Women's Basketball Competes In Coaches Vs. Cancer Challenge

Nov. 20, 2000

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Tip off Information
The No. 12/13 ranked Oklahoma women's basketball team will participate in its second tournament of the season this week. The Sooners will be one of four nationally ranked programs in Madison, Wis., competing in the well respected Coaches vs. Cancer Challenge. Comprising the field will be No. 5/5 Notre Dame, No. 6/6 Georgia, No. 12/13 OU and No. 19/NR Wisconsin. Oklahoma and Georgia opens the two day doubleheader on Wednesday, Nov. 22, at 5 p.m. (CST) at the Kohl Center located on the University of Wisconsin's campus. Following the opening game, host Wisconsin will face Notre Dame in a game that has a 7:30 p.m. tip time. The losers of Wednesday's game will open the action on Friday at 12:30 p.m. (CST), followed by the championship game, that will be aired on ESPN, at 3 p.m. (CST). Both of OU's games will be broadcast live on KOMA-AM (1520) and on the Internet at www.soonersports.com. Ed Murray will provide the play-by-play and Jenny Bramer will be the color analyst for the women's basketball radio network. Only the championship game on Friday, Nov. 24, at 3 p.m. will be televised on ESPN. Calling the championship game will be Matt Devlin and Doris Burke.

Coaches vs. Cancer Challenge Background
This is the second Women's Basketball Coaches vs. Cancer Challenge. The 1999 Coaches vs. Cancer Challenge featured tournament champion and eventual NCAA Champion Connecticut along with Old Dominion, Kentucky and Clemson. Last year, the event raised over $90,000 for Coaches vs. Cancer. Since 1995, Gazelle, producers of the Coaches vs. Cancer IKON Classic and Coaches vs. Cancer Challenge, has raised over $1.5 million for Coaches vs. Cancer. Coaches vs. Cancer is a collaboration of the American Cancer Society, the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, dedicated to supporting hope, progress and answers in the war against cancer.

Sooners Start Season At 2-0
For only the eighth time in school history, Oklahoma opened the season with two victories. The Sooners defeated Tulsa, 80-49, and Oral Roberts, 87-56, in the Annual Bertha Teague Memorial Classic held in Tulsa, Okla. The Sooners convincing 31-point margin of victory escalate the team to a No. 12 and No. 13 ranking on the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Coaches Polls. Earning all-tournament honors were OU's LaNeishea Caufield and Stacey Dales, Tulsa's Lela Farr, ORU's Shayne McKenzie and Oklahoma State's Jessica Spinner. Caufield also was named the tournament's MVP. Against ORU: Guard LaNeishea Caufield (Ada, Okla.) scored 22 points, leading four Oklahoma players in double figures, as the Sooners beat ORU, 87-56, in the final game of the Bertha Teague Memorial Classic. Caufield connected on 10-of-18 shots from the field and dished out a career-high 10 assists and added seven rebounds and six steals to her totals. Sophomore guard Jadrea Seeley (Bethel, Okla.) added 16 points for Oklahoma, while Jen Cunningham (Kingston, Ontario) and Rosalind Ross (Milwaukee, Wis.) had 11 and 10 points, respectively. Shane McKenzie, Jennette Bolovinos and Krista Ragan ended the night with 11 points each for ORU. The Sooners defense held the Golden Eagles' top player, Ragan, to just one point in the second half and 3-for-15 shooting for the game. The Sooners shot 49.3 percent from the field compared to ORU's 37.5 percent. OU also out-rebounded ORU 51-31, including 25 offensive boards. After the Golden Eagles closed the score to 46-40, the Sooners took control of the game. OU's hot shooting and a smothering defense proved to be too much for the Golden Eagles. The Sooners also connected on 4-for-9 three pointers, led by guard Sunny Hardeman's (Norman, Okla.) 3-of-4 shooting from behind the arc. Against Tulsa: Stacey Dales (Brockville, Ontario) scored 24 points as Oklahoma opened its season with an 80-49 victory over Tulsa on Friday night. Dales also had seven rebounds, seven assists adn six steals to lead the Sooners. Tulsa hung close for most of the first half, leading 15-14 early. But the Sooners, behind 14 first-half points from Dales, pulled out to a 38-28 halftime advantage. A 13-1 run at the start of the second half gave the Sooners an insurmountable 51-30 lead. Caufield added 10 points, five rebounds and two assists for Oklahoma. Seeley added 10 points. Lela Farr's 19 points led Tulsa in its season-opener. Mia Williams added 10 points and five rebounds.

