LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Oklahoma missed some shots they normally make and committed some head-scratching turnovers in the first half against Tulane on Thursday night.The next thing the Sooners knew, they were in a heck of a game.Oklahoma corrected many of its early mistakes in the final 20 minutes to run away with an 89-70 win over the Green Wave during the first round of the Tire Pros Invitational. The Sooners advanced in the winners bracket where they will meet Northern Iowa in the late game Friday night.We just played smarter in the second half, said Oklahoma senior guard Jordan Woodard, who led his team with 22 points, seven assists and four steals. We started playing our game.We let them dictate a little bit in the first half. They are a good ball club and so are we. We just had to take it to another level in the second half and keep advancing.After clinging to a 38-35 halftime advantage, the Sooners (2-0) came out much more aggressive early in the second half and quickly built a double-digit lead. Rahsard Odomes (15 points) and Woodard let the way in the final 20 minutes with a combined 24 points, but it was some the young players who made timely contributions to keep the attacking Green Wave (1-2) from making a comeback.Freshman forward Kristian Doolittle was a force inside, scoring eight points while leading the charge on the offensive boards where he pulled five of his game-high 12 rebounds. Freshmen Matt Freeman and Jordan Shepherd also both had key contributions, which is what the Sooners needed after losing three senior captains off of last seasons team.We had a lot of young lineups out there tonight on many occasions, said OU coach Lon Kruger. This is going to be a club where individually you will see more people get comfortable with each game.BIG PICTURETulane: The Green Wave are athletic and can make it difficult on teams with their quickness to the paint and 3-point shooting. Ray Ona Embo was sometimes brilliant in his ability to break defenders down and either penetrate or pull up for a jumper on the perimeter.Oklahoma: Facing their toughest competition so far this season, the young Sooners showed plenty of resolve in overcoming an aggressive shooting Tulane team. Woodard and Odomes made most of the big shots during the critical second-half run but Shepherd and Doolittle also contributed key points to help the Sooners pull away in the second half.KEY STATSTulane, which had led by as many as four points in the first half, gave up 21 points off of turnovers and allowed Oklahoma to score 15 points on second-chance shots.So 36 of their points come in that manner, Tulane coach Mike Dunleavy said. Its a quick turnaround and we have to do better in that space.YOUNG GUNSSo much has been made out of how young the Sooners will be this season after losing three talented seniors of last years team.But Woodard says he likes what he is seeing out of all of them so far.Each game is a learning experience, Woodard said. We have guys who are not afraid to step up to the challenge and take ownership of the team and Coach is going to put us in good spots to be successful.UP NEXTTulane: The Green Wave will face Arizona State in the second round of the Tire Pros Invitational on Friday night.Oklahoma: The Sooners will take on Northern Iowa in the second round of the invite on Friday night. Mike Schmidt Jersey . A forerunning sled crashed into the worker Thursday at the Sanki Sliding Center. The unidentified worker broke both legs and was airlifted to a nearby hospital. Philadelphia Phillies Jerseys . "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. http://www.philliesrookiestore.com/Phillies-Darren-Daulton-Kids-Jersey/ . Ashley Youngs cross was inadvertently headed by Chester into his own net in the 66th minute, allowing United to claim a third straight league win. "We had to dig deep with our fighting spirit and weve done that," United striker Wayne Rooney said. Aaron Nola Jersey . At a news conference Tuesday where it was thought that the fiery Schallibaum may be shown the door after a dismal finish to the Major League Soccer season, team president Joey Saputo said no decision has been made on whether the Swiss Volcano will be back in 2014. Mitch Williams Jersey . Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC failed to make the postseason while Montreal Impact fell at the first hurdle losing heavily to Houston Dynamo in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round.MONTREAL -- Pauline Marois came out kicking in defence of the Quebec Soccer Federations refusal to let turban-wearing kids play the sport, a position that has lobbed the controversial debate into the provinces political arena. The Canadian Soccer Association suspended the provincial association on Monday after the Quebec body showed no sign of overturning its decision to uphold a ban on Sikh religious headwear on the pitch. It says the suspension will remain in place until the Quebec organization lifts its restriction on turbans, patkas and keskis in organized soccer. The Quebec premier took issue Tuesday with the CSA move and called it "unacceptable" for the national organization to punish her provinces soccer federation. The suspension prompted Marois, and several other Quebec politicians, to make their first public remarks on a contentious dispute that has made international headlines. Virtually all lawmakers in the Quebec legislature had avoided the politically thorny topic, but the federal-provincial jurisdictional crossover had several of them talking Tuesday at the national assembly. "I believe the Quebec federation has the right to make its own rules, its autonomous, its not bound by the Canadian federation," Marois, leader of the sovereigntist Parti Quebecois, said in Quebec City. "In this regard, I support it in its orientations." The CSA, however, reports directly to the FIFA world soccer governing body and is responsible for granting or revoking the membership of provincial