No. 11 Oklahoma and No. 17/14 Georgia meet in non-conference tilt
Jan. 25, 2008
NORMAN, Okla. — No. 11 Oklahoma (12-4, 3-2 Big 12) hosts No. 17/14 Georgia in Sunday’s premier women’s college basketball matchup.
The game will be televised nationally on ESPN2 with Pam Ward on play-by-play and Nancy Lieberman providing color analysis.
Sooner Sports Network will provide the radio broadcast. Brian Brinkley (play-by-play) and Tara DeGiusti (color) will have the call.
Tip-off is 4:02 p.m. Central.
Fan Giveaway
The first 5,000 fans will receive an OU basketball rally towel to help cheer the Sooners to victory.
Pre-Game Recognition
The families and players of three endowment scholarships will be recognized, marking the completion of the project to have all 15 women’s basketball scholarships endowed.
Halftime Recognition
As part of OU women’s basketball alumni reunion weekend, approximately 50 players from various era of the program will be in attendance and honored at halftime.
Ticket Information
A limited number of tickets remain for Sunday’s game. Tickets can be purchased by calling the OU Athletics Ticket Office at (800) 456-GoOU or online at SoonerSports.com.
General Admission – $8 for adults and $5 for youths
Group Tickets – $5 (minimum of 10 people; must order 24 hours in advance)
OU Students – free admission with valid student ID
PREVIEWING GEORGIA
No. 11 Oklahoma looks to take its first win in the series versus No. 17/14 Georgia, renewed for the first time in six seasons.
UGA has the nation’s No. 23 scoring offense and No. 53 scoring defense.
The Lady `Dogs star three-time All-American Tasha Humphrey, who averages 17.0 points — third in the SEC — and 8.6 rebounds. However, the remainder of Georgia’s starting five have proven to be dangerous in its own right.
Ashley Houts, the team’s assist leader at 4.7 per game, can shoot well from beyond the arc (currently 37.3 percent for the season) and is stellar defensively, averaging 3.2 steals per game.
Angel Robinson, a 6-foot-5 forward, will be the tallest player on the court and a challenge to defend in the paint. She averages 10.5 points and 8.7 rebounds.
Guard Megan Darrah makes nearly 40 percent of her 3-point attempts and freshman Angel Puleo provides 8.3 points and 2.9 assists per game.
Andy Landers is 782-239 (.766) in his 33rd season as a head coach and recently won his 700th game as Georgia’s head coach.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES
Oklahoma and Georgia will meet for the first time since the 2000-01 season and just the fourth time in history.
Georgia has won all three meetings between the teams in convincing fashion.
The Lady `Dogs captured a 94-76 win in Norman on Dec. 11, 1997, before taking a home win, 88-79, in Athens, Ga.
The two teams last met in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in Madison, Wis., Nov. 22, 2000. a 94-70 win for UGA.
RECORD WATCH
Courtney Paris is the nation’s leading rebounder at 15.4 boards per game and is four shy of matching former Baylor star Sophia Young’s Big 12 career rebounds record of 1,316.
QUICK HITS
• Oklahoma is 51-65 (.440) all-time against ranked opponents. OU is 45-37 (.549) all-time when ranked and facing another ranked team. OU is 0-8 all-time versus No. 1.
• OU’s loss to Baylor was the first time the Sooners were defeated when both Ashley and Courtney Paris posted double-doubles.
• Oklahoma is undefeated when shooting better its opponent or attaining a lead of eight points or more.
• OU is 12-16 all-time versus the SEC, including a 3-6 mark against the West Division teams.
NATIONAL ATTENDANCE LEADER
Oklahoma set a program record for attendance last season and, if early indications prove true, another record should be set in 2007-08.
After six home games, OU’s per game attendance average stands at 9,683, currently No. 3 in the nation for average home game attendance. The top two teams — Tennessee and Connecticut — have larger home seating capacities than OU’s arena.
Oklahoma was No. 4 in national attendance last season and No. 2 in the Big 12 Conference with an average of 10,437 in the seats for OU’s 12 home games.
BENCHMARK GAMES AHEAD
Several milestone or important games are ahead this season for the Oklahoma Sooners women’s basketball program.
Coale’s 250th Victory
Currently Sherri Coale has 244 victories in her 12th year as the head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners. Coale could reach her 250th victory as soon as Feb. 12, at home, against Texas A&M.
“Think Pink” Week
Fans should come out to support the Sooners in raising breast cancer awareness by coming to the Lloyd Noble Center for “Think Pink Night” as the OU women’s basketball team hosts 2007 Big 12 Co-Champions Texas A&M on Tuesday, Feb. 12, at 7 p.m.
