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LOS ANGELES -- The Bruins knew what was coming. Especially point guard Jordin Canada, who hurried to the baseline.On the line, said coach Cori Close, signaling suicide sprints toward the end of practice last week. A male practice player had slipped past three UCLA players to drain a corner jumper.Mens players, 26. UCLA, 9.It didnt matter that the No. 9-ranked Bruins had pounded NAIA Westmont 80-45 in an exhibition the night before.I want every possession to be played with a sense of urgency, said Close, who guided the Bruins to the Sweet 16 last season for the first time since 1999.Canada, who walked across her familys living-room floor at 8 months old before having ever crawled, doesnt know any gear other than all-out. The junior All-American dropped 15 points, 5 assists, 5 steals, 4 rebounds and 1 block against Westmont -- even crashing into her teams bench to save a ball in the blowout.The 5-foot-6 playmaker often flies up the court, throwing no-look passes and twisting ankles with in-and-out crossovers. Ryan Finney of UCLA Athletics Communications said he struggles to live-tweet games because he runs out of adjectives to describe Canadas flair. Shes a human highlight reel, Finney said.But what Canada really wants to be is a leader. She dribbled a ball during the recent suicide sprints, and instead of stopping at the baseline like her teammates, she continued to sprint a few feet beyond the line.She still beat everyone.That is the difference of Jordin between being a really great, flashy, fun point guard to now being an elite point guard that has a chance to be an Olympian, Close said. Its those inches that you see her go every day.Its not her talent; its not even her skill. Its that shes developing a beyond-the-line mentality.Finding her voiceCanada was sick of the missed layups. She and her Windward School prep teammates gasped for air, unable to make seven in a minute on both sides in the full-court drill. Windward coach Vanessa Nygaard, a former Stanford and WNBA player, signaled to keep sprinting.Canada, motioning for her teammates to clear out and rebound for her, zoomed off. Jordin was like, Im going. Im taking every layup, said Nygaard, who doubted one player could accomplish the feat alone. She dominated it.It wasnt always that way. Unable to dribble as a 6-year-old, Canada was easy prey for the taller kids.I was always afraid. I would pick the ball up and I would just hold it. Id panic and crunch down and they would all trap me, Canada said. My coach would always have to call a timeout.Her coach told her that shed have to play point guard and learn to take care of the ball. She didnt want it, said Joyce Canada, Jordins mother. She wanted to shoot.But 8-year-old Canada was hooked once she discovered she could handle the rock against 10-year-olds at an AAU national tournament. She loved running the offense and dropping dimes.She was also drawn to challenges. Thats partially why she chose UCLA, hoping to bring the program its first NCAA championship (the Bruins won the 1978 AIAW national title).But Canada struggled as a freshman starting point guard on a UCLA team of veterans. She had always led by example -- rarely by using her voice. That had to change.She could pass and score at will, but didnt always labor on the skills that came less naturally.That had to change.Canada wasnt sure if she could handle the role, at one point contemplating quitting the team.But the rookie broke through, pouring in 31 points to lead UCLA to a 62-60 victory over West Virginia in the 2015 WNIT championship.I realized that I needed to use my voice because Im the one thats handling the ball and putting people in different places, Canada said. At the end of the season, I knew I could do it.She blossomed last season, returning with an improved jumper and versatile game. Leading the Bruins in scoring (16.1 points per game), assists (5.7 per game) and steals (2.3 per game), she was a calming force.Jordins just a poised person, forward Monique Billings said. She doesnt panic. She brings confidence. And her change-of-pace moves in transition?You think youre in front of her, said Southern California senior guard Courtney Jaco, a Windward teammate, but shes so quick, so explosive, shes gone in the next second.Still, Canada rarely spoke up.Until she had to. UCLA trailed Cal at halftime in the semifinals of the 2016 Pac-12 tournament. Canada took over, scoring eight of her 26 points in overtime in the 73-67 victory.She was just yelling and getting on people and wanting people to step up, shooting guard Kari Korver said. She prefers to be quiet, thats her personality, but when we need her to step up and say something, shes going to do that, because shes such a competitor.Canada guided the Bruins to the Sweet 16 -- the best NCAA tournament run for the program in 17 years -- where they lost to Texas 72-64.Three weeks later, she was back in the gym.Growing into itCanada usually arrives to Pauley Pavilion an hour before practice for her daily routine: 150 made jump shots. She blocks out the hype swirling around her, like being compared to Chris Paul or Allen Iverson, or being named the 21st best player in the nation by espnW, or to the watch list for the Nancy Lieberman Award, which goes to the countrys top point guard.She is busy lifting weights at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesdays. Or studying how her favorite point guard, Rajon Rondo, weaves his way to the basket. Or dissecting game film and jotting down her mistakes as they flash across the screen: Over-penetrated. Missed a kickout pass. Bad shot selection.Her coaches demand more, too. Sometimes Close silences her other nine players, mandating Canada talk for the entire possession. And when players have to