Women's Hoops Heads West For The Holiday

MEDIA INFORMATION
What: Oklahoma (2-0) vs. Siena (1-1), Pepperdine (1-1) or UC-Riverside (0-1)
When: Friday, Nov. 28, 2003
Where: Malibu, Calif. (Firestone Fieldhouse)
Time: 9:15 p.m. CST (Friday)
Radio: KOMA (1520 AM)
TV: none
Rankings: #19/21 Oklahoma
Series Record: OU-Siena, first meeting
OU-UC Riverside, first meeting
OU-Pepperdine, tied 1-1
Internet: Sooner fans can listen to play-by-play action of OU women's basketball by logging onto www.SoonerSports.com.

PROBABLE STARTERS
OKLAHOMA (2-0)           PPG     RPG
10   F   Caton Hill               15.5      4.5
14   C   Beky Preston         5.0       5.5
35   G   Dionnah Jackson    10.0     6.5
34   G   Erin Higgins           6.5       2.0
5   G   Maria Villarroel     15.5     6.0

SIENA (1-1)                        PPG    RPG
33   F   Nathalie Marchino   7.5      3.5
40   F   Jolene Johnston      8.5      4.0
45   C   Liene Jansone        21.0    10.5
11   G   Michelle Blot          1.0      3.0
1   G   Trish Lyons           7.5      1.5

UC RIVERSIDE (0-1)       PPG     RPG
22   F   Jodi Reber               4.0      3.0
34   F   Crystal Harris          8.0      4.0
44   C   LaKeima Stephens   9.0      5.0
13   G   Casandra Reeves    23.0      4.0
32   G   Kristin Peters          9.0      6.0

PEPPERDINE (1-1)            PPG     RPG
11   F   Kelli Spencer           11.0       3.0
24   F   Jasmine Clarendon    4.0       3.0
42   C   Kelly Greathouse      7.0       6.5
15   G   Kerra Wodarski        5.5       3.5
31   G   Nicole Funn              14.0      5.0

OKLAHOMA (2-0)
The 19th-ranked Oklahoma women's basketball team opens up its true road schedule this weekend as the Sooners will be one of four teams competing in the Yellow Book USA Turkey Shoot-Out in Malibu, Calif., on Nov. 28-29. OU's opening opponent, Siena, UC-Riverside and host Pepperdine complete the field for the two day tournament.

The Sooners boast a 2-0 record heading into's Friday's action. OU displayed its ability to score points and play defense by defeating ORU, 90-42, and Southeast Missouri State, 83-48. The Sooners average 86.5 points and 57.0 rebounds per game while it opponents only put up just 45.0 points and 24.5 rebounds per contest.

OU's win over ORU was one of the most lopsided victory in school history. The 48-point margin of victory tied for the fifth-most impressive win in school history, while the 90 point production marked OU's highest output since scoring 103 points in a season-opening win over TCU on Nov. 25, 2003.

The Sooners have shown a well-balanced ability to score and rebound this season. Oklahoma currently has four players who are averaging 10 or more points and six players who are responsible for five plus rebounds per game.

One of the biggest threat, but smallest bodies on the OU roster, is senior Maria Villarroel. The Margarita, Venezuela native averages a team high tying 15.5 points per game, on 60.0 percent field goal shooting, and 6.0 rebounds per game. She is backed up by senior power forward Caton Hill's 15.5 ppg and 4.5 rpg. However, Hill leads the team in steals with seven and ranks second with four assists. Bench power comes from freshman sensation Leah Rush, who contributes 11.5 points and a team-best 7.5 rpg. The Amarillo, Texas native is also shooting lights out as she's nailed 8-of-13 shots from the field for a 61.5 accuracy. Manning the point guard position for the Sooners is junior Dionnah Jackson who chips in 10 points and a team-best 5.0 assists per game. The St. Louis, Mo., native has played 46 minutes, dishing out 10 assists to just two turnovers. She has also pocketed three steals and hit 9-of-10 free throws.

YELLOW BOOK USA TURKEY SHOOT-OUT SCHEDULE
Friday, Nov. 28
Pepperdine vs. UC Riverside 5 p.m. PST (7 p.m. CST)
Oklahoma vs. Siena 7:15 PST (9:15 p.m. CST)

Saturday, Nov. 29
Consolation Game 5 p.m. PST (7 p.m. CST)
Championship Game 7:15 PST (9:15 p.m. CST)

A Look At The Teams:
Before heading West, Siena lost to Boston College, 65-49, Tuesday night. The Saints defeated Albany, 63-46, in their season opener on Nov. 21.

