Completed Event: Women's Basketball at #23 Alabama on February 15, 2026 , Win , 79, to, 71
Final
Women's Basketball
79
at #23 Alabama
71
University of Oklahoma Athletics
Women's Basketball Closes Out Non-Conference Action Tuesday
December 29, 2003 | Women's Basketball
OKLAHOMA CONCLUDES NON-CONFERENCE ACTION TUESDAY AT 7 P.M.
MEDIA INFORMATION
No. 15/16 Oklahoma Sooners (9-1) vs. Wichita State (2-4)
Date & Time: Tues., Dec. 30 @ 7 p.m. CST
Site: Lloyd Noble Center (12,000) - Norman
Series Record: OU leads 11-6
Tickets: Tickets still available. To purchase call 405-325-2424.
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: None
Real-Time Stats: Live in-game statistics are available through OU's athletics web site.
Web Site: Oklahoma (www.SoonerSports.com), Wichita State (www.goshockers.com)
PROBABLE STARTERS
OKLAHOMA (9-1) PPG RPG
10 F Caton Hill 15.0 5.6
14 F Beky Preston 7.0 6.4
35 G Dionnah Jackson 11.2 5.3
34 G Erin Higgins 5.4 1.9
5 G Maria Villarroel 14.3 5.0
WICHITA STATE (2-4) PPG RPG
32 F Carlesa Dennis 12.2 7.3
52 F Angela Buckner 11.0 13.7
01 C Antionette Wells 8.7 6.3
03 G April Banks 12.0 3.8
10 G Tisharria Huggins 11.0 0.8
TUESDAY PREVIEW
After a small set back to No. 2 Tennessee the 15th-ranked Oklahoma women's basketball team returned to the court for a 70-53 victory over Big Ten foe Illinois Sunday. The Sooners wrap up non-conference action against Missouri Valley Conference opponent Wichita State on Tuesday, Dec. 30, at 7 p.m. inside the Lloyd Noble Center.
Rebounding will be a key in Tuesday's game as both teams average better than 40-plus boards per contest. Wichita State's Angela Buckner currently ranks second in the nation in boards per game (13.7 rpg), while OU has five players who account for more than 4.0 rpg.
WSU is an athletic team that has the ability to put points on the board as they have scored 70-plus points in half its games this season. The Shockers have four players averaging double digits and two that account for six plus rebounds per game.
Oklahoma, who ranks second in the Big 12 in points per game, scores 80.5 ppg and averages 43.3 rebounds. Like WSU, the Sooners are a well balanced squad with four players scoring 10 or more ppg.
OU has the edge in assists per game (15.0-to-14.3) but WSU pockets 12.0 steals to OU's 9.1 per game.
Both teams average to many turnovers and shoots 30-plus percent from the three-point line.
OU concludes its four-game homestand and will tip off its 2004 Big 12 slate on Wednesday, Jan. 7, against Nebraska (8-1).
OU-WICHITA STATE SERIES
Oklahoma leads the all-time series against Wichita State 11-6 and has won the previous three games. OU defeated WSU, 70-64, last season while playing inside the sold out O'Shaughnessy Hall (1,200), due to renovations to the Charles Koch Arena. The last time the Shockers beat OU was in 1997 when they handed the Sooners a 71-56 loss in Wichita, OU's head coach Sherri Coale's first season.
Wichita State was OU's first post season opponent under current Coale. OU eliminated the Shockers, 75-67, in the first round of the 1999 WNIT hosted by WSU.
Coale is 3-1 against Wichita State.
OKLAHOMA (9-1)
Ten games into the season, Oklahoma has proven its can score and play defense as the Sooners are averaging better than 80 points per game and holding opponents to 60 ppg and a 38.4 field goal percentage. OU ranks second in the Big 12 Conference in offensive production (80.5 ppg) and ranks among the league's top 5 in nine other categories, including first in rebounding margin (+11.7).