federations. Prominent PQ cabinet minister Bernard Drainville stuck to his partys stance despite the soccer hierarchy. "It is not up to the Canadian association to decide what is going on Quebec soccer fields -- this power belongs to the Quebec Soccer Federation," Drainville told reporters. "So, the Canadian association should respect the autonomy of the Quebec Soccer Federation to make its own rules on Quebec soccer fields. This is the principle we are defending and we do not understand why the Canadian association is interfering with this right that the Quebec Soccer Federation has." The Quebec body, which did not immediately return calls about the suspension, met late Tuesday to discuss the matter. A source told The Canadian Press a decision was made after the meeting and that it would be made public in 10 days. In the meanwhile, the Quebec Soccer Federation will continue to look at the controversy. It cites safety concerns for banning turbans and points to FIFA rules, which dont specifically allow turbans. But critics counter that FIFAs regulations dont explicitly ban turbans, either. In Ottawa, Quebec Conservative MP Maxime Bernier was asked by a reporter about Marois support for the Quebec federation. He said the Harper government backs the CSA and believes soccer players should be free to wear any religious symbol on the pitch, as long as it doesnt cause a safety issue. "So, I hope that we are more open in Quebec in this way," said Bernier, who noted that all other provincial federations believe Sikh headwear is safe for soccer. The national soccer organization said last week it expected the Quebec association to reverse the ban, which has drawn condemnation from several federal politicians. Quebec is the only province that has balked at the directive to allow turbans on the pitch. Its unclear how the sanction might affect Quebecs soccer players. A spokeswoman for the Canadian Soccer Association said Tuesday she did not have specific details on the suspension. The impact, however, could be felt in a variety of ways unless the ssituation is resolved soon, according to Canadian Soccer News.dddddddddddd Its website said the suspension could prevent Quebec all-star teams from playing outside the province, and even result in games within Quebec being cancelled if they involve a nationally certified referee. If the suspension lasts long enough, Quebec teams could also be blocked from participating in national championships, the publication said. Quebec is set to host the upcoming Canada Games in the city of Sherbrooke and there are fears the suspension could keep some of the provinces athletes from competing in the August event. "I know that there are young people who are among the best and dream of going (to the Canada Games)," Quebec Sports Minister Marie Malavoy said Tuesday. "And I really hope that the Canadian (Soccer) Association leaves us alone and lets us make our own decisions because its the youth who risk suffering in the very short term." The technical director of a top Quebec amateur club said the suspension could cancel a match scheduled for later this month between his senior mens team, Royal-Select Beauport, and the touring Haitian national squad. Haiti is No. 63 in FIFAs world rankings -- 20 spots higher than Canada. Samir Ghrib said if the dispute isnt resolved before the fall, it could also prevent his team from earning a chance to defend its 2012 national title. Ghrib, who agrees with the Quebec associations position on turbans, hopes a solution is found soon. "Religion doesnt have a place on sports fields," he said. "The soccer field must remain neutral." The Sikh community, meanwhile, says the Quebec soccer body has put the families of 100 to 200 children in a difficult spot: abandon a religious requirement, or quit playing organized soccer. The World Sikh Organization says those children were forced out of soccer a year ago. Quebec referees began cracking down in the last year on turbans, patkas and keskis -- the religious headgear worn by Sikh men and boys. Physicians, including former soccer coach Dr. Sanjeet Singh Saluja, have denounced the ban and insist it has no medical justification. On Tuesday, even the president of Major League Soccers Montreal Impact weighed in on the turban-ban debate. Joey Saputo said in a statement that kids should not be prevented from playing soccer at the youth level just because they wear a turban, but added that he thought the CSAs decision to suspend Quebecs federation over the issue was "clearly exaggerated." He said the Quebec organizations ban on turbans was based on a FIFA rule that is open to interpretation. Saputo added that accusations of racism against the provincial federation were uncalled for considering the context of the Quebec bodys decision. "The Canadian Soccer Association made a recommendation and did not officially state its position to provincial federations," said Saputo, who also urged those involved to resolve the situation. "All parties involved must find some common ground for the good of the sport." Shortly after the suspension was announced Monday, some of those who opposed the ban said they welcomed the national bodys tough-love approach. Immigration Minister Jason Kenney tweeted his approval: "Good to see CDN Soccer Association take action against the Quebec Soccer Federation over its ridiculous turban ban." Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau echoed the sentiment, tweeting that "Barring kids from playing soccer because they wear a turban is wrong. The CSA is right to suspend the .QSF." - with a file from Marc Tougas Cheap Jerseys Store Cheap NFL T-shirts Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys White Cheap NFL Jerseys Camo Wholesale Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Outlet Cheap Jerseys Wholesale China Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Hoodies Camo China NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Camo NFL Jerseys China ' ' '