ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands -- Marcus Foster admits that No. 12 Creighton really hasnt faced a tough test yet, even after beating No. 9 Wisconsin a week ago.But the Bluejays got such a test Monday night, getting pushed to the limit by Mississippi before coming away with a 86-77 victory in the championship game of the Paradise Jam tournament.Foster scored 25 points, and three other players finished in double figures for Creighton (5-0), which climbed 10 places in the AP Top 25 rankings released earlier Monday.This team is very tight, and were very close, said Foster, the tournaments MVP. Weve just got to stick together when we face adversity.Khyri Thomas added 16 points, Toby Hegner had 12 and Justin Patton 11 for the Bluejays (5-0), who trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half and were down 50-40 with 18:44 left in the second half.There was a lot of pointing fingers, a lot of arguing with the coaches, a lot of arguing with teammates, Foster said. At halftime, we talked and came closer as a family. We have to stick together when we face adversity. We havent faced adversity all season, but we did tonight.Creighton began its rally at that point, whittling down the Rebels lead until tying the score twice, the last at 74-74 with 5:45 left. Thomas then put the Bluejays ahead to stay with his three-point play with 3:40 remaining.That ignited a 12-3 Creighton run to close out the game, capped by a pair of free throws from Thomas with 40 seconds left.It was their offensive rebounding, Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. You cant run if you dont get a rebound. They were so physical on the glass . and we cant play with any pace if that happens. But we stuck with it, and the guys stuck together. Defensively and in rebounding, we stepped up when we had to.Deandre Burnett and Rasheed Brooks scored 22 points each, and Cullen Neal added 10 for Mississippi (4-1).Changing our defenses slowed them down a little bit, Rebels coach Andy Kennedy said. But in the second half, it came down to them making plays. Our kids really battled, but when a Top 20 team shoots 16 of 26 from 3, its hard.BIG PICTUREMississippi: Dominated the boards in the first half, with a 26-11 advantage. That included a 12-4 edge in offensive rebounds, leading to 19 second-chance points for the Rebels. They finished with a 37-27 advantage, 17-7 in offensive rebounds and 20-4 edge in second-chance points.Creighton: The Bluejays, fresh off a 10-spot jump in the Top 25 rankings, shot 52.5 percent from the field (31 of 59), and made 16 of 26 3-pointers. That offset Mississippis advantage in second-chance points.TURNING POINTAfter tying the score for the final time, Thomas scored eight of Creightons final 12 points. After his three-point play, he connected on a 3-pointer, then capped things off with a pair of free throws with 45 seconds remaining.STAT LINECreighton reserve center Zach Hanson had missed just two field goals in the Bluejays first four games (16 of 18). But against Mississippi, he was held to 1 of 7 shooting before coming out of the game with an ankle injury in the second half.POLL IMPLICATIONSCreightons big move up the Top 25 rankings may have been a little premature. At the very least, Mississippi may get some consideration from the Top 25 voters when the next rankings come out.UP NEXTMississippi: Hosts fellow Paradise Jam participant Montana on Thursday.Creighton: Hosts Loyola (Md.) on Saturday. Hayden Hurst Youth Jersey . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. Hayden Hurst Ravens Jersey . -- Quarterback Will Finch threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns, and Yannick Harou rushed in two scores as the No. http://www.cheapravensshoponline.com/Youth-Ray-Lewis-Ravens-Jersey/ . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human. Jonathan Ogden Jersey . It just didnt show when he hit the ice. Berra made 42 saves and Kris Russell scored at 1:32 of overtime, lifting the Calgary Flames to a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night. Justice Hill Womens Jersey . PAUL, Minn. CINCINNATI -- Linebacker Vontaze Burfict ran out of the tunnel and into the fog that the Bengals generate for their pregame introductions.He emerged from the cloud to a great cheer at Paul Brown Stadium.After sitting out three games on an NFL suspension, Burfict was back. And so was the Bengals stingy defense.The defense gave up a lot of big plays and got little pressure on the quarterback during a 1-2 start. It was back in character during the previous game with its volatile, playmaking linebacker in the middle of things once again.Cincinnati had by far its best defensive showing during a 22-7 win over the Dolphins last Thursday. The victory got Cincinnati (2-2) back to break-even and eased many of the concerns over how long it would take the defense to regain its edge.Absolutely, defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said. What I expect to see -- thats how I envision it. Hopefully well continue on that trend. Thats the group Im used to seeing.The Bengals kept the core of the defense intact in the offseason. The biggest loss was Burfict, whose hit to Antonio Browns head helped the Steelers get in range for the winning field goal and an 18-16 victory in the first round of the playoffs. That hit, along with previous other infractions, prompted the NFL to suspend the linebacker for three games.Burfict isnt only their leading tackler; hes also the one who helps everyone get lined up in the right spots for plays.He adds a lot of different elements as far as knowing the defense, lining guys up, getting the (play) calls, all of the adjustments you have to, and then just the energy he brings to the group is really big, Guenther said.Burfict was on the field for 34 of the defenses 45 snaps, more than any other linebacker. Coach Marvin Lewis used the lopsided game to get Burfict back into playing shape.I hadnt had any practices or anything like that and having tto play the full game, I was a little sore, Burfict said.ddddddddddddBut its kind of a mind-over-matter thing.Hes expected to play a lot again on Sunday in Dallas (3-1) against an offense thats among the best in the league at running the ball. The Cowboys rank second in the league in both offense and yards rushing. Rookie Ezekiel Elliott leads the league with 412 yards, averaging 4.4 per carry.If you go back and look at some of the film, some of the holes are so wide open that my little girl could run through there, cornerback Adam Pacman Jones said.I think a couple teams they played were very undisciplined when it comes to gaps. But I take my hat off to the guy. Hes been playing pretty good.The Bengals defense had trouble stopping the run in the first three games, but improved at that, too, against a Dolphins team thats among the worst at running the ball.Now they get to see whether that was a one-time improvement or if theyve corrected those problems as well.Its going to be a really good battle, end Carlos Dunlap said. They have a really good running game, and we pride ourselves on stopping the run.Game notes CB Dre Kirkpatrick had a second full day of practice on Thursday, an indication hes ready to start against Dallas after missing one game with a hamstring injury. ... TE Tyler Eifert missed a second straight day of practice with a sore back in addition to his recovery from ankle surgery in the offseason. Hed miss his fifth game on Sunday. ... RT Cedric Ogbuehi also missed practice with an illness, and reserve tackle Jake Fisher sat out with a bad back. ... G Clint Boling (shoulder) and RB Jeremy Hill (chest) were limited again.---Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '