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University of Oklahoma Athletics
10th-Ranked Sooners Face Off Against Nebraska
February 06, 2001 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 6, 2001
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THE GAME
The 10th-ranked Oklahoma women's basketball team looks to continue its eight-game winning streak when its travels to Lincoln, Neb., to face the Nebraska Cornhuskers (10-12, 2-7 Big 12) on Wednesday, Feb. 7 at 8:30 p.m. inside the Devaney Center. Tip off was changed from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. to accommodate the schedule adjustment for the Oklahoma State-Nebraska men's basketball game which was moved from Tuesday, Feb. 6, at 7:05 p.m. to Wednesday, Feb. 7 at 6 p.m. The move was made because of the tragic plane crash involving the Oklahoma State men's basketball team on Jan 27. The men's contest will be the first of a men's and women's doubleheader for Nebraska.
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) calling the action. This live broadcast also is available through OU's athletic department web site at www.SoonerSports.com. The game will also be televised by the Nebraska Educational Television Network (Channel 17) in Lincoln.
The Sooners enter the game with a 17-4 overall record and 8-1 mark in the Big 12 Conference. OU remains at 10th in the Associated Press Poll after defeating Missouri, 82-62, and Texas A&M, 93-70, last week. OU broke into the top-10 for the first time in school history after defeating No. 9 Texas Tech, 84-66, in Norman on Jan. 28. The Sooners have appeared among the nation's best since Jan. 17, 2000, 24-consecutive weeks.
Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Iowa State remains in a three way tie for first-place in the Big 12 Conference with identical 8-1 records while Nebraska is 11th at 2-7.
OU has won 12 of its last 13 games including a perfect 4-0 performance in Big 12 road games.
Over the past eight games (8-0), the Sooners are averaging 89.1 points and 41.9 rebounds per game while Nebraska (1-7) averages 59.1 ppg and 42.1 rpg.
Oklahoma is ranked 10th in the AP and 11th in the USA Today/ESPN coaches' polls. Nebraska is not ranked.
SERIES RECORD -- OU vs. Nebraska -- NU leads 20-18
Wednesday will mark the 39th meeting between the teams. Nebraska holds a slim 20-18 all-time series advantage over the Sooners. However, Oklahoma handed the Cornhuskers a 22-point loss, 91-69, in Norman a year ago, ending Nebraska's six-game winning streak over OU.
Not since 1995 has Oklahoma left Lincoln with a win. That season the Sooners' edged the Cornhuskers, 85-83.
OKLAHOMA (17-4, 8-1 BIG 12) LED BY COMMITTEE
Oklahoma enters the Nebraska game averaging the nation's third best scoring performance of 84.5 points per game and ranks second in the Big 12 shooting 48.4 percent from the field, including an impressive 40.0 from the arc. Over the past eight games, Oklahoma has shot 51.4 percent from the field, 44.0 percent from beyond the arc and 77.8 percent from the foul line. Not once in the last eight games 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 which in return produces a 13-0 record for the Sooners.
Three of Oklahoma's starters average double-figure in scoring and the Sooners are led by two of the best players in the country. Juniors All-America and Big 12 Player of the Year candidates LaNeishea Caufield (Ada, Okla.) and Stacey Dales (Brockville, Ontario) leads the team and ranks among the NCAA best in scoring, steals and assists. Caufield tops the nation in thefts with 4.6 steals per game and is among the elite in scoring with a team-best 17.7 points per game. She has pocketed five steals in each of the last six games and has lead the team in thefts in 17 of OU's 21 games. Caufield's free throw percentage of 87.1 percent (116-of-101) ranks first in the league. She also ranks second on the team in assists (3.6 apg) and third in rebounds (4.5 rpg).
Dales stands seventh in the country in assists (7.5) and has scored or assisted on 44 percent of Oklahoma's 647 field goals. The Conseco Nancy Lieberman-Cline Step Up Award candidate (the award is for the top point guard in the nation) follows Caufield in scoring with 16.0 points per game. She also ranks second on the team in steals with 3.0 thefts per outing, plus she's fourth in rebounds with 4.4 rpg.
Sophomore Caton Hill (Ada, Okla.) leads the team and ranks second in the conference in rebounds with 9.0 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 63.2 of her treys (12-of-19). Hill also averages 13.1 points and shoots 81.7 percent from the foul line to rank third best on the team. In addition, she has supplied the Sooners with eight double-doubles (10+ rebounds, 10+ points) this season, pushing her career total to 14.
