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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Oklahoma and Stephen F. Austin In Action Saturday
December 12, 2003 | Women's Basketball
OKLAHOMA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HEADS TO TEXAS
MEDIA INFORMATION
No. 14/16 Oklahoma Sooners (7-0)
vs. Stephen F. Austin (0-6)
Date & Time: Sat., Dec. 13 @ 2 p.m
Site: William R. Johnson Coliseum (7,203) - Nacogdoches, Texas
Series Record: SFA leads 4-3
Tickets: Still available by calling SFA Ticket Office (936-468-5228).
Radio: All Oklahoma games are broadcast live on KOMA-AM (1520) in the Oklahoma City area with Chuck Cooperstein (play-by-play) and Tara Robinett (color analyst). These broadcasts also are available through the OU athletics web site.
TV: none
Real-Time Stats: Not available for this game.
Web Site: Oklahoma (www.SoonerSports.com), SFA (www.sfajacks.com)
PROBABLE STARTERS
OKLAHOMA (7-0) PPG RPG
10 F Caton Hill 15.7 5.4
14 F Beky Preston 7.7 6.7
35 G Dionnah Jackson 11.0 5.3
34 G Erin Higgins 6.3 2.0
5 G Maria Villarroel 13.7 6.5
STEPHEN F. AUSTIN (0-6) PPG RPG
25 F LaToya Mills 9.0 5.2
15 C Zedralyn Butler 4.0 2.3
14 G Kirby Killingsworth 7.5 4.3
23 G Nikki Carr 8.2 2.3
02 G Alex Bowman 5.0 1.8
SATURDAY PREVIEW
Oklahoma (7-0) will complete its non-conference road schedule Saturday by traveling to Nacogdoches, Texas to face the winless Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks (0-6) at 2 p.m. inside the William R. Johnson Coliseum.
OU is coming off a solid win at Montana State, 90-59, where the Sooners hit a season-high 11 three-pointers, eight in the opening 20 minutes and four to start the game. Senior Caton Hill led all scores with 23 points and 10 rebounds for her second straight double double. Junior Lauren Shoush came off the bench to score a career-high 18 points with the assistance of four 3s. Senior Maria Villarroel added a late surging 15 points, scoring 10 of OU's last 13 points.
For the fifth game this season, OU hit 50 percent for better from the field (32-of-64). OU also grabbed an impressive 57 rebounds to MSU's 32. The Sooners 57 caroms are the second most under head coach Sherri Coale.
Stephen F. Austin enters Saturday's matchup looking for its first win of the season. The Ladyjacks have lost to Louisiana Tech (109-60), Colorado State (72-57), Duke (119-53), Creighton (91-64), Rice (94-50) and Eastern Kentucky (84-73).
Sophomore LaToya Mills tops the team with 9.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, followed by freshman Nikki Carr's 8.2 ppg. The Ladyjacks are shooting 35.7 percent from the field but allowing their opponents to shoot 51.8 percent. SFA is also being outrebounded, 47-30.
OU-STEPHEN F. AUSTIN SERIES
The all-time series between OU and Stephen F. Austin goes back to 1978. SFA won the first four meeting between the two teams, while OU has claimed the last three by a victory margin of +18.3 points.
The Sooners won last year's game 77-55 in Norman led by Maria Villarroel's game-high 27 points, hitting 11-of-16 shots from the field. Dionnah Jackson had 16 and Theresa Schuknecht added 20 points and a game-high 12 boards. Oklahoma outrebounded SFA, 48-24, but was forced into 29 turnovers. The Sooners shot 46.4 percent from the field, 40 percent from the arc and 80.8 percent from the foul line. The Ladyjacks hit 37.3 percent of their shots from the floor, 41.2 percent from the three-point mark and just 57.1 percent from the charity stripe.
OU is 22-9 against teams from the Southland Conference. OU has played Southland Conference members McNeese State (2-1), Sam Houston (2-1), Southeastern Louisiana (1-0), Southwest Texas State (1-0), Texas-Arlington (8-3) and Texas-San Antonio (5-0)
STEPHEN F. AUSTIN (0-6)
The Stephen F. Austin returns to the William R. Johnson Coliseum after an unfriendly four-game road streak that took them to Durham, N.C. and Houston, Texas.
At the Gene Hackerman/Rice Invitational sophomore guard Kirby Killingsworth knocked down four three pointers in two games to rank No. 7 on SFA's all-time list with 58 treys. In the consolation game against Eastern Kentucky, Killingsworth just missed a triple double, finishing the game with 12 points, nine rebounds and seven steals. Her nine threes and seven steals ties or sets career highs. As a team, SFA scored a season high 73 points on 24-of-63 shooting and shot a poor 56.8 percent from the foul line (21-of-37). The 37 free-throw attempts are the most for the Ladyjacks since the attempted 50 against McNeese State during the 2000-01 season.
