had been given reason to hope that an even better performance might ignite a

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Wichita States Daishon Smith went up, then went up some more before uncorking a powerful dunk that gave the Shockers momentum against Oklahoma.The 6-foot-1 Smiths jam over 6-7 Kristian Doolittle gave the Shockers a 55-50 lead with 8:28 remaining and provided the spark the Shockers needed to hold on for a 76-73 win Saturday afternoon in the All-College Classic.He just got up so high, and bam, Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall said. He threw it down. Those are things that Im not accustomed to. I dont know the degree of difficulty that had, but it looked like a pretty impressive play by a young man whos just starting to feel how good he can be and understand the impact he can have on our team and our season.Smith finished with 13 points after going scoreless in the first half, and was named outstanding player. Zach Brown scored 17 points and Darral Willis added 12 for the Shockers (9-2), who won their fourth straight.Wichita State shot just 39.7 percent from the field, but the Shockers made up for it by holding Oklahoma to 30.8 percent shooting.Jordan Woodard matched a career high with 28 points, Christian James scored 15 and Rashard Odomes added 10 for the Sooners (6-3).A tough ballgame, Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger said. I thought both clubs fought like crazy for 40 minutes.Woodard made a 3-pointer with 4 seconds left to cut the Shockers lead to a point, but Brown made two free throws at the other end to seal the win.Wichita States margin would have been larger, but the Sooners outscored the Shockers 27-17 from the free-throw line. Oklahoma made 14 free throws in the first half to take a 39-37 lead at the break.I thought, to be down two points, as poorly as we played in the first half -- this is very winnable, Marshall said. We just need to go out and take it to them. Dont be afraid. Dont play on your heels. Play with swagger. Play with determination and toughness. I thought we were better at that in the second half.BIG PICTUREWichita State: The Shockers had already lost to Louisville and Michigan State, so beating Oklahoma, even without last years firepower, is significant.I think this will be an NCAA Tournament team, Marshall said of Oklahoma. When you see these guys on film, youre like, `Man, theres so much young talent. But its young talent.Oklahoma: The Sooners needed a good non-conference win after losing to Wisconsin on Dec. 3. They could have used this one in case they are on the bubble in March.QUOTABLEMarshall, on Smiths game-changing athletic talent: Hes got that type of ability, and he shows it more and more. Hes really starting to hit his stride, and play really well as a young player in our program.STAT LINESThe teams took turns missing heaves from the NBA 3-point line at Chesapeake Energy Arena, where the Oklahoma City Thunder play. Wichita State made 9 of 28 and Oklahoma made 6 of 21.UP NEXT:Wichita State hosts Oklahoma State on Dec. 17. The Cowboys are one of the nations highest-scoring teams and will test the Shockers.Oklahoma hosts Memphis on Dec. 17. The Sooners get another crack at claiming a non-conference win over a big-name program.---Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CliffBruntAP .Nike Free Nz Online . The lawyers filed a 33-page amended complaint Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan, expanding on the suit originally filed Oct. 3 in New York Supreme Court. Arbitrator Fredric Horowitz last week refused to compel Selig to testify in the grievance, and Rodriguez then walked out of the hearing without testifying. Nike Free Cheap Nz Wholesale . Louis Blues teammates who would also be participating in the Olympics, Alex Pietrangelo felt right at home, no different in some ways to the travel experience of any old road trip – save for the length of the journey, that is. http://www.cheapnikefreenz.com/ .Y. -- Marcell Dareus and the Buffalo Bills defence made life miserable for Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco. Clearance Nike Free Nz . Despite dominating possession, Schalke needed an own goal from Nicolas Hoefler for the breakthrough a minute before the interval. The Freiburg midfielder misjudged Jefferson Farfans corner and bundled the ball into his own net. Nike Free Nz Cheap . -- Edmontons Val Sweeting is two wins away from a trip to Winnipeg to play in Canadas Road of the Rings in December.Margins of victory are often small in sport but Saturdays defeat