Sooners Prep For Visiting Bears

Feb. 20, 2001

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No. 24/NR Baylor (18-6, 7-6)
at
No. 8/8 Oklahoma (21-4, 12-1)

* Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2001 -- 7 p.m. (Central time)
* Lloyd Noble Center (capacity 11,100), Norman, Oklahoma
* TV: none
* Radio: KOMA-AM (1520)
Internet Radio: www.SoonerSports.com or www.KOMARadio1520.com

THE GAME
With a two-game lead in the Big 12 Conference regular season race, the eighth-ranked Oklahoma women's basketball team will host a dangerous Baylor team on Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. inside the Llody Noble Center.

All Oklahoma women's basketball games are broadcast on KOMA-AM (1520) radio station with Ed Murray (play-by-play) and Jenny Bramer (color analyst) on the headsets. This live broadcast also is available through OU's athletic department web site at www.SoonerSports.com.

The Sooners enter Wednesday's contest with a winning streak of 12 games. OU also sports a 21-4 overall record and tops the Big 12 with an 12-1 mark. Baylor is 18-6 and 7-6 in league play.

With Oklahoma's 80-75 win over Texas Tech Saturday, the Sooners established a school and Big 12 record for most consecutive wins with 12 and 11, respectively. OU picked up a 94-77 win over North Carolina in non-conference action on Jan. 21. Tech previous held this record with 10 straight conference wins during the 1997-98 season (Jan. 24-Feb. 28, 1998).

Oklahoma is ranked eighth in both the AP and USA Today/ESPN coaches' polls while Baylor is currently ranked 24th in the AP Poll and received 29 votes (No. 27) in the USA Today/ESPN coaches' poll.

SERIES RECORD OU vs. BAYLOR(OU leads 9-4)
Oklahoma left Waco with a slim 90-87 victory over Baylor earlier this season (Jan. 13) to extend its winning streak to five games against the Lady Bears. (see stats section for this year's box score)

OU has swept the two-game series for the last two years and sports an all-time series record of 9-4 against BU. OU also has a 4-2 edge over Baylor when playing in Norman. The last time Oklahoma lost to BU was in 1998 when the Lady Bears handed OU a 30-point loss, 97-67, in Waco.

This will be the second meeting between OU's Sherri Coale and Baylor's Kim Mulkey-Robertson. Robertson is a former player and coach at Louisiana Tech.

OKLAHOMA (21-4, 12-1 BIG 12)
Oklahoma sports the nation's fourth best scoring average of 83.7 points per game. The Sooners are also ranked sixth in field goal percentage (48.9%) and seventh in three-point percentage (39.6%) plus 14th in the NCAA with the best won-lost percentage of 84.0 (21-4).

During OU's 12-0 run, the Sooners are averaging 86.0 points, 41.3 rebounds, shooting 51.5 percent from the field, 41.9 percent from the arc and 75.2 percent from the foul line. Oklahoma is also beating its opponents by an average margin of victory of 17.0 ppg. Before the streak started, Oklahoma averaged 81.8 ppg, 43.2 rpg and was shooting 46.3 percent from the field, 33.6 percent from the arc and 70.4 percent at the free throw line. Not once since OU's run started has an opponent outshot OU from the field and only Baylor produced a better three-point field goal percentage than the Sooners. OU's defense has held over half of its opponents to 40 percent or below from the field, producing a 17-0 record for the Sooners.

Three of Oklahoma's starters average double figures in scoring and the Sooners are led by two of the best players in the country. Junior All-America and Big 12 Player of the Year candidates LaNeishea Caufield (Ada, Okla.) and Stacey Dales (Brockville, Ontario) lead the team and rank among the NCAA best in scoring, steals and assists. Caufield tops the nation in thefts with 4.5 steals per game and is among the elite in scoring with a team-best 17.2 points per game. Caufield's free throw percentage of 85.1 percent (114-of-134) ranks first in the league. She also ranks second on the team in assists (3.4 apg) and fourth in rebounds (4.4 rpg).

Dales stands eighth in the country in assists (7.6) and has scored or assisted on 45.8 percent of Oklahoma's 769 field goals. The Nancy Lieberman-Cline Step Up Award finalist (the award is for the top point guard in the nation) has scored 20 points in three of the last four games and follows Caufield in scoring with 16.7 points per game. She also ranks second on the team in steals (2.8 spg) and third in rebounds (5.0 rpg).