Overall SFA has had six different players to lead the team in scoring while five different Ladyjacks have been the leader in rebounds. Sophomore LaToya Mills tops the team with 9.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, followed by freshman Nikki Carr's 8.2 ppg. The Ladyjacks are shooting 35.7 percent from the field but allowing their opponents to shoot 51.8 percent. SFA is also being outrebounded, 47-30.
In just her fourth season as head coach of the SFA women's basketball program Lee Ann Riley returned two starters and five letterwinners that produced an overall record of 15-13 and place second in the Southland Conference with a mark of 15-5. SFA did not participate in post season action last year.
The SFA Ladyjacks has been one of the most dominant in women's basketball history. The Ladyjacks are among the nation's all-time top 10 with 729 wins and are among the all-time top 10 with .747 winning percentage (729-247).
As dominant as SFA has been nationally, they have been equally as dominant in the Southland Conference, compiling a 249-25 (.909 winning percentage) all-time record. SFA has won 14 of a possible 16 SLC tournament titles and 13 regular season crowns.
OKLAHOMA (7-0)
Oklahoma returned a seasoned group of letterwinners and added an elite mix of talented newcomers, including two redshirt freshmen, to its 2003-04 roster making this year's team its deepest in eight seasons. Even though the Sooners have 10 underclassmen on the roster, eight of the returning players saw an average of 10 minutes per game last year.
With early season success, the Oklahoma women's basketball program has returned to the national spotlight under eighth-year head coach Sherri Coale. The Sooners have won seven consecutive games, earning them a No. 14 and No. 16 national rankings in the AP and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Polls, respectively.
Not only has OU returned to the national spotlight, the Sooners have made it clear that they can score and play defense, by producing a +25.3 point scoring margin over its opponents. The Sooners are also holding their opponents to just 60.6 points and only 27.4 rebounds per game. OU ranks first in the Big 12 Conference in offensive production, averaging 85.9 points per game. OU also ranks among the league's top 5 in nine other categories, including first in free throw percentage (.768), three-point field goal percentage (.400) and rebounding margin (+17.3).
Just when you think the Sooners look pretty good at this stage of the season, OU kicks it into another gear. Oklahoma handed Montana State a 31-point loss Wednesday after connecting on a season-high 11 three-pointers and outrebounding the Bobcats, 57-32. OU also defeated No. 19/23 Utah, 73-65, after hitting a then-season-high tying nine treys and outrebouding the Utes, 36-30, Sunday. Oklahoma has scored 80-plus points in six of seven games and hit the 90-point plateau three times (90 vs. ORU, 95 at Pepperdine, 90 at Montana State).
Oklahoma showcased its offensive power as the Sooners averaged 90 ppg and shot 59.1 percent (65-of-110) from the field at the Yellow Book Turkey Shoot Out over the Thanksgiving break. OU defeated Siena, 85-70, in the opening round and handed host Pepperdine a 95-77 loss in the title game. The Sooners 95 points was the most scored since OU recorded 101 against Colorado in the 2001 Big 12 Tournament.
OU's season opening win over ORU was one of the most lopsided victory in women's basketball 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 a well-balanced ability to score and rebound as five different players had led OU in each category this year. In addition, OU has four players are averaging 10 or more points and 4.5 plus rebounds per game.
One of the biggest threat, but smallest bodies on the OU roster is senior Maria Villarroel. The Margarita, Venezuela native ranks second on the team in points (13.5) and rebounds (5.8) per game, while senior Caton Hill tops the squad with 14.5 ppg.
Hill ranks second with 14 assists and nine steals. Manning the point guard position for the Sooners is junior Dionnah Jackson who chips in 11.3 points and a team-best 4.2 assists per game. Bench power comes from freshman sensation Leah Rush, who contributes 11.2 points and 4.0 rpg. The Amarillo, Texas native is also shooting lights out as she's nailed 25-of-40 shots from the field for a 62.5 accuracy.
OPERATION SELLOUT - SOONER SAVER HOLIDAY FAMILY PACKS
Next up for the Sooners inside the Lloyd Noble Center is the third-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols on Sunday, Dec. 21, at 2 p.m. and “Operation Sellout” is underway. Tickets are still available including the Holiday Family Packs which includes your game ticket, a regular hotdog, a small Coke, and an OU t-shirt (coupon redeemable at OU Authentic) all for just $10 (minimum order of four packages)!