In Siena's opening game against Albany, nine different Saints scored, with Liene Jansone leading the way with game highs of 24 points and seven rebounds. Jolene Johnston and Nathalie Marchino also scored in double digits with 10 and 13 points, respectively. As a team, Siena shot 42.6 percent (26-61) from the field and a poor 53.8 percent (7-13) from the stripe and 28.6 percent (4-14) from beyond the arch.

Head coach Gina Castelli (Canisius 86) returned seven letterwinners and three starters that produced an overall record of 25-8 a year ago. That same team also went 15-3, tying for first place, in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The Saints advanced to the second round of the WNIT before losing to Creighton, 96-86.

Pepperdine received a vote in this week's USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Top 25 Coaches' poll. The Waves are 1-1 heading into their home tournament. Pepperdine defeated UC-Irvine, 71-47, after opening the 2003-04 slate with a 69-61 road lost to No. 6 Stanford.

Three Waves are averaging 10-plus points over the two-game span. Senior forward Nicole Funn tops the program with 14.0 ppg, followed by Shanell Law and Kelli Spencer's 13.0 and 11.0, respectively. Law is a returning All-West Coast selection, while Funn earned honorable mention merits.

Entering is 11th season as head coach for Pepperdine is Mark Trakh. Trakh welcomes back nine letterwinners, including four starters from last year's team that went 22-8 overall, won the WCC regular-season title with a 12-2 mark, captured its second straight WCC Tournament championship and reached the NCAA Championships for the third time in school history.

UC-Riverside has only played one regular season game. The Highlanders lost to Montana State, 91-66, a team the Sooners will play on Dec. 10 in Bozeman, Mont. In that contest, Casandra Reeves scored a team-high 23 points on 8-of-21 field goals, while Kirsten Muir came off the bench for a team-high seven boards. The Highlanders only shot 32.1 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from beyond the arc. MSU also controlled the boards, 49-40.

Reeves, a returning All-Big West selection, averaged 15.2 points and 3.2 assists per game last season. Senior Crystal Harris has averaged 10 ppg throughout her career, while LaKeima Stephens and Kristin Peters also return to the team. Stephens played 11 games before being declared academically ineligible and Peters missed the entire campaign due to several injuries.

UP NEXT
Oklahoma will continue its road journey as the Sooners travel to Dallas, Texas to take on SMU on Wednesday, Dec. 3. The two teams will tip off at 7 p.m. inside Moody Coliseum.

SMU lost to TCU, 74-64, in its home season opener on Nov. 24. The Mustangs will host the SMU Hoops for the Cure Tournament on Nov. 28-29 before taking on the Sooners next Wednesday. Texas Tech, Michigan, Texas-Arlington completes the SMU tournament field.

CHARITY POINTS COUNT TOO
Oklahoma has five players who are flawless from the free throw line this season. With the exception of the two exhibition games, OU is shooting 73.7 percent (42-57) from the stripe and nailed 13-of-15 foul shots vs. ORU in the season opener.

100 percent performers
Maria Villarroel     7-7
Caton Hill               6-6
Krista Sanchez        4-4
Erin Higgins           2-2
Kendra Moore        2-2

Near perfect performers
Dionnah Jackson 9-10
Leah Rush 7-8

500 OR BETTER
Five Sooners are shooting 50 percent or better from the field. Leading the way is OU sixth-man Leah Rush. The rookie has hit 8-of-13 shots for a 61.5 field goal accuracy. Another freshman hitting 60 percent is Krista Sanchez. She's connected on 6-of-10 shots, while senior Maria Villarroel has made 12-of-20 shots for 60 percent as well.

50 Percent or Better Class FG-FGM %
Leah Rush Fr. 8-13 61.5
Krista Sanchez Fr. 6-10 60.0%
Maria Villarroel Sr. 12-20 60.0%
Caton Hill Sr. 11-19 57.9%
Beky Preston So. 5-10 50%

GOLD RUSH
Freshman Leah Rush as stepped up to the challenge of NCAA Division I women's basketball. The rookie from Amarillo, Texas comes off the bench to lead Oklahoma with 7.5 rebounds per game. She also tops the team with a 61.5 field goal percentage and ranks third in points per game (11.5). Rush grabbed 11 boards in her collegiate debut against ORU and scored 16 points in her first Lloyd Noble Center outing.