Sophomore Caton Hill (Ada, Okla.) leads the team and ranks fourth in the conference in rebounds with 9.1 boards per game. Not only is she effective in the paint but the 6-1 power forward is the conference's most consistent 3-point shooter in league games, hitting 63.3 percent of her treys (19-of-30). Hill also averages 13.0 points and shoots 82.8 percent from the foul line to rank third best on the team. In addition, she has supplied the Sooners with nine double-doubles (10+ rebounds, 10+ points) this season, pushing her career total to 15.

BAYLOR (18-6, 7-6 BIG 12)
Baylor has won three in a row and five of its last seven games heading into Wednesday's matchup with the Sooners. The Lady Bears most recently handed Missouri a 97-81 loss in Waco after upsetting No. 18 Texas, 80-75, in Austin last Wednesday. BU also defeated Texas A&M, 80-55, on Feb. 10, to start its three-game winning streak.

Senior Danielle Crockrom and junior Sheila Lambert led the Lady Bears as they combined for 66 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists to beat Missouri by 16 points. BU led by as more as 25 early in the second period, however, Missouri put together a 20-6 run over a four minutes span that cut the lead to seven with 5:50 to go in the game. Crockrom scored a game-high 36 points, her fifth 30-point effort of the season. Her 11 rebounds also led both teams and gave Crockrom her 16th double-double of the year. Sheila Lambert led Baylor with seven assists and added 30 points, her sixth 30-point game of the year. Prior to this season, the Lady Bears had never had two players score 30-plus points in a game, Crockrom and Lambert have now performed that feat three times this year. Baylor shot a season-high 58.7 percent from the field. Marlena Williams scored a career-high 34 points for Missouri, while senior Amanda Lassiter and Kerensa Barr each scored 15 for the Tigers.

For the season, Lambert leads the team with 23.0 points per game, followed by Crockrom's 21.8. Crockrom is the team leader in rebounds with 12.2 boards per outing. In addition, senior Monica Arnold averages double digits in scoring with 10.6 ppg and has 6.9 rpg. As a team, BU scores 80.2 ppg, and averages 47.6 rebounds. Baylor shots 42.1 percent from the field, 24.7 percent from the arc and 71.4 percent from the foul line.

BU's six losses this season have come against Big 12 teams. Baylor was 11-0 before entering league action.

UP NEXT
Oklahoma will close its home regular season schedule by hosting arch rival Oklahoma State on Saturday, Feb. 24. The game will be televise by the Sooner Sports Network with a 7 p.m. tip.

OU defeated the Cowgirls, 76-47, in Stillwater on Feb. 10, to set an OU record for most consecutive road wins. For her ninth double double of the year, sophomore Caton Hill led all with 22 points and a career-high 19 rebounds. Juniors LaNeishea Caufield add 20 points and Stacey Dales had 18 points and 10 rebounds, for her third double double.

The Sooners will close the 2000-2001 regular season at Texas on Feb. 28, in a game that will be televise live by Fox Sports Network at 7 p.m.

DALES EARNS SECOND BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR
All-America candidate Stacey Dales (Brockville, Ontario) was named the Big 12 Conference Player of the Week by a vote of a media panel on Monday. Dales assisted Oklahoma to a 2-0 record last week with wins against Kansas State, 79-60, and at Texas Tech, 80-75, pushing the Sooners' winning streak to 12-straight games. Dales led the team with a double-double of 21.0 points and 10.0 assists per game. She also averaged 7.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals and shot 56.7 percent (17-of-30) from the field plus 80.0 percent from the foul line (8-of-10). In addition, Stacey was responsible for over half of Oklahoma's field goals last week. She topped the team with 17 field goals made and assisted on 20 other field goals which account for 62.7 percent of OU's 59 field goals against K-State and Tech.

Dales had game-highs of 22 points and eight assists against a tough Texas Tech team in Lubbock. She also had eight rebounds and shot 57.1 percent from the field (8-of-14) and 75 percent from the foul line (6-of-8). Dales scored seven of OU's final nine points for the win.

Against Kansas State, Dales had her third double-double of the season with game highs of 20 points and 12 assists. She also grabbed eight rebounds, pocketed three steals and shot 56.3 percent from the field (9-of-16).