Overview of the field
The women's basketball Coaches vs. Cancer Challenge will take place on Nov. 22 and Nov. 24 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis. It features Georgia, Notre Dame, Wisconsin and Oklahoma.

Georgia (1-1) - Georgia's Andy Landers enters his 22nd season at the helm for the Lady Bulldogs. UGA finished last year with a school record 32 wins and reached the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament. Landers returns four starters, six letter winners and welcomes a talented quartet of freshmen. Headlining the returnees are Coco Miller, Kelly Miller and Deanna "Tweety" Nolan. C. Miller finished last year as the Lady Dogs' leading scorer, while twin sister Kelly earned a slew of accolades including National Player of the Year from the Women's Basketball Journal and was also a first team All-American. Veterans Kiesha Brown and Camille Murphy are major contribute as well. UGA lost to Connecticut, 99-70, in Hartford, Conn., and defeated Massachusetts, 71-63, in Athens to open the season. Georgia has four players averaging 10-plus points led by K. Miller's 19.5 points per game. Christi Thomas (16.5), C. Miller (15.5) and Nolan (11.0) each average double digits in scoring. Thomas is the team leader in rebounds with 9.5 boards per game.

Notre Dame (1-0) - The Fighting Irish have earned five consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, a visit to the Final Four in 1997 and three NCAA Sweet 16 appearances in the last four years. Head Coach Muffet McGraw's teams have emerged as one of the nation's top teams. Notre Dame's three returning starters are three of the nation's top players at their positions. Ruth Riley, regarded as the premier center in women's basketball today, is a contender for the national player of the year honor. The two-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year led the Irish in scoring and rebounding for the second straight year last season. Fifth-year player Niele Ivey, one of the top point guards nationally, will again be a key in the Irish backcourt. Sophomore guard Alicia Ratay, last year's Big East Rookie of the Year, has established herself as one of the top perimeter shooters in the country. UND improved its record to 2-0 Monday night with a 95-65 victory over Arizona in Notre Dame, Ind. UND also defeated Valparaiso, 71-46 in Valparaiso, Ind., to open the season. The Fighting Irish's Alicia Ratay has led the team in scoring with 20-or-more points per game. Ratay sports a team-best 23.0 ppg, while senior center Ruth Riley averages 15.0 ppg and Niele Ivey contributes 13.0 ppg. Kelley Siemon is the team leader in rebounds with 7.5 per outing, followed by Riley's seven boards per game.

Wisconsin - Host of this year's special event, Wisconsin's Jane Albright's Badgers won last year's WNIT and finished the season at 21-12, marking the fourth consecutive 20 win season in the past six years. Wisconsin returns three starters and 80 percent of its scoring. Highly touted recruit Nina Smith, who missed most of last year with a broken foot, returns to the lineup at center. Senior forward LaTonya Sims, who filled in for Smith and led the team in scoring and rebounding last season, looks to claim the all-time scoring record at UW. The 1999 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Jessie Stromski, will start at the other forward position. Tamara Moore, last year's team MVP and WNIT Tournament MVP, will direct the squad at the point. Freshman Emily Ashbaugh, a Gatorade Player of the Year in high school, will make an immediate impact. The Badgers opened the season with a 71-57 loss to Oregon but came back the following night for an impressive 102-49 victory over Elon College. Stomski leads the team with 15.0 points per game, followed by Sims' 14.5 ppg, Moore's 13.0 ppg and Kyle Black's 10.0 ppg. Stomski and Sims also leads the team in rebounds with 7.5 and 7.0 boards per game, respectively.

Series records

OU vs. Georgia - UGA leads 2-0 This is the third meeting in four years between the Sooners and Lady Dogs. The first game was dominated by UGA, winning 94-76, in Norman. However, the second game was a much closer contest than the score reflects. OU was within one point with less than two minutes to play. With :55 second remaining, OU was only down four points but fouls forced the Sooners to accept an 88-79 loss in Athens. Oklahoma is 10-10 when playing school from the Southeastern Conference. OU Head Coach Sherri Coale is 0-2 against the legendary Andy Landers of UGA.