Oklahoma has recorded 80-plus points against six opponents and hit the 90-point plateau three times (90 vs. ORU, 95 at Pepperdine, 90 at Montana State) this season.
The Sooners have a well-balanced attack from its front and back courts. To date, 56.3 percent of OU points are from the guards and 43.7 percent are from post players.
Senior guard Maria Villarroel (14.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg, .573 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 ranks second on the team with 14.3 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.
Junior Dionnah Jackson (11.2 ppg, team-high 4.8 apg and 5.3 rpg, .882 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 moved up to fourth (previously sixth) in the Big 12 in assists/turnover ratio (+2.0) and 12th in steals (2.4) 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 (15.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg, two double-doubles) has lived up to her accolades. She leads the team in scoring and three-point field goal shooting (.448). 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 moved up to No. 2 on the all-time rebounding list after collecting nine against No. 2 Tennessee on Dec. 21. She's 167 shy of tying the school record in this category.
Redshirt-freshman Erin Higgins (5.4 ppg, .333 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 (1.4) and attempted (4.3) per game, plus ranks fourth on the team with a .333 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 (7.0 ppg). She also owns a team-best 6.4 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 (8.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, .580 FG%), junior guard Lauren Shoush (6.3 ppg, 1.6 apg, .511 FG%) and freshman guard Britney Brown (3.3 ppg, 1.7 apg, .409 FG%) have made important contributions this season. Rush has scored 10-plus points in four games including a team-high 16 points in the home-opening win against Southeast Missouri State, hitting six of seven shots. Shoush has been the spark plug off the bench for the Sooners over the past two seasons. Her main contributions don't show up on the stat sheet but her energy level and work ethic is noticed by all. She has scored 10-plus points twice (10 at SMU and a career-high 18 at Montana State) and saw her first start of the season against Illinois Sunday. 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).
WICHITA STATE (2-4)
Tuesday's game against the Sooners will conclude a four-game road streak for Wichita State. WSU has lost three in a row and sports an overall record of 2-4. The Shockers are under the new direction of head coach Jane Albright. Albright comes to WSU from the University of Wisconsin where she spent the last nine seasons as the Badgers head coach (161-107 (.600 winning percentage)).
The Shockers two wins have come against Oklahoma State, 54-49, and Toledo, 72-58.
The Shockers have not played at the Charles Koch Arena since Nov. 29 and will be sporting the gold uniforms for the second time this season. WSU brought back the gold uniforms in its game at Charlotte on Dec. 11, a color it hasn't worn since the 1995-96 season.
Wichita State is lead by a dominate post player in senior Angela Buckner. Buckner has earned All-Missouri Valley Conference honors and was named to the Oakland Tribune All-Tournament team after producing back-to-back double-doubles against Tulane and Miami (Ohio) in early December. She continues to be one of the most dominate rebounders in the NCAA ranking second with 13.7 rpg, which only trails the nation's leader Sherry McCracklin of UNLV by just 0.2.
Sophomore Antionette Wells was honored as the MVC Rookie of the Week for her performance of 14 points and eight rebounds vs. Tulane and 13 points and seven rebounds against Miami (Ohio).
Wichita State was picked to finish fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll, while Buckner was an All-Valley preseason first team selection.
Buckner averages a double double (12.5 points and 13.5 rebounds) when playing the Sooners.
Albright returned four starters and nine letterwinners that went 14-14 and finished sixth in the MVC at 8-10.
HOLIDAY FAMILY PACKS
This is the final home game that Oklahoma fans can benefit from the Holiday Family Packs which includes your game ticket, a regular hotdog, a small Coke and an OU t-shirt 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!
UP NEXT
Oklahoma will open its eight season as a member of the Big 12 Conference as the Sooners host Nebraska (8-1) on Wed., Jan. 7, 2004 at 7 p.m. inside the Lloyd Noble Center. OU is 6-1 in Big 12 openers and 4-1 in Big 12 home openers.