1,000th Game in Sooner History
Oklahoma started its women’s basketball program for the 1974-75 season and is approaching its 1,000th game. To date, the Sooners are 16 games shy of 1,000 in program history. There are 12 games left in the regular season, which would mean that if OU failed to get a first-round bye for the Big 12 Tournament, the first opportunity to play 1,000 would be in the Championship Game.
50 WEEKS…AND COUNTING
With Oklahoma’s placement in the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Polls this week, the Sooners have appeared in both for 50 straight polls (including preseason polls).
OU’s record for consecutive Top 25 poll appearances is 59 in the AP (from week 11 of the 1999-2000 season to week 11 of the 2002-03 season) and 60 in the Coaches (from week 11 of the 1999-2000 season to week 13 of the 2002-03 season).
Both stints including 26 consecutive weeks being ranked in the Top 10. OU also had a 19-week run in the Top 10 of the AP Poll and 20-week run in the Top 10 of the Coaches Poll over the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons.
Last week, Oklahoma has fell out of the Top 10 of the AP Poll for the first time this season. The Sooners fell out of the Top 10 of the Coaches’ Poll for the first time since week 3.
RECAPPING TEXAS TECH
Amanda Thompson scored 16 points, four other players reached double figures and No. 11 Oklahoma rebounded from a rare home loss by routing Texas Tech 78-39.
Oklahoma (12-4, 3-2 Big 12) lost to conference rival Baylor on Sunday to fall two games behind the conference-leading Bears, but the Sooners rebounded nicely by beating Texas Tech (13-6, 1-4) for the fifth straight time.
Unlike the previous four wins in that streak, which came by a combined 15 points, Wednesday’s game was lopsided from the start. The loss was Tech’s worst since falling 95-54 to Louisiana Tech on Jan. 11, 1990, and the Lady Raiders’ point total was their lowest since scoring 37 in a loss to Iowa State on Jan. 2, 2000.
It was the second time in the last three games the Lady Raiders had scored 45 points or less. Tech shot 25.5 percent from the field (14-of-55) and had 23 turnovers, 18 of which were OU steals.
The Sooners also reached double digits in blocked shots, with 11, including five from 6-foot-4 junior center Courtney Paris and three by freshman Carlee Roethlisberger.
Oklahoma led by double digits after eight minutes, build a 40-18 halftime advantage and cruised in the second half, building its lead to as many as 40 points. The Sooners haven’t lost consecutive Big 12 games at home in almost three years.
Paris had 10 points and 10 rebounds for her 77th straight double-double, sealing it with a basket with 9:05 left. The 10 points matched her career low, although she played only 24 minutes.
Despite posting double-figure point totals six times this season, Thompson had struggled with her shot and entered Wednesday’s game shooting 40.7 percent. Against Texas Tech, she made seven of her first eight attempts and finished 8-of-13 from the field. She missed her career high by two points.
POSTGAME NOTES
• Five different Sooners scored during the OU’s 14-0 first half run which ended with a Courtney Paris layup — her first field goal of the game — just inside of the 10-minute mark.
• Texas Tech’s Dominic Seals, who averaged 14.7 points and 9.3 rebounds entering the game, was held to three points and five rebounds — her lowest output since a 2-point, one-rebound effort in nine minutes against Sam Houston State.
• Oklahoma’s 39 point margin of victory was its largest ever against Texas Tech, shattering its previous best of 19 points set in a 75-56 win on Feb. 27, 2002, in Norman. It was OU’s largest margin of victory against a Big 12 opponent since defeating Oklahoma State by 50 points on Jan. 17, 2004.
• OU recorded a season high 11 blocks, its most since March 7, 2007 in the Big 12 Championship. It marks the second time this season the Sooners have ended a game with 10 or more.
• Texas Tech was held to a season low five assists and matched its season low in rebounds (34), compared to the Sooners 51. Tech entered the night ranked sixth nationally in rebounding.
• The game was the fifth under Sherri Coale in which all five starters scored in double figures.
• The 39-point margin of defeat was Texas Tech’s worst since the Big 12 was formed, excluding a 49-point loss in an exhibition game to the U.S. Senior National Team during the 1999-2000 season. Tech’s 39 points marked its third-lowest scoring game of all-time.
• Courtney and Ashley Paris both recorded 10 points, marking the 27th occasion for the sisters to score in double-digits in the same game. The Sooners are 24-3 when both Parises reach double figures.
Courtney Paris
• Paris recorded her 77th consecutive double-double and the 82nd double-double in 85 career games.
