OU Hosts Tennessee at Sold-Out Lloyd Noble Center

MEDIA INFORMATION
No. 13/15 Oklahoma Sooners (8-0) vs. No. 2/2 Tennessee Lady Vols (6-0)

Date & Time: Sun., Dec. 21 @ 2 p.m. CST
Site: Lloyd Noble Center (12,000) - Norman, Okla.
Series Record: Tennessee leads 1-0
Tickets: SOLD OUT
Radio: All Oklahoma games are broadcast live on KOMA-AM (1520) with Brian Brinkley (play-by-play) and Tara Robinett (color analyst). These broadcasts also are available through the OU athletics web site.
TV: ESPN2 (David O'Brien, play-by-play and Nancy Lieberman, analyst)
Real-Time Stats: Live in-game statistics are available through OU's athletics web site.
Web Site: Oklahoma (www.SoonerSports.com), Tennessee (www.utladyvols.com)

PROBABLE STARTERS
OKLAHOMA (8-0)                           PPG                 RPG
10   F   Caton Hill                              14.8                5.0
14   F    Beky Preston                        7.4                 6.6
35   G    Dionnah Jackson                 11.5                5.4
34   G   Erin Higgins                           5.9                 1.9
5   G    Maria Villarroel                      15.0               5.0

TENNESSEE (6-0)                              PPG               RPG
03   F    Tasha Butts                            6.7                  3.8
43   F   Shyra Ely                                16.8                8.7
33 C   Ashley Robinson                   10.3                  5.7
21 G   Loree Moore                           8.0                  4.8
05 G    Shanna Zolman                      14.7                 3.3

SUNDAY PREVIEW
     A battle of two unbeaten top 25 teams will face each other on Sunday, Dec. 21, as participants in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. No. 2 Tennessee travels to Norman, Okla., to challenge No. 13/15 Oklahoma inside a sold out Lloyd Noble Center at 2 p.m. in a matchup that will be carried live on ESPN2. This game will mark the third consecutive sell out crowd on the road for the Lady Vols.
      OU sports an overall record of 8-0, while Tennessee is currently 6-0.
The Sooners concluded their non-conference road schedule (6-0) with a 79-52 victory over Stephen F. Austin last Saturday. Tennessee is coming off back-to-back overtime wins at sixth-ranked Stanford, 70-66, and DePaul, 96-89, UT's first two road games of the season. The Lady Vols have hosted and defeated Tennessee-Chattanooga, 83-52, No. 17 Notre Dame, 83-59, No. 10/11 Louisiana Tech, 85-65, and 25th-ranked Rutgers, 59-49. Tennessee has come from behind in its last three games for victories, while OU has very seldom trailed in any of its eight games played.
      Sunday's game will feature two teams that put a ton of points on the board (UT 79.3 ppg and OU 85.0 ppg) and rebounds extremely well. The Sooners average 44.0 rebounds per game, 16 offensive, while Tennessee collects 45.5 rpg, 16.8 offensive.
Oklahoma looks to have an edge at the three-point line as the Sooners have hit 51 treys to UT's 28 on the year. OU also owns better field goal (51.0 to 45.5) and free throw percentages (72.4 to 66.1).
      The two teams are close on steals at 9.6 (OU) and 9.0 (UT) per game, while OU dishes out 15 assists per game to UT's 14.3. The Lady Vols takes better care of the basketball with 17.2 turnovers per game to OU's 19.8.

OU-TENNESSEE SERIES
      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, in the season opener for both teams. The Lady Vols were also ranked No. 2 in both polls, while OU entered that game ranked No. 22 (AP) and No. 19 (ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll) a year ago.
      In that game, then-true freshman Erin Higgins came off the bench to unleash a career-high 18 points on by hitting 4-of-5 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 out-rebounded the Lady Vols, 44-41, while UT dished out 22 assists and forced the Sooners into 26 turnovers.

OKLAHOMA (8-0)
      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 eight consecutive games, earning them a No. 13 and No. 15 national ranking 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 +25.5 point scoring margin over its opponents. The Sooners are also holding their opponents to just 59.5 points and only 28.8 rebounds per game. OU ranks first in the Big 12 Conference in offensive production, averaging 85.0 points per game. OU also ranks among the league's top 5 in nine other categories, including first in rebounding margin (+15.2).
      Just when you think the Sooners look pretty good at this stage of the season, OU kicks it into another gear. Oklahoma handed Stephen F. Austin a 27-point loss and Montana State a 31-point loss 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 last week.
      Oklahoma has scored 80-plus points in six of eight games and hit the 90-point plateau three times (90 vs. ORU, 95 at Pepperdine, 90 at Montana State). OU 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 scored were the most 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 victories 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 have led OU in each category this year. In addition, OU has three players averaging 10 or more points and four with 4.5 plus rebounds per game.

