles Lakers centre Pau Gasol, who along with Calderon, finished off Russia. Gasol powered the inside game for Spain with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Spain will play the winner of the game between the United States and Argentina for the gold medal. holdjersey . Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals are still trying to lock up their berth to the postseason and turn to Lohse on Saturday evening in the second of three straight meetings with the NL East-leading Nats, who have a chance to lock up the division. cheap jerseys . The currently unnamed eight-team league will launch in the spring, U.S. Soccer announced on Wednesday. The clubs will be in Boston, Chicago, Kansas City, New Jersey, Portland, Seattle, western New York and Washington. http://www.holdjersey.com/ . The 19-year-old goaltender made 24 saves for his first QMJHL shutout as the Moncton Wildcats blanked the visiting Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 4-0 on Saturday. wholesale jerseys . - The Green Bay Packers sure look ready for the playoffs. nfl holdjersey . -- Pete Carroll says the "field" in FedEx Field is "horrible.LOS ANGELES -- Barack Obama is urging the NHL and its players to resolve their labour dispute. During an appearance on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno on Wednesday, the U.S. president took time to answer questions submitted from viewers and the studio audience. One fan from Los Angeles asked Obama if he could pull any strings to end the NHLs work stoppage. "You know, I do have a comment on this," said Obama, who is campaigning for re-election. "Every time these things happen I just want to remind the owners and players: You guys make money because youve got a whole bunch of fans out there who are working really hard -- they buy tickets, theyre watching on TV. "You all should be able to figure this out. Get this done. The fans deserve it." Its not the first time Obama has weighed in on a sports labour dispute.dddddddddddd The president sent a tweet a month ago urging the NFL and its officials to end their lockout. "NFL fans on both sides of the aisle hope the refs lockout is settled soon," he tweeted after a mistake by a replacement official decided the outcome of a game between Seattle and Green Bay. The lockout ended a few days later. The NHL lockout has lasted 40 days. All regular-season games through Nov. 1 have been wiped off the schedule, with more cancellations expected to come before the end of the week. All was quiet between the two sides Thursday, the final day before an NHL-imposed deadline to make a deal with the NHL Players Association and preserve a full hockey season. A partial season remains a possibility. No new talks are scheduled. The U.S. presidential election is Nov. 6. ' ' '