to Australia was particularly tough on Scotland.Had Greig Laidlaw directed his second-half conversion a fraction to the left, or Stuart Hogg got to the rampaging Tevita Kuridrani half a yard quicker then a 10th Test win over the Wallabies would have been theirs.Following the match, Vern Cotter lamented that his side had not got the rub of the green at crucial moments, and Scotland were certainly penalised more readily than their visitors.But as the team and its supporters turn their attention towards the visit of Argentina next weekend, they will do so in optimistic mood. There was plenty on show at Murrayfield to suggest that Cotters final season in charge could yet prove to be a fruitful one.The quartet of players making their first international starts all acquitted themselves well, and in Huw Jones Scotland may just have unearthed a star in the making.Ahead of his first appearance at Murrayfield Jones had been required to serenade his teammates with a song. He picked R Kellys Ignition (Remix), and in terms of his impact on the game it proved a prophetic choice.Cheered on by my dad Bill, mum Hillary -- yes, really -- and sister Rhiannon, the Edinburgh-born, England-raised and South Africa-based centre personified Scotlands all-action approach as his two first-half tries helped secure a 17-10 half-time lead.Jones had also supplied a crucial interception and would be in the right place at the right time for his side again in the second half as he diverted Israel Folaus offload away from danger.It was little surprise when the 22-year-old was named man of the match. Its obviously unbelievable and a great feeling, he said of his debut.I thought that personally I had a fairly good game, but its a team game at the end of the day.Jones might not have enjoyed finishing on the losing side but his performance will have given the Murrayfield faithful reason to dream.His link-up play with fly-half Finn Russell for Scotlands first try, darting onto the playmakers chip ahead just before Wallabies fullback Folau could snuff out the danger, was particularly impressive.Watching at full speed it was easy to dismiss the move as an opportunistic kick-and-chase, but according to Jones that would be doing Scotland a disservice.We had that plan, he explained. Weve done that a couple of times this week [[in training] and it worked every time.ddddddddddddhether it would do so again having been shown to the world is another matter, but it is encouraging for Scottish rugby that the players are coming up with these moves in the first place.During his reign as Scotland coach, Cotter has not been afraid to let the likes of Russell and Hogg trust their instincts. It was a feature of their performance against Australia too, as the Wallabies appeared shocked by how willing their hosts were to run the ball at them.Cotter is not short of midfield options, highlighted by the fact that Mark Bennett, Matt Scott and Duncan Taylor were not in Saturdays match day 23.Instead Jones lined up alongside Alex Dunbar, and with the help of the 17-cap Glasgow player he proved he belongs in such company. Its nice to have senior guys around you, guys who have played a few Tests, he said.They definitely do help you trough the game. Quite tough to hear them on the field at times, when the crowd starts roaring but they definitely help.Cotter said after the game that he believed Jones fed off the energy of his teammates, and it is also true that he would not have been able to showcase his talent without the platform set for him and his back line colleagues by Scotlands forwards.Wallabies captain Stephen Moore admitted his side had been given a bit of grief at the breakdown, an assertion borne out by their high number of turnovers conceded.Ryan Wilsons early injury forced Cotters hand, but the back row of John Barclay, Hamish Watson and John Hardie worked tirelessly.Barclay in particular appeared to be a one-man wrecking ball, with one steal leading to a complaint from Michael Hooper to referee John Lacey.The inference was that foul play must have played a part, but Lacey let Hooper know that Barclay had done nothing the Wallabies own No. 6 David Pocock hadnt been doing. High praise indeed.In the end it wasnt enough to stop a record crowd for this fixture trudging back into Edinburgh in disappointment. But they had been given reason to hope that an even better performance might ignite against the Pumas next Saturday.Its obviously another big one, Jones said of Argentina. Theyre a physical team, a good team, so more of the same. We need to be better. ' ' '