A QUICK LOOK AT THE SOONERS
      Through the first eight games of the season Oklahoma has displayed a well-balanced attack from its front and back courts. To date, the Sooners are getting 55 percent of their points from the guards and 45 percent from post players.
      Senior guard Maria Villarroel (15 ppg, 5 rpg, .592 FG%) has been a vital piece of Oklahoma's transition game for the past two seasons. She has scored in double digits in all but one game this season and tops the team with 15.0 points per game. She scored a season-high 24 points in the win at Stephen F. Austin by hitting 10-of-12 shots. Villarroel opened the season by hitting her first 17 free throws, she currently ranks first on the team attempting 3.4 foul shots per game.
      Junior Dionnah Jackson (11.5 ppg, team-high 4.1 apg and 5.4 rpg, .933 FT%) is in her second season as the everyday point guard for the Sooners. Jackson is getting her points as a slasher, driving to the basket and creating havoc for opposing defenses. She ranks sixth in the Big 12 in assists/turnover ratio (+1.7) and 11th in steals (2.12) per game. Jackson earned a spot on the Pepperdine All-Tournament team, after averaging 12 points, three rebounds and three steals per game and shooting 68.8 percent from the field.
      Senior forward and preseason All-America candidate Caton Hill (14.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg, two double-doubles) has lived up to her accolades. She leads the team in three-point field goal shooting (.526). She was named OU's MVP of the Bertha Teague Classic on Nov. 22 after scoring 17 points with the assistance of three 3s against ORU in the season opener. She then piled up back-to-back double-doubles on the road vs. SMU (14p, 10r) and Montana State (23p, 10r). At MSU, she hit a career-best 8-of-10 shots (80%), was 4-of-4 from the arc (100%) and 3-of-4 from the foul line (75%). She now has a school record 31 career double-doubles and needs only four rebounds to move into the No. 2 spot.
      Redshirt-freshman Erin Higgins (5.9 ppg, .419 3-pt. FG%) has slid into the starting lineup after sophomore Chelsi Welch was sidelined in November with a season ending ACL injury. She leads the Sooners with three-pointers made (1.6) and attempted (3.9) per game, plus ranks third on the team with a .419 three-point field goal percentage.
      After averaging only four points and four rebounds per game last year, sophomore Beky Preston has almost doubled her scoring output (7.4 ppg). She also owns a team-best 6.6 rpg. In addition, she is showing offensive diversity by adding a few extra post moves to her arsenal over the summer months. Preston was named MVP of the Pepperdine Invitational in November after leading the Sooners in scoring and rebounding.
      Freshman forward Leah Rush (9.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg, .592 FG%) and freshman guard Britney Brown (3.8 ppg, 1.4 apg, 40.9 FG%) have made important contributions this season. Rush has scored 10-plus points in four of eight games including a team-high 16 points in the home-opening win against Southeast Missouri State, hitting six of seven shots. Brown has played valuable minutes in relief of Jackson at the point guard position. She took No. 19/23 Utah for a career-high 10 points, burying two three-pointers and hitting four of seven shots in the 73-65 OU win. Brown also dished out a personal-best four assists against Siena (N28).

TENNESSEE (6-0)
      Tennessee's first two road opponents of the 2003-04 season have forced the Lady Vols into overtime. UT most recently defeated DePaul, 96-89, and escaped No. 6/7 Stanford with a 70-66 overtime win a week ago. Tennessee enters the matchup against OU with a 6-0 record and a No. 2 national ranking in both polls. In addition, the Lady Vols are coming off of back-to-back NCAA Final Four appearances.
      UT defeated Tennessee-Chattanooga, 83-52, No. 17 Notre Dame, 83-59, No. 10/11 Louisiana Tech, 85-65, and 25th-ranked Rutgers, 59-49. UT has come from behind in its last three games for the win.
      In her 30th season as head coach of the Lady Vols Pat Summitt returned three starters and nine letterwinners that went 33-5 and won the Southeastern Conference title with a 16-1 record last season. Heading Summitt's roster this season is Shyra Ely and Shanna Zolman who are averaging better than 10 points per game.
      Ely currently leads Tennessee with 16.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Ely's supporting cast is Zolman who contributes 14.7 ppg, followed by Ashley Robinson's 5.7 ppg. Robinson ranks second on the team with 5.7 rpg.
      As a team, UT averages 79.3 ppg and 45.5 rpg. The Lady Vols also connect on 45.5 percent of their shots from the field, 36.4 from the arc and 66.1 percent from the foul line.
      Summitt career record stands at 827 wins and 163 losses. She is a member of the National Basketball Hall of Fame and Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. UT has six national championships to its credit and has been a powerhouse since the beginning of NCAA Division I women's basketball.

