ail in and around their political aspirations. Alastair Cook made the front page on May 31st for a personal aspiration of his own, his 10,000th Test match run,

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State stars Victoria Vivians and Morgan William were at their best during the 10th-ranked Bulldogs 79-68 victory over No. 8 Texas on Sunday.That wasnt a surprise. Its what the Bulldogs did without those two on the floor that turned some heads.William scored 23 points and Vivians added 19, but it was a second-quarter run largely led by the teams reserves that helped put the Longhorns away.Our kids, that second quarter, really answered the bell and got after it, Mississippi State coach Vic Schaefer said. We got some real critical stops and then we really were attacking the rim.Mississippi State (4-0) pulled away in the second quarter thanks to some valuable minutes from the bench -- especially backup guards Roshunda Johnson and Jazzmun Holmes -- and a suffocating defense that held the Longhorns without a field goal for the final 9:40 of the half.The Bulldogs had a 26-9 advantage in the second quarter to turn a tie game into a 42-25 halftime lead. Johnson had seven points and Holmes added three during the run while Vivians and William were their biggest cheerleaders on the sideline.Everybodys stepped their game up, Vivians said. Everybody can go to the basket. Everyone can score.Texas (1-2) had 15 turnovers in the first half and 24 in the game.We got a little frantic in some situations, Texas coach Karen Aston said.Brooke McCarty led Texas with 19 points, and Ariel Atkins added 18. Texas lost despite shooting a respectable 27 of 56 from the field (48.2 percent) and outrebounded the Bulldogs 36-26.The Longhorns pulled within 48-40 in the third quarter, but couldnt get any closer.There were a whole lot of positives, Aston said. Even the turnovers, most of them were in the first half. We pulled within in eight points, but then we forced some things. Young kids trying to make something happen every possession.William shot 5 of 11 from the field and 13 of 14 from the free-throw line while also adding six rebounds and three steals. Dominique Dillingham added 10 points for the Bulldogs.INSTANT OFFENSEMississippi State played 10 players on Sunday, including nine who were on the roster last season. The only new player was Johnson, a 5-foot-7 junior guard who transferred from Oklahoma State and sat out last season.Shes been excellent so far this season, averaging nearly 12 points per game as a consistent scoring option with the second team off the bench.BIG PICTURETexas: Its been a tough start to the season for Texas, which has now lost two of its first three games. Both of those losses -- against Stanford and Mississippi State -- came against good teams, but they provide ample evidence that the Longhorns have some work to do to be among the nations elite.Mississippi State: The Bulldogs lost to Texas in Austin last season, but won against the Longhorns with relative ease on their home court. Vivians -- who is inarguably the teams best scorer -- had a solid game, but it was the consistent production from others like William, Dillingham, Chinwe Okorie and the bench that was most important for Mississippi State.LIMPING SCHAEFERSchaefer was noticeably limping during the second half of the game, and the coach said he believed it was his due to a case of gout in his feet. Vivians and William had to nearly carry Schaefer into the postgame press conference.UP NEXTTexas: The Longhorns return home to face Northwestern State on Wednesday.Mississippi State: The Bulldogs face Oregon on Friday in the opening round of the Waikiki Beach Marriott Tournament in Honolulu on Friday.----Follow David Brandt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/davidbrandtAP Wholesale Under Armour Shoes China . - NASCAR announced a 33-race schedule for the 2014 Nationwide Series with virtually no changes from this years slate. Under Armour Shoes Sale Online .C. -- After a listless first half, the Washington Wizards used a big third quarter run to beat the Charlotte Bobcats Bradley Beal scored 21 points and the Wizards used a 17-0 run in the third quarter to take control of what had been a close game and beat the Bobcats 97-83 on Tuesday night. http://www.underarmourwholesale.com/ . How great will be revealed in the next couple of days at the board of governors meeting in Pebble Beach, Calif. Discount Under Armour Shoes . 10 Texas Rangers jersey for one last time. Young formally announced his retirement Friday after returning to Rangers Ballpark, his baseball home for all but the last of his 13 major league seasons. Under Armour Shoes Clearance Sale .C. -- Manny Malhotra had two goals and an assist, leading the Carolina Hurricanes to a 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. On Tuesday, beneath a purple south-coast sky, England completed the demolition of Sri Lankas cricketers. While England were brilliant with bat, ball and in the field, Sri Lanka were poor: a judgement that can apply to many of the days of battle between these two countries during the past two months. There is a sadness in saying that. Sri Lankans have hidden behind transition, a word that serves to highlight the impossible task of replacing great cricketers who have moved on to other fields and commentary boxes. It has been a wonderful ride, top and tailed by the twin departures of first Arjuna Ranatunga and Aravinda de Silva, then of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, and exaggerated by Muttiah Muralitharans stellar career. But the ride is over and the mighty bump at its end is hurting like hell.Touring England in