the impressive statistics was that they turned the ball over just 10 times, including just twice in the first half.TURNING POINTWhen Michael Zeno drove the lane and dunked 4:38 into the contest, it cut Oklahoma States lead to 14-8, but the Cowboys erupt

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- With Aaron Hernandezs arrest hovering over the start of training camp, the New England Patriots sent out quarterback Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick to shed some light. Brady spoke for 17 minutes Thursday and said the murder charge against his former tight end is "zero" distraction to him. Belichick spoke for 22 minutes Wednesday and said the team would learn from the "terrible experience." Both spoke with greater patience and candour than they usually do as the Patriots hurried to remove the stain from their reputation -- and lower media attention -- before their first practice on Friday. "You talk about the Patriot Way and to me that means mental toughness and to me it means dealing with different situations and adversities over the course of a season and off-season," Brady said, "and how you can put those things behind you and focus on your job." The Patriots were happy to get back on the field during conditioning tests Thursday. Brady was asked about the teams morale. "Its fun. Its exciting," he said. "This is a new year for us. Last year didnt end the way that we would have hoped so we have a chance to go out there and try to do a lot better this year." The Patriots lost the AFC championship game to the Baltimore Ravens. "The fate of our season is going to be determined by the guys in the locker room," Brady said, "and, hopefully, nothing else." Not only must they improve on the field, but, Brady said, the Patriots must work hard to "re-establish what were all about" after the arrest of Hernandez. "Its been a challenging off-season," he said. "But were going to try to move forward as best we know how." Brady talked at length for the first time since Hernandezs name surfaced in connection with the shooting death of Boston semi-professional football player Odin Lloyd on June 17. Hernandez was arrested on June 26 and cut by the Patriots before he was charged that afternoon. He is being held without bail after pleading not guilty. "Certainly, its a very tragic thing that happened and someone loses their life," Brady said, "but all those things were out of the players control here. Were not really a part of that situation." He declined to answer several questions, saying he had been advised not to. They included whether he had spoken with Hernandez or whether Hernandez had apologized to him after the tight end was linked to the investigation. During Hernandezs three seasons since being drafted by the Patriots, he was one of Bradys top receivers. Asked if he thought he knew Hernandez, Brady said, "the relationship that you have as a football player, the relationship you have within the walls of (Gillette Stadium) are what they are and then people have their own life." Might people not know others as well as they think they do? "I dont know if you quantify those things," Brady said. "How well do you know your kids? You try to do the best you can do, but everyone is ultimately accountable for their own decision making." Asked if Hernandez had fit in with his former teammates, Brady said, "I dont think any of that really matters to me or matters to anything thats going on with the legal process or anything like that." On the day before camp opened, Belichick displayed unusual patience with questioners and gave more detailed answers than usual after making an opening statement while using notes. On Thursday, it was the turn of the teams best player. "Its a terrible thing that happened," Brady said. "Theres a very human, compassionate element that we all have and when its someone that has been on our team, its a very sad thing. So I think that we, as a team, have tried to move forward with better awareness and understanding of these types of things." He listed several former teammates -- Tedy Bruschi, Kevin Faulk, Troy Brown, Mike Vrabel -- who represented the Patriots well on and off the field. "Everyone who has played here has played a part of what the New England Patriots are all about," said Brady, wearing a dark blue sweatshirt with the words, "PATRIOTS ESTABLISHED IN 1960" on the front. "We realize that in light of the recent situation that probably those things get overshadowed and weve got to work hard to kind of re-establish what were all about. "And thats, like we said, to win games and to be the best representatives of this team and organization and representatives for this city that we can possibly be." Defensive tackle Vince Wilfork also spoke Thursday but didnt mention Hernandezs name. "Youre dealing with a real-life situation, so its easy to get caught up in the media or speculations. Were not here for that," Wilfork said. "I feel bad for the victims family, but we have to move forward as a football team. Thats sad to say, but thats reality." Its important, he said, to keep off-field issues separate