OKLAHOMA CITY -- Mike White felt his team could have been more competitive against No. 7 Oklahoma State. Sure, the Louisiana Tech coach believes Oklahoma State is a "legitimate Final Four contender," but he likes his team as well. While the Bulldogs (8-3) were effective at slowing down All-America guard Marcus Smart, there was little they could do down the stretch to avoid a 70-55 loss to the high-powered Cowboys (9-1). LeBryan Nash scored 22 points as Oklahoma State overcame a sluggish start and pulled away after Louisiana Tech got within 49-42 with 8:44 remaining. "We missed the few open looks that we had and just couldnt cut into a lead, couldnt get it going offensively against a terrific team," White said. "I was proud of the way we defended and rebounded. We completed." With Louisiana Tech determined to slow down Smart, Nash grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds and scored 15 of Oklahoma States 31 points in the first half. Nash made six of his first 11 shots to pick up the slack for Smart, who finished with 13 points. Smart was only 1-of-4 shooting in the first half, and he said he made a conscious effort to be more of an all-around player who created shots for his teammates. He added five rebounds, five assists and four steals. Markel Brown had 13 points and Kamari Murphy added 10 for the Cowboys. "Im just trying to focus on making sure that I dont force a lot of things because I do have a talented group of guys around me that I really dont need to force things," Smart said. "They can create also, so I just kind of let them get in the flow of their game." Chris Anderson scored 14 points and Alex Hamilton added 12 points for Louisiana Tech, which held Oklahoma State scoreless over the first 4 minutes of the game. But the Bulldogs couldnt maintain the energy down the stretch. The Cowboys used their athleticism and multiple scoring options to turn a close game into a lopsided victory in the All-College Classic. "I thought wed be more competitive to be honest, but I just think that we struggled so much from an offensive standpoint," White said. "(We) had a lot of droughts offensively, couldnt really get into a rhythm." Louisiana Tech trailed by only seven points with less than 9 minutes remaining, but Smart helped build Oklahoma States lead back to double digits. He put back a missed shot, then found Murphy for a dunk to put the Cowboys ahead 55-42 with 6:25 remaining. Oklahoma State hadnt played since a 79-52 rout of South Carolina on Dec. 6. The Cowboys struggled early to regain their rhythm and didnt score their first point until Brown hit a free throw with 15:41 remaining in the first half. Oklahoma State missed all five of its 3-point attempts and made only 7 of 13 free throws in the first half, allowing Louisiana Tech to hang around into the second half. "(We) didnt get off to a good start," Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford said. "We can contribute it to taking eight days off, finals week, different things, but we just didnt make good decisions offensively early in the game." Louisiana Tech, on the other hand, looked fresh playing its second game in four days and facing its highest ranked opponent since the two teams met in 1991. The Bulldogs relied on their defence to take a 3-0 lead in the opening minutes and hold the Cowboys to just 38.7 per cent shooting in the first half. But Nash and Smart created some fast-break opportunities, and Oklahoma State used a 10-2 run midway through the first half to take a lead it never relinquished. The Cowboys expanded their lead to 22 points and pulled away for their second consecutive win following their only loss of the season, a 73-68 defeat to No. 16 Memphis. Custom Nike Chicago White Sox Jerseys . LOUIS - The St. Custom Nike Tampa Bay Rays Jerseys .C. United to a 4-1 victory over short-handed FC Dallas on Saturday night. https://www.customjerseysnikebaseball.com/custom-nike-los-angeles-angels-jerseys/ . The (35-35-10) Jets have 80 points and are also playing .500 hockey on home ice this season with a 17-17-6 record. Michael Hutchinson will start his second straight game in goal. Custom Nike Houston Astros Jerseys . The right-hander pitched into the seventh inning and boosted Cincinnatis struggling offence by hitting a double and scoring as the Reds ended a seven-game losing streak by beating the Atlanta Braves 1-0 Saturday night. Custom Nike New York Yankees Jerseys . Theres little time for rest, too. The Flyers and Rangers play again Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. Simmonds scored in the first period and twice more in the second for his first career post-season hat trick. Mason survived a busy first period and stopping 31 straight shots until Carl Hagelin scored late in the third.2. If, at the start of the NBA playoffs, you picked Kawhi Leonard to be the MVP of the Finals, could you please produce a witness or some other form of proof?3. Its pretty hard to avoid asking it like this, so here goes: Didnt it do your heart good to see Erik Compton qualify for the Masters with his runner-up finish at the U-S Open?4. Already charged with killing three men, Aaron Hernandez is also charged with threatening to kill a jail guard and his family and with assaulting a handcuffed inmate. Of course, we presume Hernandez is innocent until proven guilty, but what are the chances hes innocent on all counts?5. I say this every time a new team picks a nickname that doesnt seem to fit—"Well get used to it". So are we comfortable yet with "Ottawa Redblacks"?6. And not to pick on Ottawa, but what are the chances that Erik Karlsson will play his entire career as a Senator? When Daniel Alfredsson leaves one year and Jason Spezza asks to leave the next, and when the sagas of Dany Heatley and Alexei Yashin are remembered, it makes you wonder, doesnt it?7. You know how Oscar recipients react with that "I never expected to win" expression? That was USA soccer coach Jurgen Klinsmann at the 32-second mark vs. Ghana. The difference? The actors are acting.8. If its wrong to mention a no-hitter in the 8th inning, should I not point out that Mark Buehrle has made 443 career starts without spending a day on the disabled list?9. Would you like to pass on some sound advice to the general manager of your favourite NHL team? Tell him to spend a lot more time thinking about what to do on draft day than on July 1st. Use the Los Angeles Kings as an example of a team built largely with draft picks and players acquired in trades and hardly at all with free agents.10. How many ways can you dislike a human being, and how close is Donald Sterling to the maximum?11. Conversely, when a person is described as "nice", it is considered a compliment, but because there are too many of the other kind, dont youu think it should be regarded as high praise? One of the nicest people I ever interviewed was Tony Gwynn.dddddddddddd2. Just wondering—have you seen a car flying the flag of Cameroon? Your answer—"maybe". 13. How do you argue that a pitchers win total is a meaningful stat when Randy Choate of the St. Louis Cardinals records a win by throwing one pitch? Well, you argue that Choates one pitch got the Cardinals out of a bases-loaded jam in a 1-1 tie and it was the most important pitch of the game….I guess.14. If you liked Spain or Portugal to win the World Cup, are you now trying to remember how many people you told?15. If the NHLs "compliance buyout period" sounds too cumbersome, what do you say we refer to "Ville Leino Days"?16. If the Blue Jays arent impressing you quite as much these days, can you name another American League East team that seems likely to overtake them?17. With the San Antonio Spurs in mind, is there anybody who will claim its unfair if Carmelo Anthony signs with the Miami Heat?18. The National League may be a pitchers league, but can you name a pitcher who is about to face Gregory Polanco, Starling Marte and Andrew McCutchen 1-2-3 in the Pittsburgh Pirates batting order who would feel confident?19. After being three wins away from the Stanley Cup, do you think the New York Rangers begin next season as a strong championship contender or as just another team in the Eastern Conference? Heres something to know—in the last 30 years, the number of teams that lost the Stanley Cup final one year and won the Stanley Cup the next year is one—Pittsburgh Penguins 2008-09.20. And finally, we learned from Martin Kaymer that Fathers Day in Germany was two weeks ago. Does it make you wonder how many other Fathers Days there are in how many other countries? Me neither, but thanks to Martin Kaymer, and apart from Erik Compton, it was the most interesting part of the U-S Opens final round.Video—"My Fathers Eyes"—Eric Clapton. ' ' '