QUICK LOOK AT NEBRASKA (8-1)
Nebraska (8-1) travels to Rice (Dec. 30) and will host St. Bonaventure (Jan. 3) before traveling to Norman on Jan. 7 to open its Big 12 slate. The Cornhuskers are currently on a six-game winning streak and coming off a four-game home stand (4-0).
The Huskers head to Rice riding the thrill of three consecutive last-minute victories, including wins over No. 13 Ohio State (60-55) and Louisiana-Lafayette (61-59).
COALE LOOKS TO TIE MCHUGH'S RECORD TUESDAY
Eighth year head coach Sherri Coale is two victories shy of becoming Oklahoma's all-time winningest women's basketball coach. The Healdton, Okla., native has produced 141 career wins, one 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 Nebraska on Jan. 7, 2004.
DISH OWNERS
Junior Dionnah Jackson has been instrumental to OU's success over the past three years. Jackson spent her first season as the Sooners “sixth man” relieving OU greats Stacey Dales and LaNeishea Caufield during the 2002 NCAA Final Four season. She moved into a position of leadership and director of the team after the program suffered numerous injuries last season. A role she wasn't quite ready for or comfortable with as a sophomore.
With Caton Hill, Erin Higgins and Casey Walker healthy, Jackson has found a comfort zone she excels in, one of a leader but not necessary the director. She ranks among the Big 12 Conference top 25 in five categories, the most of any Sooner. Jackson is fourth in the league in assist/turnover ratio (1.8), ninth in assists (4.8), 12th in steals (2.4) and 24th in scoring (11.2). The 5-9 guard also is OU's third best rebounder at 5.3 rpg and second best free throw shooter, hitting 15-of-17 foul shots.
Jackson has had more assists than turnovers in eight of 10 games, including seven assists to zero turnovers in the season opener against ORU and seven assists to just one turnover against No. 2 Tennessee.
SHOUSH IS NO SLOSH
Junior Lauren Shoush has been one of the most consistent players for the Sooners over the past two seasons. More important than the numbers she produces, Shoush's intensity has sparked Sooner runs in several games this season. Players feel off of her energy as she dives for loose balls, jump into passing lanes and battle for every rebound.
Through 10 games, the Oklahoma City native has scored 57 points (6.3 ppg) and owns an assist/turnover ratio of 1.6, second best to Dionnah Jackson's 1.8. She is also shooting a much improved 51.1 percent (23-45) from the field and 36.4 percent (8-22) from the three-point line. Last year, she shot 35.1 percent (34-97) from the field and 22.5 percent (9-40) from the arch. Shoush has already connected on eight three-pointers this year.
The Putnam City North High School graduate is averaging 6.3 points, 1.6 assists and 1.7 rebounds per game.
Shoush appeared among the top five against Illinois Sunday and started eight games last year.
RUSHING THROUGH THE GATES
Freshman Leah Rush has been instrumental in the early going, playing an average of 18.2 minutes a game. Rush is fourth among Big 12 freshmen and on the team in scoring (9.6 ppg). The Amarillo, Texas native is one of five Big 12 freshmen that rank among the league's top 10 in six different categories.
Iowa State's Lyndsey Medders is the only Big 12 freshman that rank among the top 10 in six categories.
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 STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE STRONG
Oklahoma currently ranks 37th in the most recent (Dec. 29) WBCA-Summerville RPI Rankings.
Seven of OU's opponents are ranked in the AP Top 25, while two another are receiving votes in the either the AP or ESPN/USA Today Coaches Polls.
On the slate are eight teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament and four to the WNIT a year ago --- Pepperdine, Utah, Tennessee, Illinois, Texas (Final Four), Kansas State, Texas Tech (Elite Eight) and Colorado (Sweet 16). WNIT participants from the 2002-03 season are Montana State, Siena, Baylor (runner-up) and Missouri.