Danielle Robinson
• Robinson scored 10 points in the first half, marking the third time she has done so in the first half and 11th time in any half. Robinson has scored in double figures 12 of 16 games.
Amanda Thompson
• Thompson had the best half of her career with 12 points, three steals and two assists in the first half. It was the second time in the last three games and her career that Thompson scored in double figures by halftime.
D-ROB, MOST VAUABLE FRESHMAN
Oklahoma’s Danielle Robinson is one of only two freshmen (the other is UNC’s Cetera DeGraffenreid) on Top 25 program to lead her team in assists and steals.
Robinson broke out in OU’s win against Illinois, scoring eight of her 14 points during a 16-3 run in the second half, lifting the Sooners to a 70-57 lead with 3:36 remaining. Robinson also had back-to-back steals for layups in the stretch. The Sooners won, 77-67, as Robinson recorded a career high seven steals.
Of her 216 points scored this season, 60 (28 percent) have come by way of the fast break, including 10 of her 18 against Arizona State, six of 12 at Michigan State, eight of 20 versus South Carolina and six of 16 against Baylor.
The following is a look at the production of the nation’s top freshmen guards (through Thursday, Jan. 24).
Production by the Nation’s Top Freshmen Player Team GP Points Assists Steals Angie Bjorklund Tennessee 18 10.6 1.6 1.2 Sydney Colson Texas A&M 19 3.7 1.7 1.5 Cetera DeGraffenreid North Carolina 19 11.5 3.4 2.6 Maya Moore Connecticut 18 16.8 3.7 1.8 Angela Puleo Georgia 19 8.3 2.9 1.3 Danielle Robinson Oklahoma 16 13.5 4.3 2.4 Alli Smalley Auburn 19 10.9 2.9 1.4 Marah Strickland Maryland 23 9.4 1.0 0.6
NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP FOR STEVENSON
Nyeshia Stevenson may not be starting, but she is one of the Sooners most important contributors.
After shooting 18.2 percent (2-of-11) from beyond the arc all last season, Stevenson is third in the Big 12 Conference in 3-point field goal percentage at 43 percent (18-of-42).
Stevenson broke out with a 4-for-4 3-point effort to spark the Sooners in a victory against Mississippi State and hasn’t looked back since.
The Little Rock, Ark., native averages 8.3 points per game, fifth best on the team and most by a reserve. After starting the season opener, she has the OU’s leading off-the-bench scorer in 13 of the last 15 games.
NO. 3′s COMPANY
Courtney Paris scored a season high 28 points in a losing effort to Baylor, but the scenario of Paris as OU’s leading scorer is becoming less common as the talent around her and the double- and triple-teaming defenses increase.
Danielle Robinson’s 20 points against South Carolina (Dec. 30) marked the fourth consecutive game in which a different Sooner was the team leader in points scored (Courtney Paris, 17 at Tulsa; Amanda Thompson, 14 at Michigan State; and Jenny Vining, 20 vs. Central Arkansas). This came after Ashley and Courtney Paris spent the first eight games of the season splitting games as the team’s leading scorer with Ashley getting the honor three times and Courtney five.
Danielle Robinson was OU’s leading scorer against Iowa State (23) and Nebraska (22) and Amanda Thompson led at OSU with 18.
Until this season, Courtney never missed two games without being her team’s leading scorer until Ashley posted the high number in OU’s two games in Cancun against Arizona State and Mississippi State.
Last season, Courtney Paris was OU’s leading scorer in all but five games. Jenna Plumley, Leah Rush and Chelsi Welch were the others that scored. During her freshman season, C. Paris led in all but five games with Rush, Welch and Erin Higgins also getting leading scoring honors during the year.
The last time four different Sooners were the leading point scorers in consecutive games was during the 2003-04 season when it happened in games 3 through 6.
CHAIRWOMAN OF THE BOARD
As a freshman, Courtney Paris set the NCAA single-season record with 539 rebounds and neared the mark as a sophomore with 526.
As a junior, Paris is averaging 15.4 boards, better than her 15.0 rate as a freshman.
Paris has owned OU’s offensive rebounds record since last season and took over as the No. 1 rebounder in the Sooners’ season opener. She passed Caton Hill for No. 1 on OU’s defensive rebounding list with seven defensive boards versus Mississippi State (Nov. 27).
Paris currently has 1,312 career rebounds with 446 coming off the offensive glass and 866 defensively.
Baylor’s Sophia Young (2002-06) currently holds the Big 12 Conference record for total rebounds with 1,316. Young also owns the career offensive rebounds (489) record.
Paris claimed Young’s Big 12 career record for defensive rebounds (827) with 10 in the game at Iowa State on Jan. 9.