from players jobs on the field. "Its going to test this teams chemistry. Its going to test everyone thats in this locker room," Wilfork said. "Its going to test to see how important football is to us. As a family, you just have to take it day-by-day, move forward day-by-day. At the end of the day, the ball is going to continue to roll and the last thing we want to do is be stuck behind the ball." On Wednesday, a probable cause hearing for Hernandez was rescheduled for Aug. 22 to give prosecutors more time to present evidence to a grand jury. Might Wilfork be distracted from football if hes called before a grand jury? "What can I do," he asked. "The only thing I can do is control what I can control and thats playing football. Whatever happens in the future, happens. Well handle it then." Authentic NHL Jerseys Cheap .Y. -- Leading 3-0 with only 11:25 left, the Colorado Avalanche committed a seemingly meaningless penalty to give the New York Islanders a power play. Fake NHL Jerseys . 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STILLWATER, Okla. -- Leyton Hammonds had 15 points and a game-high 13 rebounds as Oklahoma State rolled to a 117-72 victory over New Orleans Wednesday night.Six different players scored in double digits for Oklahoma State (3-0), which hit the 100-point plateau for the third consecutive game -- for just the second time in school history and first since the 1993-94 season.Hammonds had just eight points on 4-of-8 shooting in the first two games combined, getting completely shut out in the Cowboys opener, and surpassed those totals in the first eight minutes against New Orleans.We had a lot of guys in double figures, we shared the ball really well today, Hammonds said. But our main thing was defense. We were just playing great on defense, everybody was. It kind of gave us some energy on offense to share the ball and get easy baskets. It made it easy for us.Erik Thomas scored 18 points and had five rebounds, while Jorge Rosa contributed 14 points, for New Orleans (1-1).We did very few things at a high level, and we have to get better on all aspects offensively, said Privateers coach Mark Slessinger. We have to execute at a much higher rate. We have to be able to communicate defensively at a higher rate, which we did not do.The Cowboys led from wire-to-wire, jumping out to a big lead early and building on it the rest of the way. They led 68-36 at halftime, with their first-half offensive output setting a new school record.All in all, I thought it was a terrific first half, said first-year OSU coach Brad Underwood. I really challenged them in the second half to maintain that, I know human nature becomes a little more difficult. Six guys in double figures, 22 assists, 10 turnovers -- good numbers. I think weve improved.BIG PICTURENew Orleans: Following a 103-67 win over Division III LaGrange College last Friday in their season opener, the Privateers appeared out of their depth for much of the night. After holding LaGrange to just 36 percent (23 for 64), New Orleans allowed OSU a 53.5 shooting percentage. Starting forward Makur Puou scored 10 points and had eigght rebounds against LaGrange, but was held off the score sheet while picking up four rebounds.dddddddddddd New Orleans also turned it over just 11 times in the opener, but had 23 in this one.Oklahoma State: For a team that had already scored 102 points in each of its first two victories, the Cowboys found another offensive gear this time. With no starter playing more than 20 minutes, Oklahoma State still received 13 points and eight assists from Jawun Evans, while Phil Forte scored 13. Jeffrey Carroll scored 14 points with three steals off the bench, while freshman Lucas NGuessan scored 11 points with six rebounds, and fellow freshman Lindy Waters also scored 11. But among all the impressive statistics was that they turned the ball over just 10 times, including just twice in the first half.TURNING POINTWhen Michael Zeno drove the lane and dunked 4:38 into the contest, it cut Oklahoma States lead to 14-8, but the Cowboys erupted for a 24-4 run over the next five minutes that enabled them to take over the game. After Mitchell Solomon sank a free throw with 7:25 left in the first half, Oklahoma State had stretched its advantage to 48-16, and the outcome was never in doubt again.STAT OF THE NIGHTThe Cowboys outrebounded New Orleans 47-29, limiting the Privateers to just eight offensive rebounds. New Orleans had 47 rebounds (22 offensive) in its opener against LaGrange.A big challenge coming into this game was controlling the glass, Underwood said. The Thomas kid had nine offensive rebounds in their first game -- I dont care who you do that against, thats a big-time effort. We took that challenge on, and it was great to see.UP NEXTNew Orleans: remains in Oklahoma, visiting Tulsa on Saturday. The Golden Hurricane is 0-2 after losing to Wichita State 80-53 Wednesday night.Oklahoma State: travels to Hawaii to take part in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational Tournament on Monday, first facing UConn, who have started 0-2 so far this year. ' ' '