OPERATION SELLOUT A SUCCESS
      Oklahoma fans have made history. The final ticket for the OU-Tennessee women's basketball game, set for this Sunday at 2 p.m., in Norman, was sold at 5 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 18. The first sellout of an Oklahoma regular season women's basketball game is in the books.
      Coale said the sellout is another step forward for the program.
      Oklahoma has had capacity crowds at the Lloyd Noble Center before, but only for NCAA Tournament games. This is could be the largest regular-season crowd to gather for a OU women's basketball game, possibly replacing the current record of 10,713 established during the 99-00 season when the Sooners hosted Connecticut.
      It also could be the largest crowd ever to witness a women's game in the State of Oklahoma. That distinction currently belongs to the 2002 NCAA Tournament game in which OU hosted Villanova. Some 11,245 attended that game.

HOLIDAY FAMILY PACKS
Oklahoma still has two home games remaining where Sooner fans can take advantage of 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)!
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:
Illinois Sun., Dec. 28
Wichita State Tues., Dec. 30

SOONERS LIVE ON THE INTERNET
OU's game with Tennessee Sunday will carry a live video feed along with the radio commentary that can be viewed on the official website of Oklahoma Athletics - SoonerSports.com - on a subscription basis through the O-Zone.

UP NEXT
      Oklahoma continues its homestand as the Sooners host Big 10 foe Illinois (4-4) on Sunday, Dec. 28, followed by Missouri Valley member Wichita State (2-4) on Tuesday, Dec. 30, at the Lloyd Noble Center.
      OU and the Fighting Illini have only played once. The Sooners won 91-69 in Norman on Dec. 16, 2001.
      This will be the 18th meeting between OU and Wichita State. OU leads the all-time series 11-6 with the last meeting resulting in a 70-64 win for the Sooners last year at Wichita State.

BIG 12/SEC CHALLENGE
The Big 12 will battle the SEC for the first time in a women's basketball regular season challenge this Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 20 and 21. Georgia will travel to Texas on Dec. 20 and Oklahoma will host Tennessee on Dec. 21. Both games will be televised nationally on ESPN2 and feature four Top 25 teams.
In previous challenges, the Big 12 faced the ACC in 1997, 1999-2001, the Big Ten in 2001 and 2002, and the Pac-10 in 1998. The Big 12 is 9-5 in challenge games (6-2 vs. ACC, 3-1 vs. Big Ten, and 0-2 vs. Pac-10).

OU VS. RANKED TEAMS
     Oklahoma is 4-14 against teams that are ranked in the top 5 and 26-37 vs. teams ranked among the top 25 under current eighth-year head coach Sherri Coale.
     In non-conference top-25 games Coale is 5-15 and in non-conference top-25 HOME games she is 2-3. OU defeated then No. 21/18 Southwest Missouri State (69-61) on Dec. 16, 2000 and then No. 17/21 Stanford (102-98 OT) on Dec. 27, 2000.
     Overall, Oklahoma is 2-6 vs. non-conference top 25 teams inside the Lloyd Noble Center.
     OU has host two non-conference top-5 teams (both were ranked No. 1 at the time of the game) in Connecticut on Dec. 29, 2000 (L, 84-68) and Louisiana Tech on Feb. 22, 1982 (L, 101-57).

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.

BIG THINGS COME IN SMALL PACKAGES
      One of the biggest threats, but smallest bodies on the OU roster is senior Maria Villarroel. Villarroel stands 5-8 and weighs about 125 pounds. Most opponents didn't consider her that big of a threat considering her size. However, after averaging a team-high 15.0 points and ending the season ranked 14th in the NCAA in field goal percentage, shooting 57.6 percent, this year's foes think differently.
      Villarroel, a guard, continues to lead the Sooners in field goal percentages, shooting 59.2 percent (45-of-76), of players attempting more than 10 shots. She also averages a team-best 15 points per game and ranks third in rebounds with 5 boards per outing.
      Villarroel has recorded double digits in scoring in seven of OU's eight games played and has grabbed four-plus rebounds in all but one contest. She opened the season hitting her first 17 attempts from at the free throw strip and has produced a field goal percentage of 50 percent or better in six contests.

JACKSON ON EDGE OF ASSISTS MARK
After distributing five assists at Stephen F. Austin, junior Dionnah Jackson is now just one assists shy of the No. 5 spot on OU's all-time assists list. She is currently tied with Tami Rogers (1986-90) with 301 career assists. Etta Maytubby (1993-96) has 302 for fifth while Angie Alexander (1989-92) career total is 367 for fourth best.
Sooner great and ESPN analyst Stacey Dales-Schuman holds the school record with 764 assists. Dales is the only player to have scored more than 1,900 points, grabbed 700 plus rebounds and dished out more than 700 assists in a Sooner uniform. She was the first Oklahoma women's basketball player to earn academic and athletic All-America honors in the same year (2002). Dales was a two-time Associated Press All-American, consensus All-American, Kodak All-American, USBWA All-American, Women's Basketball News Service All-American and Kodak District V All-American in 2002 and 2001 and was selected as the Big 12 Player of the Year twice (2001, 2003) and Big 12 Female Athlete of the Year as a senior.