No other Sooner in history has recorded 400 or more total rebounds in a single season.
A PERFECT ’10′
Courtney Paris’ 10 points against South Carolina (Dec. 30) was a career low, meaning she has never scored outside of double figures in her career. Only two other NCAA Division I players – LaToya Thomas, Mississippi State (1998-2002) and Chandi Jones, Houston (2000-04) – have finished their careers scoring in double figures in every game.
The most double-figure scoring games was accomplished by Sophia Young of Baylor (2003-06), who scored 10 or more points in 130 of her 139 career games.
Paris’ 10 points were 10.5 percent of OU’s total 95 against South Carolina, marking her lowest percent contribution since her career began. However, Paris did manage to grasp 24 rebounds, two from her personal best and the second most in a single game by a Division I player this season.
Paris’ second lowest percentage contribution came one game before against Central Arkansas, when she provided 14 of the team’s program record 121. Paris played only 22 minutes in the game.
Most Consecutive Double-Figure Scoring Games
125, LaToya Thomas, Mississippi State (1998-2002, 125 games)
Most Double-Figure Scoring Games
130, Sophia Young, Baylor (2003-06, 139 games)
Scored in Double Figures Every Game of Career
*130, Denise Curry, UCLA (1977-81)
125, LaToya Thomas, Mississippi State (1998-2002)
114, Chandi Jones, Houston (2000-04)
*Pre-NCAA record.
FRESHMAN FACTS
After losing six seniors, the OU women’s basketball team should be expected to look and play much differently this season than past Sherri Coale-coached teams have played. However, while these freshmen are very talented and will make their names known quickly, they do draw comparisons to some familiar faces.
Danielle Robinson | 5-9 | G | San Jose, Calif.
Robinson was the Sooners’ surprise pickup of the 2007 recruiting class. After acknowledging OU was off her radar until her official visit, Robinson made the decision to be a Sooner before she checked her bags for the return flight home. The speedy guard will see time both on and off the point and draws comparisons to Dionnah Jackson.
Carlee Roethlisberger | 6-1 | F | Findlay, Ohio
Having the third most recognizable surname speaks to the star power on the Sooners’ roster. Yes, Carlee is the sister of Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback Ben, but she may the family’s best athlete. Roethlisberger is leanest Sooner and the one with the greatest ceiling in terms of untapped basketball potential. Her play resembles another lean forward in former Sooner Leah Rush.
Jenny Vining | 5-9 | G | Marshall, Ark.
This Arkansas high school star will remind fans of former Sooner Erin Higgins because of her 3-point range and accuracy, although Vining’s may prove to be better in both cases. Head coach Sherri Coale says that Vining might be the best freshman she has ever coached because of her ability to quickly learn from mistakes and make correct adjustments in practice.
Lauren Willis | 5-11 | G | Overland Park, Kan.
Willis was an all-stater in Kansas and walked-on to the OU program. She has been a stellar defender in practice as was quite the spark in OU’s preseason intrasquad scrimmage as she went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc in limited action. Willis is the daughter of Steve Willis, a placekicker on Kansas State football’s first ever bowl team, and the former Lois Groen, an All-American and Big Eight Conference track and field champion at Iowa State.
Big 12 Conference Preseason Poll Rank Team Points 1. Texas A&M (7) 117 2. Oklahoma (5) 115 3. Baylor 97 4. Texas 86 5. Oklahoma State 66 6. Iowa State 64 7. Nebraska 56 8. Kansas State 54 Texas Tech 54 10. Kansas 43 11. Colorado 29 12. Missouri 11
SOONERS PICKED TO FINISH SECOND IN BIG 12
The Oklahoma Sooners were picked to finish second in this season’s Big 12 Conference women’s basketball standings in a preseason poll voted by the league’s coaches.
Texas A&M, the 2006-07 Big 12 co-champions with Oklahoma, received seven of 12 first-place votes to edge the Sooners, who received five first-place votes, in a split decision between the two teams. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own team.
PARIS PRESEASON BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE YEAR
For the second straight season, Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris was named the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year in the coaches’ vote.
The 6-4 center, who averaged 23.5 points and 15.9 rebounds, was last season’s Big 12 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year after leading the Sooners to title defenses of the conference’s regular season and tournament championships.
Ashley Paris was an honorable mention for the All-Big 12 team.
SOONERSPORTS.COM BLOG
Courtney has braces? Find out what prompted her sudden dental work by reading the OU Women’s Basketball Blog on SoonerSports.com.
OU head coach Sherri Coale submits regular postings and this season several OU players will enter the cyberspace realm with their own unique contributions.
Source: OU and Georgia Clash Sunday