A large part of Oklahoma's success this season also is due to the play of its other two regular starters, senior Sunny Hardeman (Norman, Okla.) and junior Jen Cunningham (Kingston, Ontario, Canada). Although Cunningham is nursing a knee injury right now she was averaging 10.8 points and 7.8 rebounds over the last six game prior to her injury. Hardeman averaged 10.0 points per game last week with the help of five 3-pointers. She ranks fourth in the league in 3-point field goal percentage, hitting 46.4 percent of her long range bombers.
NEBRASKA (10-12, 2-7 BIG 12)
Nebraska will face its second top 10 team in four days as NU recently lost to No. 8 Iowa State, 92-70, in Lincoln on Sunday. Nebraska has lost six of its last seven games and currently stands in 11th place in the Big 12 Conference standings.
After leading for most of the first half, the Huskers ended the game hitting 27-of-80 shots from the floor while Iowa State nailed 30-of-60 shots, including 14 3-pointers, four short of the school record. Both Lindsey Wilson and Megan Taylor hit five from beyond the arch for the Cyclones. However, the Cornhuskers also had trouble with controlling ISU's center Angie Welle who had 19 of her 23 points in the second half and pulled down nine rebounds.
Paige Sutton led Nebraska with 15 points. Casey Leonhardt added 14 and Amanda Went 13. The Cyclones led 45-35 at halftime after going 10-for-22 from 3-point range. Iowa State only took one shot from inside the arc in the first nine minutes and didn't have a 2-point field goal until Welle's layup with 5:34 left tied it at 29. Wilson hit a 3-pointer with 5:19 left put the Cyclones up 32-29 and they led the rest of the game.
Prior to Sunday's game, Nebraska defeated Kansas, 73-62, in Lawrence to end a five-game losing streak.
Leonhardt, a senior, leads Nebraska with 13.5 points and 6.1 rebounds, followed by freshman Shannon Howell who averages 8.8 points and a team-best 2.7 assists per game. As a team, the Cornhuskers rank 10th in the league in scoring at 66.9 ppg and sixth in rebounds with 41.0 rpg. Nebraska is shooting 42.8 percent from the field, 32.7 percent from three-point range and 67.9 percent from the free throw line.
UP NEXT
Oklahoma continues its conference road swing as OU journey's to Stillwater, Okla., to face the Oklahoma State Cowgirls on Saturday, Feb. 10, in a Sooner Sports Network televised game starting at 7 p.m.
OSU leads the all-time series 34-30 but the Sooners swept the two-game series a year ago, winning 93-69 in Stillwater and 77-68 in Norman. OU's victory in Norman clinch a share of the Big 12 regular season title for the Sooners.
A LOOK BACK AT MISSOURI
NORMAN, Okla. - The expectations are changing now that No. 10 Oklahoma has achieved its highest ranking in school history. LaNeishea Caufield scored 20 of her 28 points in the second half as Oklahoma capitalized on 27 turnovers and beat Missouri 82-62 Saturday.
"We're a Top 10 team now. You're supposed to come out and you're supposed to perform and that's what we did," OU guard Stacey Dales said.
Dales added 11 points and nine assists for the Sooners. Caton Hill had 11 points and 15 rebounds for her eighth double double of the season. Desiree Taylor's free throw capped a 15-4 run that gave Oklahoma a seemingly comfortable 38-29 lead with 42 seconds left in the first half.
But Missouri (13-7, 4-5) countered with five points in the last 30 seconds of the half to cut its deficit to four points, 38-34, at the break.
"They (Missouri) have a strong history of being a second half team," Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale said. "We were really concerned about the first five minutes of the second half."
Oklahoma seized control of the game early in the second half and extinguished Missouri's comeback hopes. Sunny Hardeman's 3-pointer on the Sooners' opening possession of the second half gave Oklahoma a 41-34 lead and set the tone as the Sooners outscored Missouri 44-28 in the second half.
"These last several games, I've played as if it's my last game," said Caufield, who averages an NCAA-leading 4.6 steals. "I don't worry too much about my offense. Coach Coale keeps harping that the offense will come, but it's my defense I must focus on."
Oklahoma limited Amanda Lassiter, Missouri's leading scorer, to just nine points, well below her season average of 20. Tracy Franklin's 11 points led the way for Missouri. Kerensa Barr added eight points and five assists for the Tigers.