SOONERS CLEAN GLASS
Oklahoma's 68 rebounding performance against ORU marked the most impressive glass cleaning under current head coach Sherri Coale. Prior to that, a Coale team had pulled down 52 rebounds against five different teams, including three times during the 2000-01 season. OU's 32 offensive boards were more than ORU had as a team, 23.

The school record is 75 set against Cameron on Nov. 30, 1982.

HILL RECORDS MILESTONES
Senior Caton Hill surpassed several milestones in the last game. The senior forward attempted her 1,000 field goal, 300 free throw and grabbed her 600 defensive rebound. Hill is the school record holder for most defensive boards. She also surpassed the 3,000 minute mark, playing 3,008 in three plus years.

COALE LOOKS TO BECOME OU'S WINNING COACH
Eighth year head coach Sherri Coale is nine victories shy of becoming Oklahoma's all-time winningest women's basketball coach. The Healdton, Okla., native has produced 134 career wins, eight shy of matching Maura McHugh's 142. Coale's 60.9 winning percentage also ranks second to McHugh's 67.0.

Coale is the only coach to have guided five Sooner teams to post season tournaments. McHugh took two teams to post season action, including OU's first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 1986.

THE RECORD WATCH
* The Oklahoma women's basketball program needs two more victories to reach 500 in its 30-year existence. The Sooners also need one more Big 12 win to reach 150 in eight years.

* Senior Caton Hill is 140 rebounds short of 1,000 and 222 shy of 1,500 points. If she reaches the 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds mark she will become just the second Sooner in school history to do so. Molly McGuire is currently the only Sooner to hold this honor. She scored 2,187 points and grabbed 1,071 rebounds from 1980-1983.

* Junior Dionnah Jackson needs just 22 assists to rank among OU's all-time top-5. She moved up to No. 8 after dishing out seven assists against ORU in the season opener Saturday. Jackson has 280 career assist and needs 19 to claim the seventh spot on the career list.

THE RETURN OF HILL, HIGGINS AND WALKER
One of the biggest boost the Sooners will receive in the 2003-04 season will be the return of Caton Hill, Erin Higgins and Casey Walker. Each return to the court after missing the 2002-03 season with a torn ACL.

Hill bring much needed rebounding and scoring to the Sooners, which she provided her first three seasons. She has been named to two NCAA Midwest Regional All-Tournament teams and has earned All-Big 12 second (sophomore) and third (junior) team honors.

Higgins is an offensive weapon from three-point range. She scorched Tennessee for a career-high 18 points in her first collegiate game on Nov. 10, 2003 in Knoxville.

Walker, 6-3 center, adds depth and power to the post positions.

HIGGINS HAD SOLID EXHIBITION PLAY
Redshirt-freshman Erin Higgins has had solid performances in her two exhibition games this season. The 5-9 guard stepped into a starting role against Oklahoma Christian (Nov. 18) after sophomore Chelsi Welch was sidelined with a season ending knee injury on Nov. 14.

One of the most impressive stats for Higgins is that she's played 39 minutes without committing a single turnover. She's also dished out seven assists and pocketed four steals, while shooting 42.9 percent from three point land. Against OC, she hit five of nine threes for 15 points.

Higgins has not missed a free throw in her Sooner career. She's a perfect 10-of-10 heading into Saturday's game. She hit six against Tennessee and two in exhibition action last year. She also hit both attempted foul shots this season against Sparta Praha.

THE HILL CONTINUES TO MOVE
Senior Caton Hill ranks among Oklahoma's all-time greats in 18-of-22 career categories. The 6-1 forward claimed the school's record for most defensive rebounds before being sidelined last season. She owns 600 defensive boards.

OU RANKS AMONG MOST WINS
Oklahoma has won 119 games over the last five years. This figure ranks the Sooners 13th for the most wins in the last five years among Division I Women's Basketball programs.

OKLAHOMA RETURNS TO THE TOP-25
After sitting out for five weeks, Oklahoma returned to the Top-25 on Nov. 11, 2003. The Sooners earned preseason rankings of No. 21 in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today/Coaches Polls. Since then, OU has moved up to No. 19 on the AP poll but dropped to No. 22 on the ESPN/USA Today/Coaches poll.

OU had its 58 straight weeks of being ranked among the nation's top 25 teams snapped on Feb. 10, 2003. The Sooners dropped out of the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN/Coaches top 25 polls for the first time since Oklahoma made its initial appearance under current Sooner coach Sherri Coale on Jan. 17, 2000.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Women's Hoops Heads West For The Holiday

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