Offtopic/fun » batsmen to fall to Swepson in the second

NORMAN, Okla. -- Khadeem Lattin showed he could also be a force on the offensive end for Oklahoma during the Sooners season opener on Sunday.The junior forward, mostly called upon for his defense to this point in his career, showed his offensive chops against Northwestern State, posting a career-high 19 points to go with 11 rebounds and lifting Oklahoma to a 97-61 rout.The only other returning starter from last seasons Final Four team, Jordan Woodard, added 16 points for Oklahoma (1-0). Coach Lon Kruger subbed early and often as 10 Sooners scored in the first half while Oklahoma raced to a 46-27 lead.Oklahoma has won 14 straight season openers and 19 straight home openers. The Sooners improved to 31-2 at home against nonconference opponents under Kruger.This group is going to make progress all the way through March, Kruger said. . Its going to be a work in progress for a while, but Im excited to see where they go and who steps up and who is doing what roles. Being that much different than last year is one of the more intriguing, enjoyable parts of this team -- the uncertainty of what lies ahead and who does what.Lattin was 7 of 9 from the field against Northwestern State (0-2). He had two baskets in an 18-2 run to start the game. After the Demons closed to 35-24, Lattin added two more during the final 4:24 of the half. The double-double was the third of his career.He said it was a different feeling to be an offensive focal point for the Sooners.You change the way you think, but you always just want the best results for your team, Lattin said. My teammates, we all do a really good job of moving the ball and were a really well-balanced team. We are able to attack and do things from all parts of the floor and thats really exciting.Zeek Woodley, the second-leading career scorer in NCAA Division I, led Northwestern State with 19 points, and Ishmael Lane and Malik Metoyer added 11 and 10, respectively. But there wasnt much else positive for the Demons, coach Mike McConathy said.Lane played hard but he couldnt finish plays, McConathy said. Zeek Woodley had a good line and Malik Metoyer . really had a lot of pop to him. Zeek is kind of a non-traditional player in that he is very efficient offensively. Hes very smooth. He kind of moves like hes loafing, but hes moving. I thought he competed well.BIG PICTURENorthwestern State: For the Demons, it was another chance to test themselves against a major-conference foe as they prepare for Southland Conference play. Theyve got two more opportunities to do so -- and maybe steal what would be a highlight win -- with road games at Missouri and Mississippi State later this month.Oklahoma: This was a classic icebreaker for the Sooners, who wanted a low-risk game to get acclimated to life without Buddy Hield, Isaiah Cousins and Ryan Spangler -- who started the past three seasons -- before likely facing their true first test later this week. The Sooners are 9-1 all-time against current Southland Conference members, including 6-0 against Northwestern State.BUFORD OUTOklahoma was without one of its more experienced players in sophomore Dante Buford. Buford was ruled ineligible for the Sooners first three games of the season for receiving an extra benefit for one of his complimentary tickets during last seasons NCAA tournament. Buford averaged 3.5 points per game off the bench last season for Oklahomas Final Four team.OKLAHOMAS NEW KIWIMatt Freeman might be a long way from challenging Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams as the states favorite New Zealand native, but the 6-foot-10 freshman made a strong first impression. Freeman went 3 of 4 from 3-point range, had a steal-and-dunk in the second half and finished with 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting.Im going to put it down to my poker face, to be honest with you, Freeman said. It was tough the first time I came out there . but the more you get up and down the court and get used to it, its just a basketball game.UP NEXTNorthwestern State: The Demons will take a break from their string of road games -- with four of their first six games against major-college foes -- to host NCAA Division III LeTourneau (Texas) on Friday and Louisiana State-Alexandria of the NAIA on Nov. 22.Oklahoma: The Sooners will travel to Orlando, Florida to play in the Tire Pros Invitational. Oklahoma will face Tulane on Thursday and either Arizona State or Northern Iowa on Friday, with the tournaments final round to be played next Sunday. Clemson, Missouri, Xavier and Davidson are on the other side of the bracket.Fake Vans Slip-on . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. Fake Vans Store . 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. http://www.fakevans.com/ . The injury bothered Bledsoe in the Suns victory over the Clippers on Monday and he sat out the teams home loss to Memphis on Thursday night. Fake Vans From China . Patrice Bergeron and Daniel Paille scored 20 seconds apart a few minutes after Stamkos was taken off the ice on a stretcher with a broken right leg, and the Bruins beat the Lightning 3-0 on Monday afternoon. Wholesale Fake Vans . -- Patrick Reed got an early start in golf.Australia A 402 (Handscomb 137, Patterson 92, Phehlukwayo 3-70) and 0 for 85 (Patterson 50*) beat South Africa A 304 (Ramela 82, Mennie 5-61, Swepson 3-55) and 180 (Swepson 4-33) by 10 wicketsAustralia A captain Peter Handscomb scored his eighth first-class century to give his side a 98-run first-innings lead and set up a thumping 10-wicket win over South Africa A in the second unofficial Test in Townsville. The win meant that Australia A emerged with a clean sweep of the two-match series. South Africa A had elected to bat, and started very slowly, with the openers putting on 26 runs in the best part of 15 overs before Dean Elgar departed for 5 off 40. Stephen Cook and Omphile Ramela both notched up fifties in a second-wicket partnership of 83. Ramela went on to score 82 off 199 and served as the top-order ballast in South Africa As first innings. But right-arm pacer Joe Mennie and legspinner Mitchell Swepson finished with figures of 5 for 61 and 3 for 55 respectively to limit South Africa A to 304.Australia A piled on 402 in reply, largely thanks to Handscombs 137 and a knock of 92 from opener Kurtis Patterson. The two put on 114 for the second wiicket, before right-arm pacer Andile Phehlukwayo dismissed Patterson eight runs short of a century.dddddddddddd. Handscomb batted on, while useful contributions from the middle and lower order gave the home side to a healthy lead.Faced with a first-innings deficit of 98, South Africa A slumped to 180 all out in their second innings, with no one making more than Dane Vilas 36. Vilas was one of four batsmen to fall to Swepson in the second innings, as the 22-year-old finished with 4 for 33, to take his match haul to seven.Australia A had little trouble in chasing down a target of 83. Patterson registered his second fifty of the match as the openers swept past the finish line in 15 overs.South Africa As series defeat here comes on the heels of a two-match series against Zimbabwe A in which they failed to win the first unofficial Test in Harare, before winning the second in Bulawayo. For the likes of Dean Elgar and Temba Bavuma, this series was the last chance to prepare for an upcoming home Test series against New Zealand. ' ' '