DALES ACCOUNTS FOR 44.4% OF SOONERS FIELD GOALS
All-America candidate Stacey Dales (Brockville, Ontario) has had a hand in nearly half of Oklahoma's 647 field goals this season. She stands second on the team with 129 field goals and has assisted on 158 field goals (seventh in the NCAA at 7.5 assists/game) to account for 44.4 percent of the Sooners 647 field goals this season. Of Dales' 129 FGs, 18 have been three-pointers. Dales, the edging school recordholder in assists, moved into Oklahoma's top-15 career scoring list this season and currently has 1,103 points. Also, with two more assists Dales will become the only player in school history to score 1,000-plus points and dish out over 500 assists.
CAUFIELD 15 THEFTS SHY OF CLAIMING SCHOOL RECORD
Junior All-America candidate LaNeishea Caufield (Ada, Okla.) is only 15 steals shy of becoming Oklahoma's all-time pocket picker with 266 career steals. The record is 280 held by Jacquette Hurley (1983-86). Caufield currently leads the nation in thefts with 4.6 per outing.
Caufield has collected five steals each of the Sooners' last six games. She also has been the team leaders in thefts in 17-of-21 games this season. The guard recorded a career-high eight steals against Texas on Jan. 10 in Norman. The Oklahoman tops the team in points per game with 17.7.
22-STRAIGHT FREE THROWS BY CAUFIELD
Junior guard LaNeishea Caufield (Ada, Okla.) will attempt to break her own school record for most consecutive free throws made at 24-straight which was set earlier this season.
Caufield has reached 22-straight by hitting her last two free throws against Texas Tech (J28), followed by nailing 14-straight at Texas A&M Wednesday and eight vs. Missouri Saturday.
She has been perfect at the charity stripe in 10 different games this season. What's more impressive is that eight of those 10 games that Caufield has been flawless has occurred on an opponent's home court. Caufield's single game personal best performance is her 14-of-14 showing at Texas A&M on Jan. 31.
TAYLOR RETURNS TO COURT WITH STRONG SHOWING
Since returning to the court against Texas A&M on Jan. 31, senior Desiree Taylor (Richardson, Texas) has made an impact in OU's last two wins. Taylor has averaged 4.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game plus shot 66.7 percent from the foul line in 8.5 minutes of action.
Taylor had missed the past four games due to tearing her PCL (post anterior cruciate ligament) against Baylor on Jan. 13. Prior to Taylor's injury, she was averaging 1.5 points and 1.3 rebounds in 7.3 minutes of action.
SOONERS NEARING MOST CONSECUTIVE WINS MARK
A year ago, Oklahoma went on a 10-0 run after losing to the 2000 national champions Connecticut Huskies on Dec. 29. The Sooners are currently on an eight-game winning streak, the longest of the season and current longest in the Big 12 Conference. The 1983-84 Sooner team holds the school record for most consecutive wins at 11.
SOONERS NEARING EIGHTH 20-WIN SEASON
Oklahoma is just three wins shy of having back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since the 1983-84, 1984-85 and 1985-86 teams accomplished this feat three years in a row. OU is 17-4 on the season.
TALBERT PERFORMS WELL AMONG THE TOP 5
Seward County Junior College transfer Jamie Talbert (Elkhart, Kan.) appeared among the Sooners' top five for the first time last week. Talbert replaces junior center Jen Cunningham who's out with a torn ACL for the next few weeks. In her first week as a starter, Talbert averaged 8.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and shot 72.7 percent from the field.
For the year, Talbert averages 6.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and shoots 54.7 percent from the field. She has appeared in 20 of 21 games, with two starts, and averages 13.9 minutes per outing.
OKLAHOMA EARNS HIGHEST RANKING EVER
Oklahoma made the Top 10 list in the women's basketball AP Poll for the first time in school history on Jan. 28. The Sooners jumped two places to 10th after solid wins over Texas Tech and Kansas for the week of Jan. 22-28. The Sooners' highest ranking previously had been 11th the week of Jan. 12, 1986.
OU also moved up one spot in the USA Today/ESPN Poll, going from No. 13 to No. 12. This is OU's highest USA Today ranking of the season.
Oklahoma has been ranked in all 13 AP and USA Today/ESPN coaches' polls this year and 24-straight dating back to Jan. 17, 2000, OU's first appearance under OU coach Sherri Coale.
SEEING DOUBLE
All-Big 12 Conference candidate Caton Hill (Ada, Okla.) recorded her eighth double double when she scored 11 points and ripped down 15 rebounds, tying a personal best, against Missouri Saturday. Oklahoma has tallied 12 double doubles in 21 games by four different players. Other double double performances for the Sooners this season include junior Stacey Dales (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).