December 29th, 1999 was a record setting day for Oklahoma women's basketball attendance as No. 1 Connecticut drew 10,713 fans to the Lloyd Noble Center, making it the largest attendance to view a women's athletic event in state at that time. Since then the only crowds larger have been during the NCAA Tournament here in Norman.
Call 800-456-GoOU or online at www.soonersports.com and get your tickets before it's too late!
Holiday Family Pack coupon can be used for one of the following games:
No. 3 Tennessee Sun. Dec. 21
Illinois Sun., Dec. 28
Wichita State Tues., Dec. 30
UP NEXT
Oklahoma will host No. 2 Tennessee on Sunday, Dec. 21, at 2 p.m. inside the Lloyd Noble Center before breaking for Christmas. Both top 25 programs enter the contest with flawless records. The Sooners are 7-0 while the Lady Vols are 3-0.
OU played Tennessee for the first time a year ago as participants in the State Farm Tip-Off Classic in Knoxville, Tenn. UT won, 94-68, the season opener for both teams.
In that game, then-true freshman Erin Higgins came off the bench to unleashed a career-high 18 points on ESPN by hitting four of five three-pointers and nailing all six attempted foul shots. Theresa Schuknecht led the Sooners with a career-high 27 points and had 12 rebounds. Caton Hill grabbed a game-high 14 boards and scored 11 points. As a team, OU shot just 31.4 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from the arc. However, Tennessee connected on 45.9 percent of shots taken. OU outrebounded the Lady Vols, 44-41, while UT dished out 22 assists and forced the Sooners into 26 turnovers.
SUPPORTING CASE
In every game this season at least one bench player has produced double digits in the scoring column for the Sooners. Krista Sanchez started things off with 13 points vs. ORU, while freshman standout Leah Rush carried the load for the next three games (16 vs. SEMO; 13 vs. Siena; 10 at Pepperdine; 13 at SMU). Sophomore Lauren Shoush also stepped up during the SMU game, scoring 10 points. Norman native and freshman Britney Brown was a surprise when she took No. 19/23 Utah for a career-high 10 points (two threes plus a pair of free throws). Shoush followed that performance with a personal-best 18 points at Montana State, hitting a career- and game-tying four 3s.
OU AMONG ELITE PROGRAMS
Oklahoma, Purdue and Texas are the only schools to have their men's and women's basketball and football teams ranked in the current AP top-25 polls.
OUT OF THE GATES STRONG
This is the second team under current head coach Sherri Coale to open its season with a 7-0 record. The 2001-02 team opened its season with a 10-0 record before suffering its first loss to Connecticut (86-72, Dec. 22, 2001). That team averaged 79.5 points per game, while this team is scoring 85.9 ppg, best in the Big 12.
HILL HAS CONSECUTIVE DOUBLE DOUBLES
Senior Caton Hill increased her career double double record to 31 with back-to-back DD road performances against SMU (14 points and 10 rebounds) and Montana State (23 points and 10 rebounds). Hill's numbers at MSU Wednesday were solid as she went 4-of-4 from the three point line. Her four made treys matched a career best while her 8-of-10 performance from the floor marked a personal best of 80 percent field goal shooting (when attempting and making more than one shot). The Ada., Okla., native also canned 3-of-4 foul shots in just 24 minutes of action.
The 6-1 power forward is just six rebounds shy of moving up to the No. 2 slot on Oklahoma's all-time rebounding chart. She has 886 career boards but look for her to move past former Sooner great Phylesha Whaley's 892 on Saturday.
Hill has surpassed several milestones already this season including moving up to No. 9 on Oklahoma's all-time scoring list Wednesday. She surpassed Tami Rogers for the ninth spot after scoring a season-high 23 points at Montana State. The Ada, Okla., native has a total to 1,357 points in three-plus years. Hill already holds the school record for most defensive boards (620).
SOONER BENCH POWER
Out of Oklahoma's 601 points scored this season 38.4 percent (231 points) has come from its bench. Freshmen Leah Rush's 72 points account for 31.1 percent of the bench scoring.
As a group, OU reserves have outscored the opponent subs 231-91.
JUST IN CASE YOU WANTED TO KNOW
Oklahoma has never trailed at halftime (7-0) ... largest margin of victory this season has been 48 points over ORU (N22) ... OU is 7-0 when dishing out more assists than its opponents ... the Sooners have hit 50 percent or better from the field in five of seven games ... OU freshmen class account for 32.4 percent of the team's total offense (195 points) while the starters are responsible for 63.3 percent of the points (381) and 55.9 percent of its rebounds (175) ... this team is currently averaging a school record 85.9 ppg, second is 84.5 ppg by the 1984-85 squad ... OU has set two team record under the Sherri Coale Era, most team rebounds (68) and most attempted shots (80) against ORU (N22).