the early months of summer is a devilish business. Many are the strokemakers from the subcontinent to have perished at the hands of refreshed and voracious English swingers and seamers of the ball. Sending Angelo Mathews team to Leeds and Durham first up bordered on cruelty. Not that his team was as embryonic as perceived. Most were on the successful trip two years ago, but Mahela, Kumar and Tillakaratne Dilshan were with them to lean upon. Now that the pillars of the pre-transition days have gone, the immediate future of Sri Lankan cricket is a worry. A tighter and stronger first-class playing structure is urgently needed, along with calmer and more consistent governance. Like Barbados, Sri Lanka is a small island with a big heart and, seemingly, an unconditional affection for cricket. It would be wise not to push that unconditional affection too far.The score in the three series of matches was 20-4. Reasonably, you do not know what the heck that means. Suffice to say that in an attempt to heighten interest, the ECB introduced a points system for all the matches in the three formats - four for a Test match win and two for a white-ball win. So England smashed it, but then we do know that. Oddly, there was no prize. Come to think of it, neither was there an announcement of the triumph or even any form of acknowledgment. Caesar stopped Rome for his victories. It will be interesting to see if the idea is pursued or pushed quietly aside.Cricket needs context but then most of us know that too. Wade eight pages into the bowels of the Times sports section - a paper that genuinely cares for cricket - and you will find a seven-paragraph report on Tuesday nights match but no picture. Deemed more important than Englands T20 cricket fortunes are European Championship football - a tournament from which England were unceremoniously dumped by Iceland but in which Wales caused a stir; Wimbledon, which still has Andy Murray involved, and of course, the Williams sisters on a charge; lots of Jose Mourinho and Manchester United; and a little of Mark Cavendish in the Tour de France. On the front pages in these turbulent times, and destined to stay for a while yet, are Brexit and Boris, Theresa and Jeremy and all who sail in and around their political aspirations. Alastair Cook made the front page on May 31st for a personal aspiration of his own, his 10,000th Test match run, but that was crickets sole jump from one end of the ppaper to the other since Carlos Brathwaite shattered the English dreamers in the last over of the World T20 final back at the beginning of April.ddddddddddddThe point is that in the midst of summer, cricket is marginalised. Even diehards struggle to remember where the Sri Lankan games were played and what happened. Cricket must be very careful. Its hat is thrown in the T20 ring but only one T20 match was played between the sides. Five 50-over matches - the format of the game, apparently, that is on the bones of its bum - and one T20. Why? Three, three and three must be the way forward, with just enough of a gap between each to allow the marketeers their moment. And there must be a reason for it all, a tally towards something bigger and brighter that gathers momentum, reaches a crescendo and crowns a champion. I am playing an old record but we cannot expect the game to chug along in its present vacuum: the danger signs are clear and present. What have we learnt about England? Enough to encourage but little about which to become complacent. There are good young players, impressive determination, and an exciting athleticism in the county cricketers of the day. Very few appear fazed by their exposure to the big time - witness Liam Dawson and Tymal Mills on Tuesday - and most, if not all, are strongly driven by the possibility of England colours. The limitations of the county game, it seems, have kept expectation in check.There appears to be favour for the multi-dimensional cricketer, and for a kinder face. The fear so evident in the eyes of Englands footballers on the dreadful night they were humiliated by Iceland is nowhere to be seen on the faces of the cricketers. Rather there are signs of the clear thinking that empowered the rugby players to win so well in Australia, and of the modesty that has long prevailed in that fine sport.This is a good period for the English game, indicated by fine leadership, strong management and uncomplicated coaching. Subtly, there has been a destructuring of general affairs that has allowed the players freedom of thought and expression. It is less than three years since an unnamed England player said: It can feel as if there is no escape, as if everything you do is being assessed and analysed and stored away. If you are not careful, it can wear you down. It is incredibly difficult to come to terms with. Much, if not all, of that pressured team environment has been stripped way. The emphasis of the moment is on enjoyment and stability, the consequence of which is a dressing room of smiles.Having said that, Pakistan have the ability to wipe away smiles. At Lords next Thursday, a true test of Englands progress will begin in a Test series that is hard to call. There are four Test matches, the seemingly obligatory five one-day games, and a T20 - all against feisty opponents who boast a fine and varied bowling attack to make good the unpredictable nature of batsmen whose minds and feet move in the shadows of the wind. If Englands cricketers are still unbeaten after September 7th, the curtain call will reflect a magnificent performance rather than simply a job well done. Wholesale Hoodies NFL Shirts Outlet Jerseys NFL Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '