ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands -- Abdul-Malik Abu scored 25 points, and North Carolina State pulled away in the second half to beat Montana 85-72 Friday in the opening day of the Paradise Jam tournament.Dennis Smith Jr. added 21 points and Torin Dorn had 16 for the Wolfpack (3-0), who didnt overcome a pesky Grizzlies team until midway through the second half.Montana (0-3) had battled with N.C. State, even leading 40-38 at the half in a game that had 10 ties and 14 lead changes. But the final lead change went the Wolfpacks way, thanks to a 12-2 run that put N.C. State in command.We had to dig down in the second half, N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried said. Defensively, we were a lot better in the second half. From the 15-16 minute mark down, we really defended really well.The Wolfpack went on to lead by as many as 16 points, going up 77-61 with 2:31 remaining on Terry Hendersons 3-pointer.Walter Wright had 22 points, Ahmaad Rorie 15 and Sayeed Pridgett 12 for the Grizzlies.We tried to do a little too much, Montana coach Travis DeCuire said. We were playing well together on both sides of the ball, but they hit a stretch where they started hitting some tough shots. We let some guys get going.BIG PICTUREMontana: The Grizzlies are off to their worst start in coach Travis DeCuires three seasons. Under DeCuire, Montana has gone 20-13 and 21-12.N.C. State: Finally has a win over a team from the Big Sky -- the only one of the 31 Division conferences the Wolfpack did not have a victory against. N.C. State was 0-1 against the conference all time, having lost to Weber State 94-80 in the 1993 Great Alaska Shootout.UP NEXTMontana: Plays the loser of Friday nights Washington State-No. 22 Creighton game on Saturday.N.C. State: Faces the Washington State-Creighton winner in the semifinals on Sunday. Discount Nike React . Any real chance at payback wont come until the playoff. Still, Pittsburgh knows its taut 3-2 win over the Bruins on Wednesday night is a pretty good place to start laying the groundwork. "They are a very good defensive team," Penguins forward Brandon Sutter said. Nike React Discount Cheap . "I was fortunate to play many years at this level with a great organization and unbelievable teammates," said Hejduk in a statement. http://www.cheapnikereact.us/ . Colin Wilson had two goals and an assist, and Mike Fisher scored a goal and helped set up two others in the Predators 6-4 victory over the Red Wings on Monday night. Wholesale Nike React Authentic . - Blake Griffin had 30 points and 12 rebounds, J. Wholesale Nike React Online .C. -- Chris Thorburn thinks one of the reasons the Winnipeg Jets have been successful under new coach Paul Maurice is that theyre playing together as a team. There was a moment earlier this season when there was a bit of a strange sound in Nneka Ogwumikes voice when she was asked about the difficulty of facing defending champion Minnesota.Was that a little edge we heard from Ogwumike? She of the perpetually cheerful disposition and easy, bubbling laugh? Yeah, it sounded that way.She wasnt growling or anything like that. But she basically said she was pretty sure the Lynx were focusing on the Lynx, not the Sparks. Thus, the Sparks needed to do the same thing: focus on themselves.Maybe you could call it part of the competitive evolution of Ogwumike, who accomplished a career milestone by being named the WNBAs MVP on Tuesday. She has always been a selfless player, going back to her great career at Stanford, the kind of player who was just concerned with what was best for her team.She has maintained that attitude through her five years as a professional, including some challenging times with the Sparks. Los Angeles has made the playoffs every year since drafting Ogwumike at No. 1 in 2012. But the Sparks have won just one postseason series, 2-0 over San Antonio in her rookie year.Ogwumike has played for three WNBA coaches, if you count executive vice president/general manager Penny Tolers 12-game stint as coach after Carol Ross was fired in July 2014.Ogwumike has had to play out of position at times, especially last year, filling in the gaps depending on the Sparks personnel. She has learned to guard players at different positions, using speed, quickness, leaping ability and those Stanford smarts to try to stop guards, forwards and centers.At 6-foot-2, Ogwumike is what some coaches admiringly call bouncy. Ive compared her to Tigger before, and it seems apt. But there is also an explosiveness to her that seems more refined and effective this year than ever before. Which is saying something, because she has been a very good player from the first time she stepped on a WNBA coourt.ddddddddddddAnd then, of course, theres the making a ton of shots thing. That reached a new level for Ogwumike this season.Her field goal percentage in her first four seasons: 53.5, 56.6, 52.0, and 52.5. All very respectable, as her scoring average climbed from 14.0 PPG her rookie season to 16.5 last year.This season, shes shooting a ridiculous 66.5 percent from the field (244-of-367). Her efficiency as a scorer leads the WNBA. Its at a historical level, and it was a key factor in her winning the MVP award. She also averaged career highs in scoring (19.7), rebounding (9.1), assists (3.1) and blocked shots (1.2).Statistically, Ogwumikes numbers made a very compelling case for MVP. But you can also point to things like the praise-filled note Los Angeles coach Brian Agler sent out to media members urging them to strongly consider Ogwumike because of everything she does, even when its hard to measure statistically.Sometimes on teams, the glue player is someone whos never going to be an MVP or win any other league honor. But shes the best at keeping everyone light when thats needed, making sure there are no gaps in communication between the players or coaches, and generally taking responsibility even for things that arent her fault.Ogwumike has always done that, and then add to it just that little bit of edge that seemed noticeable -- barely, but there -- this season. It has nothing to do with arrogance or irritation; its about honing a kind of fierce competitiveness that Ogwumike knows the Sparks will need to make a title run.Ogwumike is someone that all the Sparks know they can count on. Her impressive stats were the hard data needed to earn the MVP honor. But the winning personality she brings to the Sparks just adds a layer of evidence that this was an honor she definitely earned. ' ' '