HILL EDGING TOWARD SEASON RECORD
Sophomore Caton Hill (Ada, Okla.) is currently 10 defensive rebounds shy of matching her own school season single record of 167 defensive boards which she set as a freshman last season. Hill accomplished that task in 33 games a year ago. She has 157 this season and has only played 25 games heading into Wednesday's Big 12 matchup. Former teammate and All-American Phylesha Whaley ranks second and third on the single season charts with 164 (1999-00) and 159 (1997-98) defensive rebounds.

SOONERS CONTINUES TO CLIMB THE POLLS
Oklahoma made the Top 10 list in the women's basketball AP and USA Today/ESPN Coaches Polls for the first time earlier this season. Since that appearance, the Sooners recently climbed two spots in both polls this week with its impressive win over Texas Tech in Lubbock Saturday.

OU first appeared among the AP Top 10 for the time in school history on Jan. 28, after defeating Texas Tech in Norman on Jan. 28. The Sooners' highest ranking previously had been 11th for the week of Jan. 12, 1986.

Oklahoma has been ranked in all 16 AP and USA Today/ESPN coaches' polls this year and 26-straight dating back to Jan. 17, 2000, OU's first appearance under Sooner coach Sherri Coale.

SOONER ARE PERFECT WHEN . . .
Oklahoma is undefeated when producing a better field goal percentage than its opponent (21-0), when leading at halftime (19-0) and when scoring 80-plus points in a game (17-0).

OU CONTINUES TO SET RECORDS
The Sooners have set the school record for most road wins in a single season with 12 to date. OU also established a new record for most consecutive road wins with nine to date. The previous record was seven, which OU matched against Nebraska on Feb. 7 and set at Oklahoma State on Feb. 10.

The record for most home wins is 13. OU is 9-1 inside the Lloyd Noble Center this season and has two more home games on its regular season schedule to play. A year ago, Oklahoma established a school record for most wins in a single season with 25. This year OU already has 21 victories with three games remaining in regular season action.

TAYOR'S ON THE VERGE OF RE-ENTERING TOP-15
Senior Desiree Taylor (Richardson, Texas) grabbed a season-high four of OU's season-low six offensive rebounds Saturday against Texas Tech. Taylor is one offensive board shy of re-entering Oklahoma's all-time top 15 list for career offensive rebounds. She was ranked 14th at the begining of the season but sophomore Caton Hill and junior Stacey Dales have moved up, pushing Taylor out. Hill ranks 14th with 148 while Dales has 145 offensive boards for 15th best. The Taylor, a 6-1 center/forward, has 144 offensive rebounds.

CAUFIELD CLAIMS THIRD SCHOOL RECORD
Junior All-America candidate LaNeishea Caufield (Ada, Okla.) has become Oklahoma's all-time record holder in career steals, most steals in a single season and for most consecutive free throws made.

RECORD ONE:
Caufield first set the record for most consecutive free throws made at 23 but better that mark two weeks later to 29-straight. The Ada High graduate has been perfect at the charity stripe in 11 different games this season. More impressive is that nine of the 11 games that Caufield has been flawless in have occurred on the road.

RECORD TWO:
Caufield became OU's all-time steals leader with four against Texas Tech Saturday in Lubbock. She picked the pocket of Tech's Katrisa O'Neal at the 5:21 minute mark in the first half to claim this title. Caufield now has 283 career steals and currently leads the nation in thefts with 4.5 per outing.

RECORD THREE:
With four steals against Texas Tech Caufield became OU's single season steals leader with 113 to date. She also ranks fourth with 96 last season and 10th with 74 as a freshman in 1998-99.

SOONERS SET CONSECUTIVE WINS MARK
Oklahoma set a school and Big 12 Conference record for most consecutive wins at 12 with its 80-75 victory over Texas Tech Saturday in Lubbock.

The 1983-84 team held the previous record with 11-straight wins. A year ago, Oklahoma went on a 10-0 run after losing to the 2000 national champions Connecticut Huskies on Dec. 29.