SENIOR LEADERSHIP
Even thought 10 of 14 players on the OU roster are underclassmen, the Sooners don't lack leadership as seniors Caton Hill and Maria Villarroel tops the team in scoring and ranks among the top rebounders.
For the first time in nearly a year Villarroel does not lead OU in scoring but ranks close to Hill's team-best 15.7 ppg. Hill also averages 5.4 rpg, third best on the team. Villarroel chips in 13.7 ppg and averages 5.6 rpg, second best on the team. Sophomore center Beky Preston grabs an OU best 6.7 rpg.
WELCH ON ROAD TO RECOVERY
Sophomore Chelsi Welch is on the road to recovery after knee surgery on Thursday, Dec. 4 . Welch, a 5-9 guard, had to reconstruct her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after tearing it during practice on Nov. 14, 2003. Dr. Donald McGinnis preformed the surgery in Oklahoma City.
The Plainview, Texas native was named the 2003 co-Big 12 Freshman of the Year and was an All-Big 12 second teamer. She scored six points, grabbed three rebounds while playing just 13 minutes in OU's first exhibition game against Sparta Praha.
PRESTON STEPPING UP
Some thought sophomore Beky Preston wouldn't play as big of a role on this year's team with the return of senior standout Caton Hill. Preston and the coaching staff knew different as the 6-3 center blossomed during the offseason, gaining confidence and strength to improve her game.
That confidence and strength was evident over the Thanksgiving holiday as the Albuquerque, N.M., native was named the Most Valuable Player of the Yellow Book Turkey Shoot Out, a tournament that OU won. Preston averaged 6.0 rebounds and 11.0 points per game, while shooting 55.3 percent (9-15) from the field. Against Siena, she hit 6-of-7 shots (85.7%) from the field and all four attempted free throws for a career-best 16 points. Preston also grabbed a game-high eight rebounds against Pepperdine.
For the season, Preston chips in 7.7 points and a team-best 6.7 rebounds per outing. She also shoots 52.3 percent from the field, hitting 23-44 shots.
SOONER ROOKIES STANDING STRONG AGAINST BIG 12 FRESHMEN
Oklahoma has all six of its freshmen ranked among the Big 12 Freshmen Best. Leading the way for the Sooners is Leah Rush who ranks among the league's best in six categories, including second in free throw percentage and third in scoring. However, she tops the chart of rookies who have made and attempted more than 10 free throws. as of Dec. 8, 2003
COALE LOOKS TO BECOME OU'S WINNING COACH
Eighth year head coach Sherri Coale is four victories shy of becoming Oklahoma's all-time winningest women's basketball coach. The Healdton, Okla., native has produced 139 career wins, five shy of matching Maura McHugh's 142. Coale's 61.8 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.
If the Sooners continue to win, Coale will reach this milestone against Wichita State on Dec. 30, 2003.
ICE-ICE BABY
OU is currently the Big 12's top free throw shooting team with 76.8 and has two players who have yet to miss a free throw on the season: Krista Sanchez (8-8) and Erin Higgins (4-4). Higgins has not missed a free throw in a Sooner uniform. She made all six attempted foul shots against Tennessee before being sidelined last season.
Of Oklahoma's 601 points scored this year 20 percent (119) have come from the foul line.
SEVEN SOONERS SHOOTING 50% OR BETTER
Impressive. Seven Sooners are shooting 50 percent or better from the field. Leading the way is OU “sixth-man” Leah Rush. The rookie has hit 27-of-43 shots for a impressive 62.8 field goal accuracy. Hitting 71.4 percent of her shots is freshman Casey Walker (5-7) while sophomore Beky Preston has hit 23-of-44 shots for a 52.3 accuracy. Junior Lauren Shoush has connected on 13-of-22 shots (59.1%) and senior Caton Hill who has made 38-of-55 shots (58.5%). Senior guard Maria Villarroel, who ranked 14th in the NCAA in field goal percentage last season, is shooting 54.7 percent, making 35-of-64 attempts.
Impressive. Oklahoma has shot better than 50 percent from the field in five of its seven games, hitting 217-of-425 shots (51.1%). OU is also shooting 76.8 percent (119-155) from the free throw line and 40 percent from the arc (48-120).
OU's 51.1 field goal percentage would currently rank as a school record. The 1984-85 team shot 49.5 for the season.
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 rank among OU's top five
in 11 of 16 Sooner categories. She tops the team with a 62.8 field goal percentage and ranks fourth in points per game (10.3). Rush grabbed a career-best 11 boards in her collegiate debut against ORU and scored a personal-best 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.
OU's 57 rebounding performance at Montana State ranks second best under Coach Coale.
The school record is 75 set against Cameron on Nov. 30, 1982.
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