SOONER BACKCOURT ALL-AMERICA CANDIDATES
Juniors LaNeishea Caufield (Ada, Okla.) and Stacey Dales (Brockville, Ontario) are one of the best guard tandems in America. Caufield and Dales lead the Sooners and are among the Big 12 Conference and NCAA best as they post impressive numbers.
Dales ranks seventh in the NCAA and leads the team and league in assists with 7.5 per game. She also averages 16.0 points, second best on the team, while hustling for 4.4 rebounds and pocketing 3.0 steals per game. Dales shoots 46.2 percent from the field and 70.1 percent from the charity stripe. The Canadian also is among the league's best in assists, steals and scoring.
Caufield leads the nation in steals per game with 4.6 thefts per outing. She also leads the squad in scoring with 17.7 points and is third in rebounding with 4.5 boards per game. The Oklahoman hits a league-best 87.1 percent of her free throws.
BIG 12 HAS SIX TEAMS RANKED IN AP POLL FOR FIRST TIME EVER
The Big 12 Conference has half of its membership ranked in the Associated Press Women's Basketball Poll for the first time ever. The league has had five teams ranked on four occasions, the previous three weeks and November 17, 1997. Big 12 teams ranked in the January 29 poll include: No. 8 Iowa State, No. 10 Oklahoma, No. 12 Texas Tech, No. 20 Baylor, No. 21 Texas and No. 23 Colorado. In addition, Oklahoma State and Missouri received votes. Oklahoma is making its first-ever appearance in the Top 10. The Sooners' previous high ranking was 11th on Jan. 12, 1986.
CUNNINGHAM SUFFERS THIRD TORN ACL
Junior Jen Cunningham (Kingston, Ontario, Canada) suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her right knee against Texas Tech on Jan. 28. This is the third torn ACL in Cunningham's basketball career. She experienced her first ACL injury prior to her senior year in high school and reinjuried the same knee (left) as a sophomore at Miami (Fla.) on Dec. 19, 1999. The 6-3 center is expected to miss the following three to four weeks.
Cunningham averages 6.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in 22.4 minutes of action this season. However, in her last six games, she's produced 10.8 ppg and 7.8 rpg in 26.3 minutes of play.
SOONERS RANK 4TH IN THE NCAA IN SCORING
In the most recent NCAA Division I basketball statistics (released on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2001), Oklahoma ranks in the following national stat categories ... No. 4 in scoring, averaging 84.5 points per game, 13th in field goal percentage (48.4) and No. 14 in three-point field goal percentage (40.0).
Individually, the Sooners have two players that rank among the nation's elite in two categories. Juniors LaNeishea Caufield (Ada, Okla.) and Stacey Dales (Brockville, Ontario, Canada) ranks among the best in steals and assists. Caufield leads the nation in thefts with 4.6 steals per game while Dales ranks 21st in steals per game with 3.0 and seventh in the NCAA in assists per game with 7.5. Note: Oklahoma numbers include OU games to date.
OU RANKS 7TH IN LATEST RPI
The Sooners are ranked eighth in the WBCA/ Summerville RPI and seventh in the Collegiate Basketball News Women's RPI College Basketball Rankings this week.
The Sooners have played nine top-25 teams this year. OU is 5-4 against the nation's best, defeating Texas Tech, 84-66, Southwest Missouri State, 89-82, Stanford, 102-98 OT, Texas, 85-74, and Baylor, 90-87.
SOONERS RANK 32ND IN NATIONAL ATTENDANCE
Oklahoma is ranked 31st in this week's unofficial NCAA Division I Women's Basketball home attendance survey, which is compiled by the University of Wisconsin Women's Sports Information Office. The Sooners are averaging 2,652 fans per game.
SOONER BRIEFS
OKLAHOMA SOONERS
OU has proven that its a very versatile and deep team this year as six different players have stepped up to lead the Sooners in scoring. OU also has eight players that are averaging 12-plus minutes per game this season. Oklahoma is a more mature and experienced team and with the added depth, Head Coach Sherri Coale believes she has the right mixture to strengthen the Sooners' chances of going deeper into the NCAA Tournament.
Oklahoma has continued 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.
The Sooners returned four starters and 10 letter-winners from last year's 25-8 NCAA Sweet 16 team. In addition, OU returned 73.7 percent of their points, 79.6 percent of their rebounds, 91.1 of their assists and 88.5 percent of their steals.
Saturday, March 28
Friday, March 27
Sunday, March 22
Sunday, March 22