sink seven 17-foot jumpers in a shooting drill, Canada must make eight 3-pointers. She is always hounded by two male practice players in scrimmages; sometimes Close throws in a third at random.Canada is still finding her voice. She spends hours each week with the teams leadership council, a group of captains and seniors led by assistant coach Shannon Perry. Canada yells up during each push-up in practice and alerts her teammates to switch or help on defense in games.Shes growing into it, Perry said. My goal for her now is, How do you make everyone around you better? Thats her responsibility.The recent practice runs 20 minutes late. Six seconds remain in the scrimmage as a UCLA player prepares to inbound the ball to Canada.But Canada isnt pleased. The men are giving her way too much space and arent pressuring her teammates, either. She probably wants to go home like everyone else -- but she also wants to do the drill right.Canada turns across the court and opens her mouth: Are you guys going to pick us up on defense or what?The men swarm her. She can barely catch the ball. She finally wrestles it away and begins to dribble. They trap her on all sides, but she doesnt pick up the ball. She doesnt crunch over. 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LOUIS -- The New Orleans Saints looked like a team playing out the string.NORMAN, Okla. -- Noah Browns circus catch summed up Ohio States victory over Oklahoma.Even when Sooners were in the right place, things went the Buckeyes way.In the closing seconds of the first half, Noah Brown reached around Michiah Quick and held onto Quick and a pass from J.T. Barrett while falling out of bounds for a 21-yard touchdown reception.I did see it when I caught it, Brown said. When I had it behind his back, I was just thinking, `Just hold on until I get to the ground and try to make this play, and I was able to do it.Brown, who entered the game with five catches and one touchdown in his career, tied a school record with four touchdown receptions as No. 3 Ohio State rolled past No. 14 Oklahoma 45-24 on Saturday night.Anytime J.T. puts the ball in the air, hes putting trust in me, and I try to come down with the ball for him, Brown said. I have my quarterbacks back. It felt good to be able to make that play and put some points on the board.Barrett passed for 152 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 74 yards for the Buckeyes (3-0), a team that lost 16 starters from last years squad and was playing in a hostile environment for the first time this season.This was the coming-of-age game, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said. I just made a comment earlier about that, I took a deep breath and as I just watched our guys be on the buses, I thought, `My gosh, this is a young team. This was for a lot of them their first road experience. Im very proud of them.Mike Weber ran for 123 yards, pacing an attack that pounded out 291 yards rushing in a game that started 90 minutes late because of a storm.Our inability to stop the run ...They got us out of a lot of our stuff and made it a physical game, and we didnt react well to it, Oklahoma defensive coordinator Mike Stoops said.Oklahoma (1-2), which lost its opener to Houston, was in desperate need of a big win to keep its hopes of returning to the College Football Playoff alive. Instead, a school-record home crowd of 87,979 watched the Sooners get dominated for most of the night. Ohio State led 35-17 at halftime.Now, the Sooners turn their focus to Big 12 play.Weve got a lot of work to do if were going to win the Big 12, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoopps said.dddddddddddd Well keep a positive attitude. Well keep working to improve and do our best to have a better showing when we get back on the field in a couple of weeks.Oklahomas Baker Mayfield passed for 226 yards and two touchdowns, but he threw two interceptions.Ohio States Curtis Samuel broke loose for a 36-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-1 to open the scoring. The Buckeyes threatened to break the game open when Jerome Baker scored on a 68-yard interception return, but Oklahomas Joe Mixon returned the kickoff 97 yards for a score.Ohio State seized momentum for good when Marshon Lattimore intercepted a pass by Mayfield, then Brown caught a 37-yard touchdown pass from Barrett on the next play to give the Buckeyes a 28-10 lead.THE TAKEAWAYOHIO STATE: The Buckeyes are a threat to win the national title, and Barrett showed why hes near the top of Heisman Trophy watch lists. We know what were capable of, Brown said. Were not really worried too much about any other doubters. Were 3-0 and have a chance to go 4-0, keep it rolling.OKLAHOMA: Mayfield continues to get himself into trouble by forcing throws. His coaches criticized him for that after the loss to Houston, and he appeared to have fixed the problem against Louisiana-Monroe before regressing against the Buckeyes.POLL IMPLICATIONSOhio State strengthened its position, especially with No. 2 Florida State getting blown out by Louisville. The win gave the Buckeyes confidence. Theyre no longer inexperienced, Meyer said. We went on the road and played at Oklahoma. It has to be one of the top-five hardest places to play.Oklahoma will be fortunate to remain in the top 20. We need to look at what were trying to do and get our best 11 players on the field that gives us the best chance of winning, Mike Stoops said. I think that would be a good place to start.UP NEXTOHIO STATE: The Buckeyes have a bye week before they host Rutgers on Oct. 1.OKLAHOMA: The Sooners have a bye week before playing at TCU on Oct. 1.---AP college football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org---Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter (at)CliffBruntAP . ' ' '