OU vs. Notre Dame - OU leads 1-0 In the only meeting between these two teams, Oklahoma won 57-54 in the Washington Tournament in Seattle during the 1986-87 season. Oklahoma is 3-4 when playing school from the Big East. OU Head Coach Sherri Coale has never faced the Fighting Irish.

OU vs. Wisconsin - First Meeting Oklahoma and Wisconsin have never faced each other. The Sooners are 5-2 when playing teams from the Big Ten.

OKLAHOMA SOONERS
Oklahoma returns four starters and 11 letter winners from last year's 25-8 NCAA Sweet 16 team. In addition, the Sooners return 73.7 percent of its points, 79.6 percent of its rebounds, 91.1 of its assists and 88.5 percent of its steals. So, look for a more mature and experienced team to emerge this season. Coale believes she has the right mixture of veterans and the added depth needed at each position to strengthen the Sooners' chances of going deeper into the NCAA Tournament. Oklahoma will continue to play an up-tempo, fast break type of offense, while extending its defense and applying more full court pressure due to the added depth.

Caufield's on the verge of being an elite
Junior guard LaNeishea Caufield (Ada, Okla.) is just five points shy of becoming the 15 player in Oklahoma women's basketball history to score 1,000 career points. If this milestone is reached against Georgia, it will have taken Caufield 65 career games to score 1,000 points.

Shot blocker Junior center Jen Cunningham (Kingston, Ontario, Canada) blocked three shots against Tulsa in the season opener to break into the all-time record list at No. 13 in career blocks. Cunningham now has 21 blocked shots to her credit and will be expected to continue to move up the chart. She is averaging 6.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and shooting 46.2 percent from the field this season.

Sooners added depth and talent is a plus Oklahoma welcomed the addition of junior college transfers Rosalind Ross (Milwaukee, Wis.) and Jamie Talbert (Elkhart, Kan.), plus freshman Stephanie Luce (Southlake, Texas) to its 2000-2001 roster. The trio of stars has proved worthy of court time as each played in both of OU's opening games and averaged at least 10 minutes per outing. Ross and Talbert brought a wealth of playing experience to the court as each earned National Junior College All-American first team accolades a year ago. Ross, a 5-9 guard, is averaging seven points and shooting 55.6 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three-point land as a Sooner. She has also collected five assists and three steals. A year ago, Ross averaged 17.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, two assists and 2.9 steals as a sophomore at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College. Talbert, 6-2 forward, is averaging 6.5 points, three rebounds and is shooting 66.7 percent from the field (6-of-9). A year ago, she accounted for 23.7 points and 10.0 rebounds per outing for Seward County Junior College. Luce, 5-6 guard, played 13 minutes in her collegiate debut for the Sooners. She scored six points, had two rebounds and one steal, plus was 2-for-4 from the field between the two games. Luce was an All-State Texas selection who averaged 15.0 points, 5.4 assists and 2.8 steals a game for Carroll High School.

ESPN takes notice of Dales and Caufield
ESPN play-by-play announcer Beth Mowins selected juniors Stacey Dales (Brockville, Ontario) and LaNeishea Caufield (Ada, Okla.) as two of the top guards in the nation. Mowins feels with Dales' stint with the Canadian national team and her consistent, smart and a proven leadership abilities, she will be one of the top-five point guards in the nation this season. In the off-guard slot, Mowins selected Caufield as a player to check out this season due to her strong NCAA performance last year.

Caufield tabbed as third team all-American
Junior guard LaNeishea Caufield (Ada, Okla.) was named a preseason third team All-American by the Women's Basketball News Service. Caufield caught the attention of the WBNS as a freshman when she was selected as a first team Freshman All-American squad. The 5-9 Ada, Okla., native is the team's top returning scorer averaging 15.9 points per game. She also paced the Sooners in the NCAA Tournament with a team-best 23.7 points per game. In addition, Caufield shot an impressive 60.5 percent from the field and 81.8 percent from the free throw line during postseason action.

Dales selected preseason all-big 12
Junior point guard Stacey Dales (Brockville, Ontario) was one of five players named to the 2000-2001 All-Big 12 preseason team. Dales averaged 12.7 points, 5.8 assists and 5.1 rebounds for the Sooners a year ago. This past summer, the Brockville, Ontario, native contributed 11.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 31 minutes of action as a member of the 2000 Canadian Olympic Team. Other preseason All-Big 12 selections include Iowa State's Angie Welle and Megan Taylor, Texas Tech's Plenette Pierson, and Missouri's Amanda Lassiter. Dales was a member of the 2000 All-Big 12 second team while Taylor and Lassiter were on the third team. Pierson was the 2000 Big 12 Freshman of the Year. Welle was chosen the preseason Big 12 Player of the Year.