VILLARROEL RANKS AMONG ALL-TIME BLOCKERS
Standing at 5-8, senior Maria Villarroel has blocked three shots this season, ranking her 14th on OU's all-time shot blocking chart. She concluded last season with a team-best 21 blocked shots and currently ranks second with three. Junior point guard Dionnah Jackson has a team-best four blocked shots to her credit.

SUPPORTING CASE
In all but one game (at SFA) at least one player has come off the bench to produce double digits in the scoring column for the Sooners. Krista Sanchez started things off with 13 points vs. ORU (N22), while freshman standout Leah Rush carried the load for the next three games (16 vs. SEMO (N24); 13 vs. Siena (N28); 10 at Pepperdine (N29); 13 at SMU (D3)). 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 (D7) 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 (D10), hitting a career- and game-tying four 3s.

COALE LOOKS TO BECOME OU'S WINNINGEST COACH
      Eighth year head coach Sherri Coale is three victories shy of becoming Oklahoma's all-time winningest women's basketball coach. The Healdton, Okla., native has produced 140 career wins, two shy of matching Maura McHugh's 142. Coale's 61.9 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.
      If the Sooners continue to win, Coale will reach this milestone against Wichita State on Dec. 30, 2003.

JACKSON REMAINS A LEADER
      Junior point guard Dionnah Jackson looks like a totally different player on the court this season. A year ago the St. Louis, Mo., native was forced to be the team leader on and off the court, something she wasn't accustom to doing. Jackson's nature is to lead by example and to be forced to lead verbally put her in an uncomfortable zone last season.
      However, she took that challenge and guided OU to its fourth consecutive NCAA Championships. You see a more confident, relaxed and buoyant Jackson on the court this season with the return of senior Caton Hill. Hill and Jackson were voted the team's co-captains for the 2003-04 campaign.
      Jackson ranks among the top three in 11 of the team's 16 statistical categories, including first in defensive rebounds (4.3), assists (4.1), steals (2.1) and blocked shots (0.5) per game. She contributes 11.5 points (third best on the team and 24th in the Big 12) and 5.4 rebounds per game (second on the team). Jackson's field goal shooting has improved as well, hitting 51.5 percent of her shots (35-of-68), compared to last year's 42.5 percent. Her biggest jump has been at the free throw line where she's hitting 93.3 percent (14-of-15). A year ago, she connected on just 69.3 percent (79-of-114) of foul shots taken.

OUT OF THE GATES STRONG
      This is the second team under current head coach Sherri Coale to open its season with a 8-0 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 85.0 ppg, best in the Big 12.

HILL HAS CONSECUTIVE DOUBLE DOUBLES
      Senior Caton Hill increased her career double-doubles 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 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 four rebounds shy of moving up to the No. 2 slot on Oklahoma's all-time rebounding chart. She has 888 career boards but look for her to move past former Sooner great Phylesha Whaley's 892 on Sunday.
      Hill has surpassed several milestones already this season including moving up to No. 9 on Oklahoma's all-time scoring list. She surpassed Tami Rogers for the ninth spot after scoring a season-high 23 points at Montana State. Hill has a total to 1,365 points in three-plus years. Hill already holds the school record for most defensive boards (622).

SOONER BENCH POWER
Out of Oklahoma's 680 points scored this season 36 percent (244 points) has come from its bench. Freshmen Leah Rush's 77 points account for 32 percent of the bench scoring.
As a group, OU reserves have outscored the opponent subs 244-128.

JUST IN CASE YOU WANTED TO KNOW
OU freshmen class account for 31 percent of the team's total offense (211 points) while the starters are responsible for 64 percent of the points (436) and 54 percent of its rebounds (191) ... Oklahoma has never trailed at halftime (8-0) ... largest margin of victory this season has been 48 points over ORU (N22) ... OU is 8-0 when dishing out more assists than its opponents ... the Sooners have hit 50 percent or better from the field in six of eight games ... this team is currently averaging a school record 85.0 ppg, second is 83.7 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 top the team in scoring and rank among the top rebounders.
Villarroel leads OU in scoring with 15.0 points per game, followed closely by Hill's 14.8 ppg. Both players average 5.0 rebounds per game for third best on the team. Sophomore center Beky Preston grabs an OU best 6.7 rpg.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

OU Hosts Tennessee at Sold-Out Lloyd Noble Center

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