Gold will be on Andy Murrays mind when he plays in a second successive Olympic final on Sunday.The world No. 2 is the first man ever to achieve the feat and, should he retain the title he won so gloriously in 2012, he would become the first tennis player to win back to back singles golds.In an era dominated by three all-time greats, to accomplish something Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have not done first is a huge feather in Murrays cap.The goal is to just try and win a gold medal, he said. Im not really thinking about any of the stuff that goes with that just now.Its obviously a very difficult thing to do, hence why its not been done before. Ill go out there, hopefully play a good match, fight as hard as I can, give it everything and see what happens.If Murray can find the same form he showed in a 6-1, 6-4 demolition of fourth seed Kei Nishikori then he will be tough to beat.The 29-year-old knew he needed to step things up after surviving tight, tense tussles against Fabio Fognini and Steve Johnson and he did just that.Murray served superbly and dominated off the ground, with Nishikori failing to create a break point during the match.The Scot said: I served very well and I had no lulls in the match. I made most of the games really tough for him. Even the ones that I lost he was having to work hard for.I knew after yesterday, both of us had long matches. His singles was physically probably tougher than mine but I also had to play mixed [doubles].I knew if I could get off to a good start, make it physically tough for him after that then it would be hard and thats what happened.The one big disappointment was the crowd, with the stadium half full at best by the end and significantly less than that for much of it.But they were all on their feet at the end of the remarkable penultimate point, which ended with Murray sat on his backside with arm aloft after somehow conjuring a winning passing shot.He said: I just came up with a bit of a lucky shot down the line. I didnt even see it bounce so I didnt know whether it was in or not. Thankfully it was good.I was obviously pumped because if he turns that around and potentially breaks its a totally different match. It was a huge point.One thing Murray certainly should not lack, when he plays Juan Martin Del Potro in the final, is confidence.He extended his career-best winning streak to 17 matches and has now won 28 of his last 29, winning titles in Rome, at Queens Club and Wimbledon and reaching the final of the French Open.Murray was rewarded for his achievements both Olympic and otherwise by being given the honour of carrying the British flag at the opening ceremony and is pleased to have ensured he will contribute to the medals table.He can at worst leave Rio with silver, adding to the singles gold and mixed doubles silver he won in London.The last four months definitely have been the best period of my career, said Murray.My job is to try to keep that going now and keep up the consistency Ive had.Ive played not my best tennis this week but found a way to win. Often in events you have matches like the one yesterday or the one against Fognini that if you can get through you start to find your form and feel better.When youre competing for your country you do feel a bit of extra responsibility, obviously.After carrying the flag, I didnt want to go and bomb out in the first round and not play well. Im glad I was able to win a medal and to win gold would cap off a special 10 days for me.Bill Mazeroski Pirates Jersey . "Trying to breathe," he said with a grin. Bernier stopped 42 of 43 shots on Monday night, including all 22 in a hectic middle frame, his heroic performance propelling the Leafs toward an undue point in their final game before the Christmas break. Jordan Lyles Pirates Jersey . The 18-year-old American had five birdies in her bogey-free round for a 17-under total of 196. Lee held the overnight lead but mixed three birdies with two bogeys for a 70. http://www.pittsburghpiratesprostore.us/Francisco-Cervelli-pirates-jersey/ . Arsenal failed to take full advantage of its main rivals stumbles on Saturday as substitute Gerard Deulofeu levelled with a hard shot from a tight angle in the 84th minute to give Everton a deserved point. Ahead of a crucial fortnight that will see them play against Napoli in the Champions League, Manchester City and Chelsea, Arsenal leads by five points ahead of Liverpool and Chelsea. Willie Stargell Jersey . -- In one brief spurt, Brazil turned a close game into a rout and proved again it will be a strong World Cup favourite. Jung-ho Kang Jersey . Sulaiman, 44, was chosen unanimously Tuesday in a vote by the leadership, the World Boxing Council said. Sulaiman becomes the sixth president of the organization.COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Kaela Davis scored 37 points in her South Carolina debut and the No. 4 Gamecocks opened their season with a 92-80 win at seventh-ranked Ohio State on Monday.Davis, a two-time All-ACC selection and the conferences leading scorer in 2014-15 for Georgia Tech before transferring and sitting out last season, scored seven points to help the Gamecocks go from a two-point lead to a 64-56 advantage in the third quarter.Allisha Gray, a transfer from North Carolina, added 24 points for the Gamecocks, who beat the Buckeyes 88-80 at home to open last season. Alaina Coates had 10 points.South Carolina led 67-59 after three periods but OSU opened the fourth with a pair of buckets before Davis responded with a field goal and a free throw to increase the advantage to 70-63 and the Gamecocks methodically increased the margin.Kelsey Mitchell led Ohio State (1-1) with 27 points despite picking up two fouls in the first quarter. Sierra Calhoun had 18 points and Shayla Cooper 15.The Gamecocks did their damage despite All-American Aja Wilson scoring only five points. She picked up her third foul with 5:10 remaininng in the third and the Gamecocks up 52-48 but she remained in the game, only to exit 40 seconds later on her fourth foul.ddddddddddddTIP-INSSouth Carolina: The Gamecocks began their 43rd season and the ninth under coach Dawn Staley. They are 31-12 in openers, including 9-9 on the road. . South Carolina is one of two teams (UConn the other) to appear in every AP top five since the start of the 2014-15 season.Ohio State: The three true freshmen -- Jensen Caretti, Kiara Lewis and Tori McCoy -- all played in the opening 89-69 win against Duquesne on Friday. . It was a busy night in Value City Arena. The OSU men played North Carolina Central University three hours after the womens game started at 6 p.m. ET. This was the womens first game in the building this season after playing Duquesne in nearby St. John Arena.UP NEXTSouth Carolina: The Gamecocks host Hampton on Sunday to start a three-game homestand.Ohio State: The third of four straight home games is Wednesday vs. Cleveland State. ' ' '