Hardeman and Dales share leadership role
This year's 2000-2001 team captains will be senior Sunny Hardeman (Norman, Okla.) and junior Stacey Dales (Brockville, Ontario). Dales is a three-time team co-captain, while Hardeman will serve her first season as a team co-captain.

Members ONLY watch
Junior guards LaNeishea Caufield (Ada, Okla.) and Stacey Dales (Brockville, Ontario) are on the verge of becoming members of Oklahoma's elite 1,000-point club. Caufield needs five points to become the 15th player in school history to score 1,000 career points. In two years, she has scored 995 points. Dales has 796 career points and needs to score 204 points to become a member of the elite club.

Recapping OU's EXhibition Games
Sooners Go 2-0 Head Coach Sherri Coale and Sooners picked up two victories in exhibition play last week. OU defeated Oklahoma Christian, 94-61, Monday night, followed by a 62-49 victory over Australian Institute of Sport on Friday. Even though the play wasn't very smooth and the transition wasn't there yet, OU gain valuable experience starting the new era without All-American Phylesha Whaley. Whaley was Oklahoma's leader and "go to player" for the past four years. The transition from having to not having Whaley was evident in the Sooners first two exhibition games. Leading the Sooners in the two exhibition games was junior Stacey Dales (Brockville, Ontario) and sophomore Jadrea Seeley (Bethel, Okla.). Dales, a 6-1 point guard, averaged 19.5 points, while Seeley, a 6-1 guard, contributed 14.0 points per game. Junior LaNeishea Caufield (Ada, Okla.) also averaged double digits with 10.0 points per game. Defensively, the Sooners got solid production from sophomore Caton Hill (Ada, Okla.). Hill averaged 11.0 rebounds over the two game trial period.

Tough Slate
Oklahoma's 2000-2001 schedule is the toughest under current Head Coach Sherri Coale. A current WBCA/Summerville RPI ranking confirms it as the Sooners have the 26th toughest schedule, out of 315, in the country. Conference wise, the Big 12 ranks fifth out of 31 leagues with the hardest slate this season. The SEC leads the pack, followed by the Atlantic Coast, Big East and Big 10.

A look back to 2000
Last season was a stellar year for the Oklahoma women's basketball program as they captured a school-record 25 victories (25-8), won its first Big 12 Conference regular season title (13-3) and appeared in its first NCAA Sweet 16 Tournament, under the 64-team format. The Sooners ended the year with a final national ranking of No. 13 in the USA Today/Coaches Poll. Prior to opening the Big 12 Conference schedule in early January Oklahoma hosted a school record 10,713 fans for the OU-Connecticut game inside the Lloyd Noble Center on Dec. 29. It also marked the largest crowd ever to watch a women's sporting event in the state. One week later, Oklahoma defeated then 13th-ranked Texas Tech, 82-76, in Norman to return to the national spotlight with a No. 25 ranking. Following that win, OU raced out to an all-time best 9-0 Big 12 start, landing the Sooners atop the league. After ending January with a flawless 10-0 record, OU faced a tough February as the Sooners journeyed to national powers Iowa State and Texas Tech. Oklahoma, ISU and Tech concluded the conference schedule with identical 13-3 records. Following an early exit from the Big 12 Tournament, Oklahoma put its energy in its first NCAA Tournament berth since 1995. Oklahoma was selected as a No. 5 seed in the East Region that featured 10 conference champions, an RPI of 12th, six teams ranked among the nation's top 25, the defending national champions, Purdue, and No. 1 Connecticut. Oklahoma picked up first- and second-round victories over BYU, 86-81, and Purdue, 76-74. The Sooners fought back from a 17-point deficit on the Boilmakers' home court to spoil Purdue's chance of a national title repeat. For only the second time in school history, Oklahoma women's basketball team worked its way into the NCAA Sweet 16. There, OU would see its season come to an end against national champion Connecticut. It took the nation's best team to end Oklahoma's best season ever.

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Women's Basketball Competes In Coaches Vs. Cancer Challenge

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