DALES ACCOUNTS FOR 45.8% OF SOONERS' FIELD GOALS
All-America candidate Stacey Dales (Brockville, Ontario) has had a hand in nearly half of Oklahoma's 769 field goals this season. She tops the team with 163 field goals and has assisted on 189 field goals (eighth in the NCAA at 7.6 assists/game) to account for 45.8 percent of the Sooners' total field goals this season. Of Dales' 163 FGs, 20 have been three-pointers. Dales, the soon-to-be school recordholder in assists, moved into Oklahoma's top-15 career scoring list this season and currently has 1,183 points. Dales also became the only player in school history to score 1,000-plus points and dish out over 500 assists against Nebraska.

SEEING DOUBLE
All-Big 12 Conference candidate Caton Hill (Ada, Okla.) recorded her ninth double-double of the season when she scored 22 points and ripped away a career-high 19 rebounds at Oklahoma State on Feb. 10. Oklahoma has tallied 15 double-doubles in 25 games by four different players. Other double-double performances for the Sooners this season include junior Stacey Dales (vs. K-State - 20 points, 12 assists, at OSU - 18 points, 10 rebounds, vs. SMU - 14 points, 14 assists), junior LaNeishea Caufield (at ORU - 22 points, 10 rebounds and vs. Iowa State - 13 points, 12 assists) and junior Jen Cunningham (vs. Texas - 18 points, 12 rebounds).

DALES CANDIDATE FOR TOP POINT GUARD OF THE YEAR AWARD
Junior Stacey Dales (Brockville, Ontario) is one of 10 finalist for the Conseco/Nancy Lieberman-Cline Step Up Award as recently announced by the Rotary Club of Detroit. The elite honor is given to the top collegiate point guard in Division I women's basketball. Dales is averaging 16.7 points, 7.6 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game for the 21-4 and eigth-ranked Sooners. Her mark for assists per game ranks first in the Big 12 Conference and eighth in the nation. Dales earned second-team All-Big 12 honors for the 1999-2000 season and was a preseason first-team All-Big 12 selection for 2000-01. She is the only player in OU women's basketball history to score more than 1,000 career points and dish out over 500 career assists. She was also named the Big 12 Player of the Week on Jan. 14.

The criterion for the Conseco Nancy Lieberman-Clin Step Up Award is the floor leadership, play-making and ball-handling skills that personified Lieberman-Cline during her career. The award, now in its second season, is a national project of the Rotary Club of Detroit. The AP sportswriters from across the country will nominate the finalists and eventual winner. Sue Bird of Connecticut received the award for the 1999-2000 season.

Dales has also been nominated for the ESPN.com Point Guard of the Year and selected as one of the top-five point guards in the nation by ESPN play-by-play announcer Beth Mowins. She also competed for the Candadian Olympic team this past summer in Sydney, Australia.

The 2000-2001 award will be presented at a luncheon at the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center on April 7 at Noon. Money raised at the event will be given to the American Cancer Society for direct support of various breast cancer initiatives, and to the Women's Sports Foundation, in creating an educated public that encourages participation in female athletics and supports gender equality in sports.

COALE-DALES AMONG ESPN.COM NOMINEE
Oklahoma's Head Coach Sherri Coale and Sooner point guard Stacey Dales (Brockville, Ontario) have been nominated for the ESPN.com Coach and Point Guard of the Year Awards. The finalist will be announced later this month with the winners attending an official ceremony on March 28 hosted by ESPN College Basketball.

TALBERT PERFORMS WELL AMONG THE TOP 5
Seward County Junior College transfer Jamie Talbert (Elkhart, Kan.) has appeared among the Sooners' starting lineup for the last six games. Talbert replaced junior center Jen Cunningham who's out with a torn ACL.

Over the past six games, Talbert has improved her scoring average to 8.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, including a career-best 11 boards vs. Nebraska on Feb. 7, and is shooting 62.2 percent from the field. For the year, she averages 6.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and shoots 55.4 percent from the field.

11-1 ON T.V.
Oklahoma sports an impressive 11-1 record when playing in a telvised game, including a 2-1 mark on FoxSports Network and a 1-0 record on ESPN2.

OU RANKS 7TH IN LATEST RPIs
The Sooners are seventh in the Collegiate Basketball News and WBCA/ Summerville RPI rankings this week. Oklahoma has played nine top-25 teams this year, producing a 5-4 record against the nation's best. OU defeated Texas Tech, 84-66, Southwest Missouri State, 89-82, Stanford, 102-98 OT, Texas, 85-74, and Baylor, 90-87.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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