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BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Sidney Cook scored 17 points, Regan Magarity had 10 points and 13 rebounds, and No. 25 Virginia Tech beat Gardner-Webb 76-42 on Monday night.The Hokies were ranked in The Associated Press poll earlier Monday for the first time since January 2006.I am very happy for this team and every accomplishment that they have had in such a short amount of time, Virginia Tech first-year coach Kenny Brooks said. To achieve a national ranking is a testament to the hard work and receptiveness to a change in philosophy without hesitation.Chanette Hicks had 16 points and seven assists for Virginia Tech (8-0). Kendyl Brooks and Kaela Kinder combined for all of the Hokies 16 bench points and Kinder added 12 rebounds.Virginia Tech closed the first half on a 10-3 run and held Gardner-Webb to nine second-quarter points to build a 36-19 halftime lead. The Hokies doubled the Bulldogs 10 points in the third quarter and cruised.Alexus Hill led Gardner-Webb (3-4) with 11 points. Custom Hornets T-shirts . Datsyuk will miss Tuesdays game against New Jersey and could be sidelined longer, while Cleary will likely miss at least the next three games. Its been an injury-plagued season for Datsyuk, who has suited up for just 39 games. Custom Hornets Jerseys . The Celtics closed out their first preseason under Stevens on Wednesday night with a 101-97 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, who rested a lot of their lineup including former Celtics Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. http://www.customhornetsjersey.com/custom-muggsy-bogues-jersey-large-79r.html . During the athletes parade, the 23-strong Ukrainian team was represented by a lone flagbearer in an apparent protest at the presence of Russian troops in Ukraines Crimean peninsula. Authentic Custom Hornets Jersey . -- Chicago Bears cornerback Tim Jennings was selected Monday to his second straight Pro Bowl, while guard Kyle Long made it after a solid rookie season. Custom Hornets Jersey China . But what about the officials? Every sport has officials and they also have stories about hard work and sacrifice but their accomplishments are seldom recognized by anyone outside their inner circle.OTTAWA -- The House of Commons has passed a bill legalizing contact sports such as mixed martial arts. The legislation, which originated in the Senate, takes certain fighting sports, including taekwondo and karate as well as the popular sport of MMA, out of legal limbo. The sports were not technically covered under prize-fighting law, making it difficult to regulate them and protect the safety of fighters. The bill passed the Commons easily with 267 members of parliament in favour and only nine opposed. The Criminal Code section on prize-fighting was last changed in 1934, long before the rise of the new fighting sports. Section 83.1 of the Criminal Code only exempted boxing. The section said anyone who "engages as a principal in a prize fight," encourages, promotes or is present at a prize fight as an aid, second, surgeon, umpire, backer or reporter is guilty of an offence -- unless the "boxing contest" is "held with the permission or under the authority of an athletic board or commission or similar body established by or under the authority of the legislature of a province for the control of sport within the province." The section also allowed "a boxing contest between amateur sportsmen, where the contestants wear boxing gloves of not less than one hundred and forty grams each in mass." Some jurisdictions ignored the antiquated wording of the law. The UFC, tthe largest promoter of MMA fighting, lobbied for the legislative change.dddddddddddd As it has done in the U.S., the UFC has pushed for government to sanction the sport. "This is a major development for the sport of mixed martial arts as we now have a consistent legislative framework for Canada and its provinces," Tom Wright, the UFCs director of Canadian operations, said in a statement. Liberal Massimo Pacetti, who supported the bill, said its an important move. "We are laying the groundwork for the general acceptance of these sports across the country," he said during the debate. Supporters say MMA bouts are no more dangerous than boxing matches. Others say they may be safer, because MMA fighters can quit when they want, while boxers tend to fight until theres a knockout or the referee steps in. Since 2008, the UFC has hosted 12 Canadian events split between Montreal (six), Toronto (three), Vancouver (two) and Calgary (one). Winnipeg is set to host UFC 161 on June 15. The Edmonton-based Maximum Fighting Championship is the largest Canadian promoter. In most jurisdictions, MMA is regulated by the same athletic bodies that oversee boxing. Currently, MMA is sanctioned at a provincial level in British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec, while it has been sanctioned on a municipal level within Alberta, New Brunswick and the Northwest Territories. ' ' '