HOME ATTENDANCES RANKINGS OUT
OU's game against Tennessee ranks as the seventh best attended women's basketball game of the 2003-04 season. OU-UT drew a record setting 12,080 fans, the most ever to witness a women's basketball game in the state of Oklahoma. The previous best was 11,245 for the NCAA Tournament second-round game between OU and Villanova on March 18, 2002. The previous best for an OU regular season game was 10,713 when the Sooners hosted Connecticut on Dec. 29, 1999.
Connecticut ranks No. 1 for the third-straight week, bringing in an average of 13,843 fans per home game. Oklahoma leaped into the top-10 at No. 9 after hosting Tennessee.
Eight of the Big 12's teams rank among the nation's top-36 in home attendance average, including five in the top-12.
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 be the Sooner leaders in field goal percentage, shooting 57.3 percent (55-of-96). She also ranks second on the team with 14.3 points per game and ranks fourth in rebounds with 5.0 boards per outing.
Villarroel has recorded double digits in scoring in nine of OU's 10 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 seven contests.
JACKSON ON EDGE OF ASSISTS MARK
Junior Dionnah Jackson dished out seven assists against No. 2 Tennessee on Dec. 21 and eight vs. Illinois to move up to the No. 5 spot on Oklahoma career assists list. She currently has 316 and looks to move past Angie Alexander's (1989-92) 367 (+51) and LaNeishea Caufield's 377 (+61) before season ends.
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 four shots this season, ranking her 14th on OU's all-time shot blocking chart (25). She concluded last season with a team-best 21 blocked shots. Villarroel and junior point guard Dionnah Jackson each has a team-best four blocked shots this season.
JACKSON REMAINS A LEADER
Junior point guard Dionnah Jackson among the top three in 11 of OU's 16 statistical categories, including first in defensive rebounds (4.1), assists (4.8), steals (2.4) and blocked shots (0.4) per game. She contributes 11.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game (both third best on the team). Jackson's field goal shooting has improved as well, hitting 48.4 percent of her shots (44-of-91), compared to last year's 42.5 percent. Her biggest jump has been at the free throw line where she's hitting 88.2 percent (15-of-17). 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 80.5 ppg, second-best in the Big 12.
The Sooners ended that streak with a loss to No. 2 Tennessee on Dec. 21.
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 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 past former Sooner great Phylesha Whaley on Oklahoma's all-time rebounding chart against Tennessee on Dec. 21. Hill now owns 904 career rebounds for second best on OU's chart.
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 1,393 points in three-plus years. Hill already holds the school record for most defensive boards (630).
SOONER BENCH POWER
Out of Oklahoma's 805 points scored this season 33.8 percent (272 points) has come from its bench. Freshmen Leah Rush's 85 points account for 31.3 percent of the bench scoring.
As a group, OU reserves have outscored the opponent subs 272-142.
JUST IN CASE YOU WANTED TO KNOW
Oklahoma has shot 40 percent or better from the field in nine games, while holding five of 10 opponents to below that figure this season ... no team has shot 50 percent or better against the Sooners ... from the three-point line only one team has shot over 40 percent vs. OU (Tennessee, 43.8% [7-of-16]) ... Oklahoma has dished out more assists than its opponent in every game this season and has had more steals in all but one game (vs. Tennessee) ... the Sooners have been outrebounded in just three games this season ... OU freshmen class account for 27.5 percent of the team's total offense (221 points) while the starters are responsible for 65.1 percent of the points (524) and 55.4 percent of its rebounds (240) ... largest margin of victory this season has been 48 points over ORU (N22) ... OU is 9-1 when dishing out more assists than its opponents ... the Sooners have hit 50 percent or better from the field in six of 10 games ... OU has set two team record under the Sherri Coale Era, most team rebounds (68) and most attempted shots (80) against ORU (N22).
THE RECORD WATCH
Senior Caton Hill is 93 rebounds short of 1,000 and 103 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.
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